World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
24 Apr 2011 09:15:22 PM

DRAMATIC PHOTOGRAPH, AS REAL AS IT GETS:

B-25D from the 500th Bomb Squadron, 345th Bomb Group flies over a Japanese corvette
the attack was so fast, the Japanese gun crew
is still pulling off the canvas covering the forward deck gun.

Photograph doesn't show transport blowing up
in the background. Check out the falling 500lb bomb in photo center, the bomb didn't
hit the ship, but the crew was so scared,
they ran the ship aground, where it was a
sitting target for other B-25s and destroyed
You could say, they were scared shipless!

NO WHERE TO RUN, NO WHERE TO HIDE:

Can you imagine being strafed with fifty caliber fire, those slugs can blow your head and shoulders clean off!, cut you in two or blow you into pieces, believe me I've see what a fifty caliber round does to a human body.
If the fifty doesn't get you, the ricochets, shrapnel and fragments from the ship will.

2.  Bill says:
18 Jun 2012 09:19:33 AM

The B-25D was flown by Lt. R.B.Fritzshall,
500th Bomb Sqd. 345th Bomb Group.
Not shown in photograph was the Japanese transport Mie Maru blowing up. The Japanese Corvette was destroyed by other B-25s from the 500th BS.

3. Perry Hurt says:
29 Dec 2018 12:40:47 PM

This photo was probably taken by my father George J Hurt, bombardier for the 500th, flying "Avoca Avenger" (D-1 161) with Capt Dougherty and Lt Ames pilots. The photo appears in his photo album with the caption, "Jap Patrol Boat. Circles from my bombs can be seen in water. One bomb can be seen in mid air. No one could hit the joker. Finally became shot up so bad, the *** ran ashore to keep from sinking." His flight diary notes that they hit the corvette with one bomb, but missed the "Fox" with two bombs.