Man, what a story! Maybe I'm just late for the party, but I had never heard about this tale before. It would sure make for one helluva diorama idea, too!
Don't see how that would be possible. But that just means it probably is...
Big Joe: 'You just keep those Tigers busy and we'll take care of the rest.'
Oddball: 'The only way I got to keep them Tigers busy is to let them shoot holes in me...'
I’ve read of a pair of B-17s in a similar situation, I think on the second Schweinfurt raid, but they were both catastrophic losses. It’s good to read that in this case some of the crews survived. The bomber campaign over Western Europe, both day and night, was something beyond belief at times.
"Surely I have made my meaning plain? I intend to avenge myself upon you, Admiral. I have deprived your ship of power, and when I swing 'round, I intend to deprive you of your life."
Maybe I'm just late for the party, but I had never heard about this tale before. It would sure make for one helluva diorama idea, too! 
