pder aspra .---- "
A large hole there and would explosive decompression have broken the cockpit away
NO . explosive decompression wherein the plane blows apart like a ballon is essentially a myth. While a large ( assume a door blows out- which wont happen ) hole would result in a RAPID decompression, and possibly sweep debris and even a person or two out the hole, absent other damage , the plane would be structurally intact. In the extreme, control problems ( cables as in dc-10 over paris years ago ) or similar would eventually bring plane down, mostly in one piece till it hit the ground.
Comparisons to the Brit Comet in the 50's are no longer valid for a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with better fatuigue analysis, built in crack stoppers, major doublers around critical areas,, etc etc etc.
But since the available photos and best knowledge to date make it clear a missile hit near the cockpit,, and the plane at high altitude, just the speed and air drag would be enough to cause a zipper like damage and the resulting ' cartwheeling at enough g levels to finsh the job.
FWIW the above simplified analysis is MY considered opinion, and partly a result of my background in aerospace- commerical airplane manufacturing of large aircraft, plus a long time interest in why things fail ...
And one might look up a mythbuster video wherein they took an boneyard jet airplane, put in temporary bulkheads, pressured it up to the same differential pressure at altitude- and exploded a major hole in the cabin area with dummys in seats, etc.