On this episode of Our American Stories, in March 1944, Lt. Bill Owen's crew wasn't supposed to make history. Flying one of the Eighth Air Force's secret radar-equipped Pathfinder B-17s, they pressed on toward Berlin after the rest of the bomber stream received a recall order. Through a remarkable twist of circumstance, their Flying Fortress became the first American Flying Fortress to bomb the heart of the Third Reich during WWII.

John O'Neil, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, shares the extraordinary story as first told by his father, John J. O'Neil Jr., the tail and waist gunner aboard that historic mission.

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On this episode of Our American Stories, in March 1944, Lt. Bill Owen's crew wasn't supposed to make history. Flying one of the Eighth Air Force's secret radar-equipped Pathfinder B-17s, they pressed on toward Berlin after the rest of the bomber stream received a recall order. Through a remarkable twist of circumstance, their Flying Fortress became the first American Flying Fortress to bomb the heart of the Third Reich during WWII. John O'Neil, Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the&nbsp;<a href="https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mightyeighth.org%2F&amp;data=05%7C02%7CUraelBlackshear%40iheartmedia.com%7Ce2d8f21b830945c55c3a08dee747fad4%7C122a527e5b714eba878d9810b495b9e3%7C0%7C0%7C639202493535303242%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=LctdNuMrxHpUuZgjW%2F%2FoyOIiMY76prxHeVpbEFKOFXs%3D&amp;reserved=0" data-auth="NotApplicable" data-linkindex="3">National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force</a>, shares the extraordinary story as first told by his father, John J. O'Neil Jr., the tail and waist gunner aboard that historic mission.
Support the show (<a href="https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)">https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)</a>

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit, and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories

Our American Stories tells stories that aren’t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we’ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

Our American Stories tells stories that aren&rsquo;t being told. Positive stories about generosity and courage, resilience and redemption, faith and love. Stories about the past and present. And stories about ordinary Americans who do extraordinary things each and every day. Stories from our listeners about their lives. And their history. In that pursuit, we hope we&rsquo;ll be a place where listeners can refresh their spirit and be inspired by our stories.

How One Flying Fortress Accidentally Became the First to Bomb Berlin

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/a12e7b11-b740-40fb-bdfe-b490016768b6/transcript