Most people don't know this… On February 1, 1943... An American B-17 Flying Fortress named All American was flying a bombing mission over Tunisia, North Africa. The bomber belonged to the 414th Bomb Squadron, 97th Bomb Group. And like every crew flying into enemy territory... Those ten American airmen knew they might not make it home. But nobody could have imagined what was about to happen. During the mission... German fighter planes attacked the formation. One of those fighters collided with All American. The impact was devastating. The German aircraft tore through the bomber's rear fuselage... Leaving an enormous gash near the tail. Metal twisted. Structural supports snapped. And the tail section was left dangerously damaged. The bomber looked as though it could break apart at any moment. Inside... The crew faced an impossible decision. Abandon the aircraft over enemy territory... Or try to bring their crippled bomber home. The tail gunner was trapped in the damaged rear section. And the rest of the crew knew what leaving him behind could mean. So they stayed. Pilot Lieutenant Kendrick Bragg struggled to keep the wounded aircraft flying. The crew worked together to manage the damage. And somehow... The Flying Fortress remained in the air. For roughly 90 minutes... They nursed the badly damaged bomber back toward their base. Every vibration threatened the weakened fuselage. Every turn placed more stress on the broken aircraft. But the engines kept running. And the crew kept fighting to bring it home. Finally... All American reached its airfield. Bragg brought the bomber down onto the runway. The landing gear touched. The aircraft rolled to a stop. And all ten American airmen had survived. Photographs of the wrecked bomber soon became famous. The rear fuselage was torn open... The tail looked barely attached... And yet the aircraft had carried its crew home. The B-17 was called the Flying Fortress. And on that day in 1943... All American proved just how much punishment one could survive. But the real story wasn't just the airplane. It was ten men... Who refused to give up on their aircraft... Or each other. Follow Iron & Honor for the real stories America is built on. #AmericanHistory #B17FlyingFortress #WWIIHistory #MilitaryAviation #IronAndHonor - @ironandhonorthearchive