B25 Crashes into the Empire State Building (1945)

[kpete]

SAT SEP 24, 2011 AT 01:36 AM PDT
B25 Crashes into the Empire State Building
byThis old manFollow



I was stationed in Brooklyn New York during the months of June through August 1945. On the morning of July 28th an Army Air Corps B-25 bomber slammed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building. Fourteen people were killed and a couple dozen, injured. I got off duty the next day and went to see the tail of the aircraft hanging from the building. I happen to mention the incident to a fellow bus passenger last month and he said I was full of crap. That it never happened. I had a few years on the guy, but not all that many. I followed up the bus conversation with a test. I ask a number of people of all ages and genders if they ever heard of the crash and only one person, an air line pilot, said he had a vague recollection of hearing about it.

I have often wondered why no one remembers this incident. It’s true that a couple of weeks after this happened, the U.S. dropped atomic bombs on Japan and WWII ended. I got off duty then to, and was in Time Square on August 15th, V-J Day, when the famous photo of the sailor kissing the nurse was taken. All but 3 test cases remembered that image.

In view of what happened on 9/11 I’m surprised at the lack of reference.

.............


http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/24/1019781/-B25-Crashes-into-the-Empire-State-Building?via=siderec

When the Empire State Building emerged from the fog right ahead of his craft, Smith banked his plane and pulled back as hard as he was able, but the bomber lacked the maneuverability to dodge the large tower looming over it. At 9:49 a.m, in the middle of a desperate, climbing turn, the ten-ton B-25 slammed into the 79th floor of the Empire State Building.
http://www.damninteresting.com/the-b-25-that-crashed-into-the-empire-state-building/

[bemildred]

1. It was obvious.

I have thought many times when landing at some airport or another that the plane would make one hell of a mess if it hit something.

[SpiralHawk]

2. "No one could ever have imagined..." - Condi (R)

"That -- following this so-called 'incident' with the Umpire Status Bullding -- America would allow itself to be hijacked by Republicon PuppetMasters in a rigged election, and then watch in horrified paralysis as the so-called Commander in Chief went AWOL and read a children's book while his crony Saudi Arabian terrorist buds flew two damn planes, allegedly, smack damn dab into two damn huge stinkin WTC towers while the republicon 'leaders' ignored over 60 warnings, and then played 'stoopid.' afterwards.

"So I think we need, um, more imagination and shit like that."

- Condi (R)

[NNN0LHI]

3. King Kong once attacked the Empire State Building too. No, really. Photo evidence

[Yon_Yonson]

7. Yes King Kong attacks but he saves Ann

[Fire Walk With Me]

18. ...

:rofl:

To the OP: I remember once reading about this collision.

[Yon_Yonson]

4. I recall this story but most people have little memory of history

Here is another story link with photos

http://www.withthecommand.com/2002-Jan/NY-empireplane.html

[midnight]

5. I had not known this... Thank you for sharing...

[Dennis Donovan]

6. When I head of the 1st plane to hit the WTC, the B-25 crash was my very first thought

[FredStembottom]

11. Me, too.

That was also my 1st thought as the attack was reported as an accident early on.

[Hoosier Daddy]

13. Same here

[jberryhill]

16. Here too. I don't know where this "nobody remembers" crap comes from

It's a very well known event.

[jorno67]

8. I knew about the B25 crash from a tour of the Empire State Building I took in 1996

I remember being surprised that so few people were killed and that there wasn't more damage done.

[catrose]

9. I expect we don't remember this one

Because we did it to ourselves and it was obviously an accident. No way to scream TERROR TERROR TERROR. We already had an enemy then.

[Drale]

10. People also don't remember the attack on New York during WWI

"The Black Tom explosion on July 30, 1916 in Jersey City, New Jersey was an act of sabotage on American ammunition supplies by German agents to prevent the materiel from being used by the Allies in World War I."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Tom_explosion

[Poll_Blind]

12. I remember hearing or reading about this many years ago- probably sometime in the 90's.

Probably on some PBS special on New York or maybe an episode of American Experience. American Experience was a really great series of programs. I'm kind of surprised that more people don't know about it but, honestly, I guess I shouldn't be.

Another thing people really don't know about (generally) are http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_military_nuclear_incident_terminology#Broken_Arrow">broken arrow events which I also think are interesting tidbits of history, IMO.

PB

[oldlib]

14. It Didn't Fall Down!

Unlike the Twin Towers. The Empire State Building was designed with vertical strength that kept it from falling. The Twin Towers did not have this vertical strength, and the top floors falling on floors below, caused their collapse.

[IDemo]

15. My father died in '69 in a B-25 that struck an apartment house near Los Angeles

On the first day of the Battle of Hamburger Hill, across the Pacific. A man and his granddaughter perished in the apartment, and it was incredible that there were no more fatalities on the ground.

[Gman]

17. Actually the B25 flying into the Empire State Building was my very first thought

when I heard a plane had hit the WTC. I had heard about it from my mom.