100th Bomb Group B-17s at Bomb Release

“Ahah,” I said. “Here is a nice big city.”

I twirled my E-6B computer, set in the wind, and got a heading to a point south of the city.

We floated over the I.P. [initial point]. I heard the bomb bay doors rumbling open.

Now to see the name of the city we were about to blow off the face of the earth. I had to record it in my log.

Bonn, Germany. That’s where Beethoven went to school. I hit my [microphone] button.”All positions from navigator. I have another target. We can’t bomb Bonn.”

“Command to navigator. Why not?”

“That is where Beethoven went to school.”

Sixty-three Flying Fortresses floated over Bonn, some of them with their bomb bay doors open. But no bombs fell.

Caption:
Here, Crosby describes how a bit of trivia he knew about his favorite composer led him to divert a target of opportunity strike on Bonn, Germany, when his primary target was obscured. By happenstance, Bonn was spared from heavy damage afterward. Its intac
Type: Photograph
Image Date: 1943
Image Taken: Over Europe
Credit: Rebecca Crosby Hutchinson
Origin: Rebecca Crosby Hutchinson
Creator: Harry H. Crosby
Navigators & Inventors
 

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Here, Crosby describes how a bit of trivia he knew about his favorite composer led him to divert a target of opportunity strike on Bonn, Germany, when his primary target was obscured. By happenstance, Bonn was spared from heavy damage afterward. Its intac