Persimmon
Well-Known Member
View attachment 5076 Pictured here is the B-17 "Lazy Baby" after a crash landing. At a recent airshow I had the pleasure of meeting Robert Cinibulk, who was a waist gunner on the Lazy Baby. Robert recalled his 7th and final mission that was the Oct 1943 raid on the Schweinfurt ball bearing factory. This was the last deep penetration raid into Germany without the benefit of fighter escort. I listened for maybe 15 minutes absolutely riveted while he described the air battle that raged over Germany. Robert related that the Luftwaffe "threw everything they had at us" and only 3 aircraft of his original group of 14 B-17's were still airborne on the outward leg home. Ultimately the pilot, having lost 3 engines found a potato field just across the German border into Switzerland and put the Lazy Baby down. The surviving members of the crew were interned in Switzerland for the duration of the war. Robert however escaped and with the help of the French Resistance made it back to England. Here is a picture of Robert Cinibulk with his crew in 1943 (standing 2nd from left) and today at age 96. Sorry for the long post but it is an absolute honor to hear the stories of these men and what they did. View attachment 5078 View attachment 5077
Great story. Interesting in the group shot ... not a leather jacket in sight