Destruction of 100th BG, fiction or fact?

[Steve49]

My understanding is that this myth, like many is based on a bit of fact anf much fiction. The surrendering bomber shooting down all of the fighters and then escaping doesn't appear to pass the reality test, but the 100th Bomb Group did suffer badly on many occasions.

For example on its first mission, 25th June 1943, the group lost 3 aircraft, on the 17th August 1943 the group lost 8 aircraft, then on 8th October the group lost another 8 aircraft, but its worst mission was on the 10th October 1943 when the Group despatched 13 aircraft to Munster and 12 failed to return. The surviving aircraft was also written off.

There has been much speculation that the group was being specifically targeted, but there is no evidence to support it, and the belief that the Luftwaffe was raging a war solely against one Group doesn't pass a reality test. It just seems the group was extremely unlucky during this difficult phase of 8th AF operations and rumours just started as a way of explaining away some of the misfortune.

Steve