I always wondered if they cut his microphone off so they couldn't hear him
freaking out as the ground loomed nearer and nearer and nearer and then
screaming in terror/pain as he started to skim the ground. Can you imagine
having to listen to that? It would be like, "Oh man... Oh MAN. HOLY
****!! GET ME THE **** OUT OF HERE GODDAMMIT!!!!! OH MY GOD
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" and then there would be utter silence and a long reddish
brown trail of goo down the runway.

We've all heard those stories, and there are many more equally
horrible. I think what the people who were on the Indy when it was
torpedoed toward the end of WW2 went through is at least as horrible,
and we know that happened, the shark feeding frenzy is well
documented.

Do we know for sure if that belly gunner -- gear up landing scene
really happened?

This is not an attempt to belittle any who have put themselves at risk
for the rest of us: the question I have is do we know with certainty
the gear up landing with a trapped belly gunner is reality based or is
it from a film?