European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - March 16, 1945, Darmstadt, Hesse A flight surgeon in on adjoining super fort took this picture As Krantz Hung from the open i r i 1 trapeze act Over Japan when his gunners Blister on a fi29 blew out almost six Miles above Krantz blew out not All the by Knox Burger yank Field correspondent twentieth air Pacific in a War in which close shaves Are practically the of Tim a b29 gunner from Hickory will go Down As one of the narrowest escapes in the Brantzs gun Blister blew out just after his american had dropped bombs on Krantz went out with the the Way he was saved by a harness he had devised him self in anticipation of just such an he was outside the ship for More than 10 almost six Miles Over and the temperature was 40 degrees below after the first minute or he lost his whipped by a 200mileperhour flogging the Side of the his oxygen mask was torn from his face As he passed he didst have on Winter flying clothes or a it happened on the maids third trip to on the first trip Over the the 3 fan was torn from the engine and went spinning into thin narrowly missing the on the the top Blister blew the top Alvin Hart of g lend fell to the floor unconscious from Lack of Krantz haunt liked the idea of a Blister blow particularly since the Side blisters Are bigger than the top big enough for a Man to go he didst have too much Faith in the regular safety so he set to work making one of his it consisted of a Broad Waistband with a double thickness Extension to the floor and two straps Over the on the morning of this he had told the other crewmen that he haunt had time to stitch the floor attachment the Way he wanted they kidded there were lots of and the maid was flying the was the Tail ship in the a few minutes before Brantzs Blister every gunner on the plane called fighters coming in from six directions practically Simul Back in the Donald Wilson of Page had credit for one enemy plane about two minutes after Wilson had seen the Irving go a Tony Dove through the formation and got off a burst at the Tail of the Wilson saw the Glass in his win Dow and Felt a slight pain in his left he was firing at two fighters hanging out at 6 and didst bother to look at the just about this of the Crew Mem Bers Are positive of the chronology from Here on Dick 19yearold right gunner from Felt a whoosh of air behind he turned the left Blister was gone so was the gunfight and so was he did a double this time he saw a foot hugged tight against the inside of the he spoke into the it was indicating the empty seat to the top he yanked off his oxygen mask and crawled Over to the up in the top looked Down at the empty the first thing i thought he said was the picture by Brantzs Pic Ture of his wife and already a White Mist was filling the Interior of the the peo ple up front had Felt the Blister the Sud Den depressurization practically doubled them up in their just then Back in the glanced Down at his he had received a ring from his sister Only the Day before and he was very proud of the ring and the Finger were he pressed his cause and effect most compartments of the including the Are pressurized for sub stratosphere technicians explain that the sudden Depres sunning by Suteji fire will create immediate and terrific sufficient to drag a mans body through the this is what happened in the Case of this danger will always exist in pressurized in Early the Standard harness was unwieldy some gunners Wear it while firing and thus were without a new hitching onto the gunners has since been it permits Freedom of movement at the same will prevent the gunner from falling even though his Blister is dam aged by she 11 interphone he my fingers shot there was a note of mild incredulity in his its not then he turned his attention Back to the Jap in the Cook leaned out of the open Blis Ter and was almost pulled through it by the tremendous the buckle on Brantzs homemade floor harness had doubling the length of the Cook managed to get his hand on Brantzs shoulder and then he ducked Back into the Waist to get one of the last things i remember before i blacked says was feeling a hand on my it Felt i was glad someone was trying to help me get Back when i first got out i looked Down at and was glad i didst have a this Way id never know when i i dont think i was conscious for Over two i tried to adjust my then i lost i tried to keep my leg in that i knew i had so the Guys could grab the gunfight was swinging on a Cable just be Low the i tried to get it Between my legs and walk it to where i could get my shoulder in the the next thing i i was fighting the Guys they were trying to give me and i was fighting As hard As when i was going they say you do the same thing coming to that you did going in the ship flying alongside and a Little ahead of american maid was Guy Denton of a flight before the flight he had been hastily checked out on the i was working it because i didst have anything else to when i first saw he was three quarters of the Way out of the his ship had dropped Down and swung up beneath As they pulled half a minute i saw he was still trying to adjust his i took three Quick the air plane John Bart Lett of had just sent the radio Robert Angell of East Back to administer first Aid to the Tail gun Ner when Hart spoke Over the interphone some body better get Back Here Quick if youre going to save Bartlett motioned to his co 2d Frank Crowe of the radio operator arrived Back in the Waist just ahead of Angelus Small size Wal around bottle was used and he almost collapsed on the he was handed another then he reached out Between who had climbed covered with Frozen blood from minor cuts hed received As he went through the they finally got his head and shoulders his eyes were showing Only the Whites of his and his eyebrows were thick with except for the his face was Oyster they thought he was Crowe slapped his mask on Brantzs face and turned the oxygen flow indicator to Hart shared his own mask with Crowe As they worked to get the rest of Brantzs body into the at first Crowe would wave the oxygen you get the feeling you can take care of he both of them passed out several Krantz regained partial consciousness and tried to fight off the oxygen Crowe thinks he heard him my feet Are when the Blister blew a lot of oxygen had been the ship was Over water by this and there were no More Crowe called Bartlett and asked him to drop Down to where they could breathe without but the interphone he used was up front they were worried about and losing that much Altitude would have been Krantz was still Halfway out of the and the others were just about at the end of their rope when a Large hand reached Between Crowe and Hart and pulled Krantz the rest of the Way the hand belonged to the Harrison Witter of Back in the Angell had tapped Wilson on the the Tail gunner came out of his Little chamber and held up his left he no together they went up to the compartment behind the Waist it was pretty warm in and Wilsons hand began to Angell bandaged it and gave him go Back and get my will you asked i want to wave it at the Crew chief when we get carrying Krantz into the they gave him morphine and plasma to relieve the floor was ankle deep in paper and when he came to he turned to do you Ever Pray he i prayed that if that Blister my Belt would at this writing Krantz is in a Hospital in a his shoulder is bandaged up where he hit it As he knocked Over the gunfight on the Way several fingers on his left hand Are in bad shape from frostbite and other parts of his body Are less seriously they never found the but they buried Wilsons Finger up near american maids hard and the Crew is hoping he can rejoin Krantz probably will never Fly at to Call him Lucky is the height of a few minutes ago Cook walked through the quonset where in typing he looked at me and held up half a dozen thick he think ill build me a Down from his and the radio Hussell Strong of East and gave a he saw that there want room for him to do any so he continued on Back to the Tail to see about just As Crowe arrived in the he saw Brantzs left foot go out of the the single strap holding the gunner to the air plane was rubbing hard against a jagged Edge of the plastic Strong had to Duck Back into the plane for so Crowe took his he reached the wind Tore at his whipping it against Brantzs he grabbed Brantzs Shoul Der Holster strap and pulled it the Holster and its contents flew Back past the Crowe then managed to get hold of a strap of the safety he and Hart could see Brantzs Page 9
