"I cheated death"

It is November 29th, 1943 and a squadron of B-17 Flying Fortresses from 96th Bomb Group are flying over Bremen. In the tail of B-17 "Rikki Tikki Tavi" (piloted by Linwood Langley) sits Eugene Moran. The sky is quite as they approach their target. Then a call comes over the radio: "Bandets twelve o'clock!". Messerschmitt Bf 109s and the dreaded Focke-Wulf Fw 190s fly in, ready to attack. The bombers open fire on the attacking aircraft. The Germans swarm around the formation causing absolute chaos. Then, a few start peeling off, just before the sky explodes with flak. Some of the Germans do not stop attacking, risking friendly fire in order to score a kill. The formation push on to the target.

"Bombs away." The bombers unleash their payload on the target below before flying out of the city's airspace. The flak let's up and the fighters pull back.

Calls come over Rikki Tikki Tavi's radio, all of the crew are alright and the plane is in good shape. They are going to make it home. Then the peace is shattered as the Germans return. The sky lights up with gunfire as the box formation fends off the swarm. B-17's are going down all around.

Moran opens fire on a Fw 190, then a Bf 109 as they zip past. He is not sure if he hit them, he just picks another target and keeps firing. The B-17 shakes and begins loosing speed. Moran notices and soon other crew members do to. But there is no word from Langley or the co-pilot. The engines are all still functioning however. Still, the plane falls behind and is left by the formation. Now a sitting duck, the Germans do not hold back and swarm the plane. Cries come over the radio as men are hit and the plane is shot up.

What happened next, Moran would get too emotional to talk about. In the ball turret of the B-17 sat Wilbert Earl Provost, Moran's best friend. As he was firing he spotted a twin engine Messerschmitt coming from below. Moran heard him over the radio.

"He's coming up at us! It's coming right up our ass! Buddy, I'm done..."

The ball turret's window shattered under the gun fire and the radio died. As the plane came up, Moran did not hesitate and fired, smoke trailing from the Messerschmitt as his bullet hit it. It fell.

Just then, a Bf 109 pulled up beside the tail, out of Moran's firing arch. The 109 pilot gesture something to Moran as the fighters seized fire. The gesture was for Moran to bail out, he had a chance to live. A thought crossed his mind; was he the only one left. But before he could make the choice to bail or fight until death, gunfire erupted from one of the cheek guns, hitting a plane, someone else was still alive and not ready to give up. The Germans mercilessly opened fire again. Moran fought back before being hit, but that did not deter him, however the true nightmare was just beginning. His guns had jammed. Ignoring his wound and the gun fire he managed to unjam one gun and resumed fighting. The tail rocked as bullets struck it. Moran was hit again, in the chest breaking several ribs. His parachute was destroyed. Finally, Moran decided to try and escape after collapsing to the ground.

There was another parachute near the tail wheel. He began crawling towards it. The gun fire seized again and Moran felt himself being pulled towards the tail gun again. He pushed on but the pull got stronger, the plane was falling. He gripped onto anything he could to try reach the parachute.

Then the tail groaned and the sky started appearing. It got bigger through the airframe of the plane the sound worse. Moran realised with horror what was happening. Then, the tail came free.

Moran was thrown back into the tail as it separated from the plane. It fell into a terrible spin.

From the nose of the plane, navigator Jesse Orrison (a good friend of Moran) was thrown out as the plane dived. He pulled his parachute and then saw the tail falling, the flaps and rudder fluttering like crazy.

From within, Moran was sure this was it. His vision went red from the blood going into his eyes. Then the tail lurched with a force that no man was meant to feel, or take. It stopped and Moran hit the ground.

His body broken, he managed to crawl along the ground. He spotted the tail lodged in a tree above him. He had broken both arms, cracked his skull open and suffered many other injuries. Thankfully he was found by a ground of French workers and German soldiers.

Moran was taken to a POW camp hospital where a metal plate was put in his skull to close the opening. He suffered from nightmares and trauma from the experience. Eventually he recovered from his physical wounds and was freed after the war, where he would reunite with Orrison.

Years later, Moran would meet author John Armbruster and tell his story. The two would become good friends. In March 2014, Moran would pass away. Eight years later, Armbruster would release the book "Tailspin" about Moran's unbelievable survival.

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