Photo Gallery

Photo Gallery

The following pictures were forwarded to me from Bert Ricci. Pat Hreachmack, whose dad served with the 398th Bomb Group, is the owner of the pictures. Squadrons were the 600th, 601st, 602nd and 603rd. The pictures are posted with Pat's permission. Here's what Patrick has to say about the pictures:

"All are from my father's scrapbook. All are original. Dad was a Sgt & waist gunner on a B-17G of the 398th Bomb Group ("Hell From Heaven"), 602nd Bomb Squadron, based at Nuthampstead in the UK north of London. There were four squadrons, the 600th, 601st, 602nd, and 603rd. Plus a number of ancillary units. Dad was also the squadron photographer and did a number of before/after photos, one of which is included. He got out of service but was recalled in '49 for the Berlin airlift and was a Lt by then in the reserves. His career notch was supply and materials. Dad got out again but was recalled as a 1st Lt for Korea. He pinned on his Captain bars there and I have the original set his men created especially for him. His CO made Dad wear the bars for the first three days. They are aircraft aluminum and are a foot square. He retired as Major and is in Arlington National. His stone shows WW-2, Korea, Vietnam. Yes, he was there too.

As you go thru the photos, those black splotches are not artifacts on the photos. Photo #4 is one of the before/after photos, this one of the rail stockyards at Breslau getting plastered. Compare the two photos and note the rail yard.

The last photo is one you've seen in a number of B-17 books. Dad took this shot of a 398th B-17G after it returned to Nuthampstead. She took a large caliber flak shell right in the nose. Bombardier, navigator and co-pilot were immediately lost. Pilot was seriously injured and the engineer/top turret gunner was critical. The pilot elected to fly the plane home and told the waist, ball and rear gunners to bail out over the field. They elected to ride the bird in with him. The pilot told them he would land the bird so the engineer would have a chance to survive. He did.

However just before the plane touched down, the crew realized the pilot was more seriously injured than he had let on. But he landed the bird and used all the runway, stopping just short of the end and shutting down the engines and fuel lines. The pilot was dead when the crew went forward to get him. I don't have his name handy to give to you, but the story is in a couple of the B-17 books. It was a 401st aircraft.

Dad didn't get credit for the photo nor did he want credit. It is an "Official 8th Air Force photo".

Emblem of the 398th was red wing tips and tail with a black triangle and a white "W"."