Last flight of the Sugar Blues, Feb 22, 1944
Sat Feb 22, 2014 12:12 am
70 years ago, a friend of mine helped ditch the 91st BG B-17 named "Sugar Blues" into the North Sea.
Another of the crew did a good job telling the story here in 1995: http://www.91stbombgroup.com/91st_tales/81_last_flight_sugar_blues.pdf
A site with the raw data can be found here: http://www.usaaf-noseart.co.uk/misslist-37939.htm
One thing he left out of the narrative was Peter had the flare gun from a raft that was dropped to them by a RAF ASR bird. They saw two lights coming toward them from opposite sides of the Channel. One was a Brit ASR boat, the other was probably a German E boat. The Brits got there first, thankfully and Peter told me he fired a flare, which landed right on the deck of the ASR boat. Years later, he gave me that very flare gun (and a safety pin pulled from a bomb on that very mission), which I treasure today:
Mr Delo was actually hit in the back of the head by a belt of .50 caliber ammo from the top turret. He couldn't see anything soon afterward for a while. He eventually got his sight back, but the USAAF decided it was best to send him home, the classic million dollar wound. He wound up flying aerial gunnery P-39s at Las Vegas and stayed in the national guard, becoming a fighter pilot. He ditched again, in a P-47 in Baltimore harbor in 1950. Thankfully, he only got wet that time.
My friend Peter Delo 'went West' in 1999. He was a very good man and I consider myself very fortunate to have known him. God speed, Pete!
Another of the crew did a good job telling the story here in 1995: http://www.91stbombgroup.com/91st_tales/81_last_flight_sugar_blues.pdf
A site with the raw data can be found here: http://www.usaaf-noseart.co.uk/misslist-37939.htm
One thing he left out of the narrative was Peter had the flare gun from a raft that was dropped to them by a RAF ASR bird. They saw two lights coming toward them from opposite sides of the Channel. One was a Brit ASR boat, the other was probably a German E boat. The Brits got there first, thankfully and Peter told me he fired a flare, which landed right on the deck of the ASR boat. Years later, he gave me that very flare gun (and a safety pin pulled from a bomb on that very mission), which I treasure today:
Mr Delo was actually hit in the back of the head by a belt of .50 caliber ammo from the top turret. He couldn't see anything soon afterward for a while. He eventually got his sight back, but the USAAF decided it was best to send him home, the classic million dollar wound. He wound up flying aerial gunnery P-39s at Las Vegas and stayed in the national guard, becoming a fighter pilot. He ditched again, in a P-47 in Baltimore harbor in 1950. Thankfully, he only got wet that time.
My friend Peter Delo 'went West' in 1999. He was a very good man and I consider myself very fortunate to have known him. God speed, Pete!