Disaster In A Bright Blue Sky

1st Lt. Robert Rosenthal and the crew of "Rosie's Riveters," the B-17F they flew in after "Royal Flush" was so badly shot up on the Münster mission that it had to be scrapped.

If you saw "Masters of the Air," episode five about the Münster mission was one of the most harrowing. 1st Lt. Robert Rosenthal's crew, flying a B-17F named "Royal Flush" and on just their third mission with the 100th Bomb Group, was the only one out of 13 dispatched on the raid to return to England. It was this mission that earned the group the sobriquet "Bloody One Hundredth."
For details, see:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Rosenthal_(USAAF_officer)#Distinguished_Service_Cross_citation

This is a tough read and I have to be honest, slightly teary. The bravery of our air crews and their losses is a sad yet heroic tale.

This knowledge just makes the movie 'Twelve O'clock High' that much more of a great telling of the men's suffering and devotion to duty.