Black Thursday Revisited: The B-17 Raid on Schweinfurt That Nearly Broke the Eighth Air Force
On October 14, 1943, the U.S. Eighth Air Force launched a second major raid against critical German ball bearing factories in Schweinfurt. Known as 'Black Thursday,' the mission was intended to deal a crippling blow to the Nazi war machine. However, lacking long-range fighter escorts for the entire journey, the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber formations were left vulnerable. They faced relentless and coordinated attacks from hundreds of Luftwaffe fighters. The result was catastrophic, with 60 B-17s shot down and over 600 airmen lost, marking one of the costliest air missions for the USAAF in Europe. The devastating losses forced a temporary halt to unescorted deep-penetration bombing raids until effective long-range fighters could be deployed.
Official Source: https://migflug.com/jetflights/black-thursday-over-schweinfurt-the-b-17-raid-that-nearly-broke-the-eighth-air-force/