Us Official Photographs

B-26 Marauder over German-held Italy

A B-26 Marauder of the 1st Tactical Air Force goes down over German-held Italy, with a missing left wing,(shot off by a Hun 88 mm flak shell), a rudder torn off and a broken plexi-glass nose. A second after this combat photograph was taken, the bomber flipped over on its back and spun into the hills beyond the river. Although the plane was destroyed in mid-air, the pilot still tried to fly the plane when this picture was taken. This photo shows that he had applied full right aileron in an attempt to keep the plane on an even keel. Other crews on the mission saw no para-chutes.