The story
In a last ditch operation by the so-called Sonderkommando Elbe, set up by the fanatical Oberst Otto Köhnke, the pilots of 183 Fw 190 and Bf 109K aircraft flying to the strains of martial music played over the radio were ordered to deliberately ram American B-17 bombers. How many actually did so remained a mystery but 137 of the German aircraft were lost with the loss 70 pilots killed. Only eight US heavy bombers were brought down.
There's more to discover
You have arrived at just one small part of Back to Normandy — a personal project dedicated to preserving stories, images, music and memories of the Second World War.
Every record is a doorway to a larger story. Explore Back to Normandy to discover more, or visit Fred Vogels' personal website to learn about the person and the projects behind it.