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WWII pilots relive memories on B-17

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The Aluminum Overcast B-17 Visits Janesville

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JANESVILLE — Doug Holt was flying a mission in Germany during World War II when his B-17 bomber nearly went down.

He was a 19-year-old pilot trying to destroy a fuel plant that supplied the enemy.

"We had a shell explode right in front of us," he said.

Shrapnel blew through his airplane, breaking windows, fuel lines and electrical systems. One engine caught fire. Two others were damaged.

The B-17 eventually landed safely, and no one was seriously injured.

"It was just total relief," said Holt, 84, a member of the Experimental Aircraft Association's Brodhead chapter.

"It was insanity," he said of the war. "If you survived, it was pure luck."

Nearly 65 years later, Holt flew Monday in a B-17 at the Southern Wisconsin Regional Airport, reliving that Sept. 11, 1944, day. The Janesville chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Association is offering flights today and Wednesday.

During the flight, Holt and others were allowed to walk around the aircraft. The blast of four engines screeched through the cabin while traveling 140 mph at 1,500 feet.

The hatch was open for passengers to stick their heads out the plane. A catwalk allowed people through the bomb bay. Passengers could stand in the cockpit and sit in the nose of the plane.

The plane swayed left and right and up and down. It was a stable although sometimes rocky flight.

George Ernst, 86, Newville, flew 17 missions during World War II. He was 22. Monday's flight brought back memories.

He said missions lasted about 10 hours, and the crew had to remain in position the entire time.

During one mission, his B-17 lost power in two engines. He also had a live bomb stuck in the bomb bay. He landed safely.

"We made it home," he said.

After the war, Ernst flew former French prisoners back to Paris. Many of the Frenchmen vomited because of turbulence.

Fewer than 100 B-17s remain in flying condition. They burn 200 gallons of fuel an hour, said Rick Reynolds, a member of the flight crew.

The 1945 plane seats 10, he said, and its home is Oshkosh.

The B-17 in Janesville never saw action in the war, Reynolds said.

It was donated to the EAA in the 1980s, he said.

The B-17 is in Janesville for the Salute to Veterans tour across the country.