MovieChat Forums > Twelve O'Clock High (1950) Discussion > B-24 bomber wing explodes, mid flight

B-24 bomber wing explodes, mid flight

posted 17 years ago by Eric-1226
18 replies | jump to latest

IIRC, this movie includes the now-famous aerial footage of a B-24 bomber with its wing exploding right near the fuselage, resulting in the wing falling off and, presumably, the bomber careening out of control and crashing.

My question is whether this incident actually took place in the European theater (as depicted in the film), or, did it actually take place in the Pacific, and the filmmakers just copied it into this film for dramatic effect?

*Here is a clip on YouTube that shows the event, but it is against the backdrop of U.S. island-hopping action in the Pacific. The clip itself might have included stock footage of that B-24 crash from European operations (again, for dramatic effect), who knows... Anyway, I'd like to know when this B-24 incident happened, what squadron, where, etc.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLNESDqoZS4

***
"Nice beaver!"
"Thank you, I just had it stuffed."

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

[–] nickm2 17 years ago

Eric:

I'm not sure but I have heard from 'OTHER' sources that it was in the Pacific and that the Lib's wing was struck by a wayward bomb falling from another Lib...

NM

[–] Eric-1226 17 years ago

Nick, I read you loud and clear, because after further research, I came across other sources that lead me to exactly the same conclusion about the incident, namely, that it was in fact caused by another B-24 bomber in the squadron (flying above the "victim" aircraft) accidentally discharging its bombs right atop the victim B-24 that we see in the video. A rather gruesome example of "friendly fire" collateral damage, eh? And yes, from what I've uncovered, it happened in the Pacific Theater, not the European... (I had always assumed it was hit by a flak burst somewhere over Germany or occupied France... sadly this was probably not the case!).

In any case, I think the footage of the incident was put into "Twelve O'Clock High" sheerly for shock/sensationlism value. There was never any explanation of the actual event as it was shown, or the cause of it - and certainly not the "real" location of it! - consequently, the non-informed viewer of this film would never have known the sad reality behind that bomber going down... This leads to some troubling questions about the overall veracity of the film, but that is perhaps better left to another thread.

[Research the fateful events of what might have actually befallen band leader Glenn Miller's airplane over the English Channel, 1944, to give some perspective to this unfortunate chain of events in the world of aerial combat....]

***
"Nice beaver!"
"Thank you, I just had it stuffed."

The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!

[–] violeteh 17 years ago

The B-24 shown it that little video, an H model, was not yet in service during the time frame, (!942-43) depicted in Twelve O'clock High....

[–] yankeeflyer72 17 years ago

The B-24 in question flew with the 15th Air Force and was shot down over Italy. The picture captures the bomber a split second after taking a direct flak hit. The aircraft rolled to the left and spun into the ground. There was only one survivor, one of the waist gunners.

[–] nmitsialis 17 years ago

yankeeflyer:

So that FAMOUS clip was Flak hit & NOT a stray bomb, then? Thans for clarifying that...might you have any other details: The date, target, Bomb Group the Lib belonged to? I am only curious...For years I thought that it took place in the Pacific Theater because of the geography I saw below...

TIA

NM

[–] RbSnedlap 17 years ago

If its the footage Im thinking of, what happens is that a stick of bombs falls from just out of shot and the second bomb in the cluster falls straight through the wing just outboard of the port inner engine. The wing then collapses.
There appear to be other bombs falling so Im guessing this happens during a bomb run and, judging by the close proximity to the camera plane this guy must have been out of formation.

"Any plan that involves loosing your hat is a BAD plan."

[–] flyer333555 16 years ago

If it is the footage I am thinking about, we cannot discern which plane is out of formation. It can be the one loosing the bombs or the one whose wing falls off.

[–] drogers-18 16 years ago

The reply stating it was flak...not a bomb is correct. You would see the bomb...they are dropping rather slowly and if you look closely, you will see the wing is destroyed from below. I remember years ago viewing this clip and the reference was to flak. By the way, don't you think it is remarkable that a movie shot almost sixty years ago can still generate such activity re posts? It is my all time favorite movie.

