Great story. I was puzzled why the pilot was told that it was top secret and not to mention it. It seemed like a normal type mission that was flown at the time. If you read the history of the bloody 100th including pilots like Rosie Rosenthal or "big frank" valesh, planes shot up like this were commonplace. Both these pilots brought back B 17's in same or worse condition. Valesh went thru 7 B 17's all named " hang the expense". ( Google big frank valesh, hang the expense) picture and story of valesh's tail gunner , blown out of the tail by cannon fire, survived almost unscathed! The airplane is a wreck! But he got it home. Ed jablonskys book , " Flying Fortress" tells a lot of this. Fascinating reading. Then there was Senator George McGovern, B 24 pic, who at 22, saved his whole crew by landing his shot up plane on a 2200 ft. Emergency strip, 2 engines out. Awarded the DFC. Almost impossible landing. He pulled it off.
