Bio

FOLLOWING SUMMARY OF A HAPPENING WAS PREPARED BY CHARLES ALLYN LEWIS WHO WAS THE 1ST PILOT OF B-17 "RECALL" THAT SURVIVED A MID AIR COLLISION. ON APRIL 5, 1945, THE COMBAT MISSION OF THE 384TH BOMB GROUP IN ENGLAND WAS INGOLSTAT, GERMANY. AFTER BOMBS WERE RELEASED THE GROUP HEADED TO ENGLAND. NEAR THE GERMAN AND BELGIUM BORDERS ,THE GROUP ENCOUNTERED A CHANGE IN THE WEATHER TO A "COLD FRONT", WITH THICK CLOUD CONDITIONS. WE WERE UNDER INSTRUMENT FLIGHT CONDITIONS. AS THE GROUP WAS FLYING IN CLOSE FORMATIONS, A FRONTAL PENETRATION TO SPREAD EVERY B-17 BOMBER SO AS TO FLY BACK TO ENGLAND AND TO AVOID FLIGHT COLLISIONS WAS COMMENCED WE'D STARTED THE FRONTAL PROCEDURE, BUT ANOTHER B-17 BOMBER COLLIDED INTO OUR AIRPLANE .ITS PROPELLERS STRUCK THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE COCKPIT OF OUR B-17 WHICH WAS NOSE ART NAMED "RECALL". THE EFFECT WAS TO KNOCK THE RIGHT SIDE WINDOW IN THE COCKPIT JAMMING LINKED PILOT/CO-PILOT CONTROLS. MOST IMPORTANT WAS FACTOR THAT OUR FRONT WINDSHIELDS REMAINED INTACT. I SOUNDED THE ALARM TO STAND BY FOR BAIL OUT AS THE PLANE WAS IN A CRITICAL RIGHT DOWNWARD TURN. WHEN WE REALIZED THE RIGHT WING AND RIGHT ENGINES WEREN'T DAMAGED AND WERE OPERATIONAL, WE DECIDED TO ATTEMPT TO CONTROL WHICH REQUIRED REMOVAL OF RIGHT SIDE WINDOW FROM ITS JAMMING POSITIONS, THE COLLISION DID DAMAGE MOST OF THE BLIND FLYING INSTRUMENTS. THE NEEDLE BALL, FOR FLIGHT ATTITUDES, AND THE MAGNETIC COMPASS, THANKFULLY DID WORK. WE DECIDED TO FLY WESTERLY FOR UP TO AN HOUR SO AS TO STAY OVER LAND AREA. WE REGAIN ALTITUDE AND WERE ABLE TO GET ABOVE THE CLOUD LAYERS WHICH GAVE US A HORIZON AND GREATER COMFORT IN PILOTING A THEN NON-AIRWORTHY PLANE. ABOVE THE CLOUDS WE WERE LOOKING FOR BREAKS TO BE ABLE TO SEE GROUND AREA AND HOPEFULLY A PLACE FOR A LANDING . WHAT SEEMED A MIRACLE, THE FIRST BREAK OF THE CLOUDS WAS A P-51 "MUSTANG" FIGHTER LANDING STRIP. WE SHOT FLARES TO ALERT THE CONTROL TOWER OF OUT PENDING LANDING AS OUR RADIO WAS DAMAGED. THE LANDING STRIP WAS ONLY 3,000 FEET LONG. NORMALLY, A B-17 LIKES A MILE LONG LANDING STRIP. AS WE HAD NO AIRSPEED INDICATOR PLUS A SHORT RUNWAY, WE DIDN'T LAND ON THE FIRST APPROACH. THE RADIO OPERATOR, LOWERED THE LANDING WHEELS AND HAD TO CRANK THE WING CONTROLS TOO. WE DID LAND THE SECOND TIME AND WE ONLY WERE SOME 20 FEET FROM THE END OF THE RUNWAY WHEN WE MANAGED TO STOP. ANOTHER FAVORABLE ASPECT LIKE THE WINDSHIELDS WAS THAT THE BRAKES WERE OKAY. THE OTHER B-17 HAD ITS LEFT WING DAMAGED FROM OUR PROPELLERS. IT WAS PILOTED BY GEORGE CATHEY AND JOHN HINES. THEY AND THE BALANCE OF THE CREW BAILED OUT. NONE OF THE CREW WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED. BOTH CREWS FLEW ADDITIONAL MISSIONS. OUR CREW FLEW WITH THE EIGHTH AIR FORCES ' LAST COMBAT MISSION ON APRIL 25, 1945. THE ABOVE ALL OCCURRED NEARLY 73 YEARS AGO FROM TODAY'S DATE OF MARCH 7, 2018.