"...it's all part of life's rich pageant

[–] hankmcn 16 years ago

I had always heard over the years that the shot was filmed during the raid on the Ploesti Romania oil refineries.

[–] drogers-18 16 years ago

"...it's all part of life's rich pageant
Good obs...they used many b-24s most of which took off from Saluk neaar Bengazi in Libya...I think it was Libya

[–] mousalope 16 years ago

As mentioned in an earlier reply, the B-24 was not brought down by friendly fire by way of a stray stick of bombs from another Liberator. The film would have shown the bomb as it impacts.

However there was an incident of this sort of casualty with another aircraft which is also shown in the movie. This is the story I think you refer to. At one point in the movie they refer to a B-17 dropping out of formation, and cut to a film clip of a B-17 slowly leaving the formation with one of the two rear stabilizers broken off. Somewhere I have seen a sequence of still pictures taken from above, and perhaps from the offending bomber, showing the falling bombs and their impact crushing through the unlucky plane's stabilizer.

[–] armigerous-1 16 years ago

You do NOT recall correctly....that scene does not appear in Twelve O'clock High...nor does any Consolidated B-24 Liberator...that is a rookie mistake that no film editor worth his salt would ever commit

[–] fastobe 16 years ago

It has been a long time since I read about this, so I am unable to quote my source. As I recall...

The B-24 was named "Black Nan" and was in the 15th Air Force flying out of Italy late in the war. The crew was close to completing their tour on the way home from a mission. The flight flew over what was a known flak battery of four guns known for their accuracy. Only four bursts came up and one struck the plane as it was being filmed from anther bomber. I do not think there were any survivors.

The footage shot from above of a B-17 with the left stabalizer missing was struck by a stick of bombs from the Fortress above, to the horror of the bombardier above as he released his bombs. The entire footage records the event. It was not known why the seemingly undamaged Fort wandered into the path of the bombs. There were no 'chutes seen coming from the plane on the way down and the entire crew was killed. (As the plane was not spinning out of control, could there have been a problem with the oxygen system affecting the entire crew?)

It always chills me when I see this "stock" footage casually inserted into films and documentaries without explanation.

[–] zumber1969 15 years ago

SOrry Fastobe but you're wrong. Black Nan was hit midway down the wing between the inner and outer engine. Also Black Nan had Stevenovich II on the side of it. As a previous poster said, it's more than likely a raid on the Romanian oilfields.

[–] deeveed 13 years ago

This thread brings up the idea that not only were US bombers subject to enemy fire but to their own bombs in the bay as well when they were on raids and flying in the cloudtops. I read an incident of an airman who described his plane blowing up as the bombs were released. Analysis after noted that the bomber had different kinds of bomb ordnance and that this resulted in catastrophe as the bombs were being dropped. Not sure but weren't there rules as to what bombs could be loaded onto bombers?

[–] Conagher_1880 13 years ago

If that's the Lib I'm thinking of, I believe that footage was shot over Austria. Is this the aircraft so often shown in ads for the Time-Life WWII DVD's, where the wing catches fire just inboard of the No. 2 engine, flexes up,and finally collapses?

I'll tell y'all...the fragility of that Davis wing was a BIG price to pay for higher payload, greater range and greater airspeed. I've known both Lib and Fort veterans, and to a one, they agreed that the B-17 was a more resilient aircraft. They also said that the Lib was better employed in the Pacific and CBI where the AAA wasn't as intense as over Europe. Doesn't mean the B-24 was a lousy aircraft, just that it was less than ideal...but then, the B-17 was also less than ideal. You go to war with the Air Force you have, not the Air Force you want.

"It's a hard country, kid."

[–] vonmazur 13 years ago

Guys: This famous shot is over Vienna, and it was the 15th AF. No B 24's with nose turrets were on the original Ploesti Raids, they were all D models..I think on the History Channel, a long time ago, they stated just where this shot was made. It has since appeared numerous times on a lot of films about WW 2...Over used for sure!!

Dale

"If those sweethearts won't face German bullets--They'll face French ones!"

[–] rockmail 12 years ago

Wow, huge thread. But no, your IIRC is totally wrong, that scene is no where in 12 o'clock High. Try re-watching the movie next time before making such a silly comment. It's available everywhere.