Subject: B-17 Boomerang Barbara, mission 2
From: [email-masked] (Michael Fitch)

SUBJECT: B-17 Boomerang Barbara, mission 2.

        From William J. Watson's diary:

December 5      Second raid - Target Bordeaux - Long flight made us
                awful tired. No bombs dropped over target because of
                overcast. Six fighters attacked us on way back. No
                damage to plane. Overcast raised faster than we could
                climb so we started through. Air currents caught us
                and we went into a dive 2000 feet at a rate of 4000
                feet per minute. One 500 pound bomb came loose in
                bombay and we had to salvo them in channel. I almost
                went out of the hatch. Sure was glad to get back.

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NOTE:   William Watson was now the radioman and Smity was the tail
        gunner. The hatch William Watson was refering to is the top
        gun position. When the plane dropped rapidly, he was almost
        propelled out the top gun hatch sort of like riding a roller
        coaster standing up without being strapped in. The radioman 
        couldn't be tethered to anything as he needed to get to and 
        from the radio equipment and the .50 cal. in the top hatch.
        A tether would have gotten in the way of operation of the two 
        positions.    Mike

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