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VERTIGO
41-24547
B-17F-25-B
91/323 OR-P
 This
was another of the group's original Fortresses
assigned to it during September 1942 at Dow Field,
Bangor, Maine. Field modifications added a twin.3.5
caliber machine gun mounting in the plexiglass
nose cone which considerably increased the airplane's
firepower against the deadly Luftwaffe head-on
attacks. As with many early 323rd ships, detailed
records of the plane's operational missions are
difficult to piece together but it is known that
the plane flew to St Nazaire"Flak City"on
17th November 1942. The tail gunner on the McCarty
crew claimed an Fw 190 as a probable on that day.
Another was claimed as destroyed on 30th December
over Lorient.
 Initially
assigned to the crew of 1/Lt.Martin McCarty, his
copilot, Robert Rand, later took over the crew
and continued to fly in Vertigo well into the
new year. On 17th April, on a mission to Bremen,
the plane came under intense fighter attack and
took several hits through the nose section which
"dotted the aircraft's name with machinegun
bullets." The nose art consisted of simple
lettering painted in yellow below the enlarged
cheek window and the ship is thought to have completed
eight missions by this time. A photo shows a newly
patched and painted panel of aluminium skin applied
around the front of the titling with eight mission
markers applied above the navigator's side window.
It
was Robert Rand's crew that were flying in Vertigo
on 1st May 1943, back to 'Flak City' to strike
at the submarine facilities there. The target
was found to be covered with thick cloud level
and all the 91st planes failed to bomb. On the
return route a navigational error took the entire
formation over the Brest peninsula where heavy
flak fragmented the groups.of B-17's. German fighters
arrived on the scene and quickly exploited the
situation and began concerted attacks. Lt Robert
Rand was killed instantly in their first pass
as 20mm shells and bullets slammed through the
cockpit and exploded inside. Sitting beside Rand
on this occasion was Major Maurice Rosener, a
squadron commander from 94th Bomb Group, and he
too was hit. Vertigo bucked and fell out of the
formation with No.2 engine blazing and fire consuming
the cockpit. The interphone was shot out and it
was not possible for the wounded copilot to warn
the crew of the impending impact as the plane
plummeted towards the sea, almost out of control.
Just before ditching the right waist gunner was
killed by a 2Omm hit from the pursuing fighters.
Vertigo
hit hard into 15ft waves about 4 miles of the
Brest coast and only remained afloat for a very
short period before sliding below the surface.
The crew, including several wounded members, scrambled
from the plane and attempted to get into the life
rafts but the tail gunner was swept away by the
current and two others drowned, probably as a
result of their wounds. The five survivors were
eventually picked up from their dinghy and spent
the next two years in POW camps.
This
was one of the Original Nine B-17 Flying Fortresses
that formed the 323rd Bomb Squadron of the 91st
Bomb Group.
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