The All American, on February 1, 1943, along with other bombers, took off from their base near Biskra, in Algeria, to inflict fatal casualties upon the German sea support and communications. After wreaking havoc on the German ports, they were on their way back to their base when the Luftwaffe launched a counter-offensive, and the bombers were within no time in a dog fight. It was literally a do or die situation.
The All American was attacked right after the lead bomber was compromised. The bombersâ machine-gun fire downed the lead fighter of the German Airforce, but the second, in a suicidal yet courageous move, pressed its head-on attack against the All American. The crew of the All Americans believed they had shot the pilot of the German aircraft. They were fatally mistaken. The fighter crashed into the tail section of the All American, leaving a sizeable diagonal void and ripping off the left horizontal stabilizer. The tail section remained intact with the All American merely by a few pieces of metal from the fuselage. Astonishingly, the crew remained unscathed.
Kenny Bragg, the pilot of the All American, recollected, âI rammed the controls forward in a violent attempt to avoid collision⦠I flinched as the fighter passed inches over my head, and then I felt a slight thud like a coughing engine. I checked the engines and controls. The trim tabs were not working. I tried to level All American, but she insisted on climbing. It was only by the pressure from knees and hands that I was able to hold her in anything like a straight line. With the help of Braggâs adept flying, the All American managed to return to base and landed safely without a functional tail wheel.
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