| Boeing B-17F Flying Fortresses radar bombing through clouds. The B-17Fs from the 384th Bomb Group were targeting the city center of Bremen. A white “skymarker” bomb can be seen shooting out smoke, fired from a Pathfinder B-17, indicating the time to bomb. Most B-17Fs of the group were recalled while forming over England due to weather reported over Europe, and B-17F-25-BO 41-24575 “Sunrise Serenader” of the 544th Bomb Squadron, flown by 1st Lieutenant Ralph Connell Jr. (August 11, 1920 – November 13, 1943), accidentally crashed when recalled, and only radio operator Technical Sergeant Alan Bradford Purdy (June 23, 1924 – March 11, 1979) survived. The mission was the 130th for the 8th Air Force in England, and 66 B-17s and 61 B-24s bombed Bremen, with 3 B-17s and 13 B-24s being shot down. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2197.jpg |
| Image Size | 237.38 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1800 x 1113 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Air Force |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 13, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | Bremen |
| State or Province | Bremen |
| Country | Germany |
| Archive | National Museum of the United States Air Force |
| Record Number | 060517-F-1234S-004 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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