When a Ball Turret Gunner Fell Without a Parachute!

Thank you War Thunder for sponsoring this video.

On January 3rd, 1943 a group of 72 B-17 Flying Fortresses were on a bombing mission in occupied France. Their target was a heavily fortified German U-boat base at St. Nazaire, an important strategic location for the Kriegsmarine during the Battle of the Atlantic. Inside a B-17 named Snap! Crackle! Pop! was 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Alan Magee in the position of ball turret gunner. Magee was on his seventh and last combat mission during which he was sucked out of the B-17 at an altitude of 20,000 feet without a parachute!

00:00 B-17s target a German U-boat base
01:27 Enter the Fw 190s
04:34 War Thunder
05:23 B-17s battle on
06:38 Sgt. Alan Magee is hit
09:19 Magee is free falling
11:15 Hospital
13:22 Operation summary

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[Yarnhub]

Thank you War Thunder for sponsoring this video.

[AdrianMannino]

I’ve been with this channel a while, and let me tell you, David has gotten better, from 2d to things that look like real footage, and I cant not mention how he tells these tales.

[rhinobeast]

Yarnhub:200mm autocannons
Also Yarnhub: 50mm caliber MGs

[JOEEEEEIS]

Dude, this is better than 99% of all movie trailer

[goodshipkaraboudjan]

Reminds me of reading a story about an Aussie or Kiwi gunner who bailed out at night whose parachute didn't open. He landed on the side of a snowy hill, the slope, trees and snow broke his fall. He broke a few ribs but his captors refused to believe his story until the next morning when they saw the broken branches and the marks he left in the snow. They apparently gave him cigarettes, booze and a few pats on the back before handing him over to a POW camp!

[Page-qgvi]

Bro fell from 20k feet and somehow live by fair luck alone

[KibuFox]

One detail not mentioned here, is Magee became something of a celebrity among the German soldiers, and was regularly visited by German pilots. He also recounted how the German Military doctor told him directly, " 'we are enemies, but I am first a doctor and I will do my best to save your arm." At the time there was question of whether or not Magee would lose his arm due to injuries.

[krnsthetitan]

3:15 The allmighty 50mm MG strikes again :D

[Jayjay-qeum]

He was featured in the 1981 Smithsonian Magazine as one of the 10 most amazing survival stories of World War II.

[jokodihaynes]

"We may be enemies but I'm a doctor first"

[albertabirdman]

Another great piece. A small correction though... in January 1943 the escort would not have been P51 Mustangs as mentioned in the narration. It would have likely been British Spitfires, hence the inability to make it to the target along with the B17s. P38s were on the way, but not in time for the January 3, 1943 mission. P51B and P51C equipped with Merlin engines began long range escorts in December 1943, almost a year after this mission. P51D came into force in 1944.

[BoniOdinga-mg]

The only thing no one seems to acknowledge from this story; That God indeed answered Magee's prayer!

[jdolson]

As a Navy fighter pilot I had over three hundred combat missions in the VN War and had some very close calls but none of them were as horrendous and incredible as this. It’s a miracle that this heroic airman survived. ‘Outlaw’ out…

[Creamypie]

hearing bomber stories never fail to make chill run down my spine. You're essentially in an alluminum tube playing Russian roulette.

[kdbanks]

This animation and story was so cool to watch! I’m always fascinated by how much effort you guys put into these videos, keep up the good work!

[Daddoplaygames]

after the 200mm autocannon, now we have twin 50mm machine guns

[EoThorne]

Hopefully the parachute wasn’t replaced with an Acme anvil.

[CaneFu]

WOW, what an incredible story; this should be made into a feature movie.

[LancelotChan]

Thank you for such a miraculous story!!!

[Pandacorps]

Can we just appreciate how this channel went from great 2d animations to Hollywood blockbuster level stuff. Absolutely mindblowing