Dragon Action Figures 1/6 Staff Sergeant Billy Hicks Waist Gunner B-17F Flying Fortress 100th BG 8th AF Regensburg Raid 1943 (70433)

Dragon Action Figures 1/6 Staff Sergeant Billy Hicks Waist Gunner B-17F Flying Fortress 100th BG 8th AF Regensburg Raid 1943 (70433) | Antics Online

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Dragon Action Figures 1/6 Staff Sergeant Billy Hicks Waist Gunner B-17F Flying Fortress 100th BG 8th AF Regensburg Raid 1943 (70433)

The Regensburg raid took place on the 17th August 1943, a year to the day since the first US bombing mission over Europe. Approximately fifteen minutes after it crossed the coast at 10:00, the Regensburg force encountered the first German fighter interception, which continued with growing intensity nearly all the way to the target area. Several factors weighed against the Regensburg force in this air battle. The arrangement of two groups instead of three in the two following provisional wings meant a third fewer guns available to each for their mutual defense and made them more likely targets. The overall length of the task force was too great, with the last wing formation fifteen miles behind the first and nearly out of visual range. Two groups of P-47s (87 aircraft) had been tasked to escort the force to the German border, but only one arrived at the rendezvous point on time, covering the lead wing and the second arrived fifteen minutes late. Finally, both P-47 groups were forced to turn back to base after only fifteen minutes of escort duty, without engaging the German interceptors. The last provisional wing in the task force was left without any fighter protection at all. After ninety minutes of combat the German fighter force broke off the engagement, low on fuel and ammunition. By then at least 15 bombers had been shot down or fatally damaged, 13 from the trailing formation. However flak was light over Regensburg and visibility clear and of the remaining 131 bombers, 126 dropped 298.75 tons of bombs on the fighter aircraft factories with a high degree of accuracy at 11:43 British time. The Regensburg force then turned south to cross the Alps, confronted by only a few twin-engined fighters soon forced to disengage by lack of range. The German force had not been prepared for this contingency, but they were also in the process of re-arming to meet the Schweinfurt force, then forming over East Anglia. Even so, two damaged B-17s turned away from the Regensburg task force and landed in Switzerland, where their crews were interned and the bombers confiscated. Another crash-landed in Italy and five more were forced down by lack of fuel into the Mediterranean Sea. In all 24 bombers were lost and more than 60 of the 122 survivors landing in Tunisia had suffered battle damage

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