[The following takes place during World War II, from the perspective of Army Air Force bombers flying out of liberated Italy.]
Lt. Francis Hosimer was a B-24 pilot in the 741st Squadron. He flew his first five missions as a co-pilot. On one of them, going over Vienna, his squadron was part of a four-squadron group. There was another group ahead of his. The flak came up, heavy. “Just while we were watching the group in front, three of the planes started burning. They just kept flying on level, they didn’t go down but then just burst into real bright flames almost like a flashgun going off. Very intense fire and there were no chutes coming out so that meant that thirty men died right there. The pilot looked over to me and said that is where we’re going to be in a minute. I wondered what in the world I had gotten myself into.”
His plane was shot up but got through.
Source:
Ambrose, Stephen E. “The Isle of Capri.” The Wild Blue: The Crews of the B-24. Simon & Schuster, 2002. 202. Print.
Original Source Listed:
Francis G. Hosimer memoirs, Eisenhower Center.
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