Only the “skin” of the plane kept the tattered B-17 together on that long, harrowing day in 1944, and its pilot often wonders how.

“We were shot up so badly that any other airplane would not have made it,” said E.E. “Hank” Hendrickson, shaking his head as he sat quietly inside his Auburn apartment. “To this day, I don’t know how we survived the explosion. … I cannot believe we survived it.”

The U.S. Army Air Forces’ 1st lieutenant somehow nursed the damaged but resilient bomber back to its England base after the B-17, nicknamed “Sky Monster,” took a direct hit to its radio center while on a mission over Nazi Germany in World War II. The 88-milimeter shell – fired from a German anti-aircraft gun – exploded inside the plane, killing two members of Hendrickson’s crew and blowing a third entirely out of the bomber. Miraculously, that third man, a radio operator, pulled his parachute and survived. Crewman Bill Post now lives in Pennsylvania and calls his friend often.

Hendrickson’s navigator and tail gunner also survived the battle and are alive today to tell the tale. The heavily damaged B-17, however, would never fly again.

For his efforts, Hendrickson received the Silver Star, one of the many honors bestowed on him during his tour of duty over hostile skies.

But for all the pilot did to save his crew on that unforgettable day, he still remembers those he lost – even now, 65 years later. As America honors those who served and died in war on Memorial Day, Hendrickson will remember his friends and colleagues, many of whom never made it home safely.

This Auburn man is humble.

“Just how I survived it is anybody’s guess,” said the 88-year-old Hendrickson, peering into the bright morning sky through his window at the Parkside Retirement Community. “Anybody who walked away from that were survivors. Those who died were heroes.

“Believe it or not, I still feel bad about losing the guys I did,” he added. “It’s hard to explain what it’s like to lose a part of your crew, and the way in how we lost them. But it’s one of those things … it’s not fun.

“You see, those who fly in combat never forget.”

Hendrickson flew 30 daylight combat missions for the U.S. 8th Air Force, 92nd Bomb Group. For the most part, he was fortunate to survive the devastating enemy fire while situated inside the vulnerable cockpit of the Boeing-built Flying Fortress at 28,000 feet. For 15 of those missions, he flew in the saving graces of a B-17 named “Heavens Above.”

Under his command, Hendrickson lost four crewmen but saved many others. His quick-thinking, 10-member crew could maneuver and defend a four-engine heavy bomber, replete with .50-caliber machine guns, under heavy attack in flak-infested skies.

It was common to lose one of the engines, maybe two, during flight, and Hendrickson’s crew often returned from missions with a scratch or two. The B-17 had a tough reputation and withstood its share of enemy strafing.

Historians concluded that the B-17, which routinely was escorted by American fighter planes, was effective during its precision strategic bombing campaign against German industrial, civilian and military targets. The men who flew them, and the mechanics who worked around the clock to maintain and repair them were major players in the outcome of the war.

Hendrickson, for one, carefully and boldly went about his job. His missions exclusively targeted German factories and supply lines.

“There was nothing glamorous about it,” he said of his duty. “You were trained to do a job. You had to do your job. You can be scared and still do your job. That’s the best way to put it.

“I don’t know of any peculiarity or skill when you’re flying one,” he said. “But your training comes in when you’ve been shot up or crippled. The training comes in how you can bring it home.”

The Idaho native lived most of his life in Western Washington and got the urge to fly from his uncle, a bush pilot. The son of a logger, Hendrickson left home early, and held some odd jobs before enlisting in the Air Corps when the war intensified. The sharp cadet soon mastered the training and earned his precocious wings.

“I wanted to be a fighter pilot,” he recalled. “They all want to be fighter pilots.”

But instead of being an autonomous ace, Hendrickson was destined for the bomber program. He soon became a part of a team and eventually, a leader.

And, in times of trouble, a sturdy commander.

Of the 30 missions he flew in World War II, No. 23 comes readily to mind, the day German flak nearly ripped his plane in half. When the shell exploded, the B-17 went into a spin, but the pilot pulled out of it.

The aircrew was able to unload its bombs on a secondary target as it returned to England. The Sky Monster somehow avoided another fight with German planes as it limped home.

“With a big hole in our plane, they must have figured they didn’t want to waste any shells on us,” Hendrickson recalled. “They left us alone.”

Soon, Hendrickson brought the plane to base, relieved to be gently on the ground.

He would go on to fly seven more missions before completing his duty and returning stateside. Then a major, he was discharged from service in 1946.

In civilian life, Hendrickson would go back to college to earn his engineering degree, marry, raise three children and enjoy a 32-year career working for IBM. He lived and worked primarily in Western Washington and the Seattle area. After his wife, Virginia, passed away, Hendrickson left his Kent home for a retirement spot in Auburn.

Today, he remains an active member of the veterans’ community who volunteers his time and shares his experiences. He has worked with fellow veterans in the building of a reproduction Douglas World Cruiser, the first aircraft to fly around the world in 1924.

Hendrickson also has helped conduct ground tours of the B-17 at the Boeing Museum of Flight, a program that runs throughout the Memorial Day weekend and ends Monday.

When it comes to the B-17, few understood the personality of the Flying Fortress better than the men who flew them.

In the end, the B-17 proved to be as tough-skinned as the men who guided them.

“I was always very positive about surviving (the war),” Hendrickson said, “and becoming a very small part of history.”

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World War II veteran E.E. “Hank” Hendrickson will share his experiences as a guest speaker in a Memorial Day tribute to veterans at Everett’s Paine Field on Monday, beginning at 11 a.m.

The special event at the Flying Heritage Collection will feature a panel of veterans and military experts discussing the pivotal role that WW II bomber crews played in the outcome of the war. During the forum, veterans will be honored at a ceremony.

For more details, please visit www.flyingheritage.com.