Crash of a Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress in Hassel: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 1318 LT
Operator:
Registration:
41-24459
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bassingbourn - Bassingbourn
MSN:
3144
YOM:
1942
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Bassingbourn on an operation to the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory at Bremen. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Hassel, 41 km southeast of Bremen. Five crew members were killed and five others became PoW.
Crew:
1st Lt John W. Wilson, pilot, †
2nd Lt Art Bushnell, copilot,
Sgt Norman Thompson, flight engineer,
Sgt Bob Barton, navigator,
Sgt Harry Romm, bombardier,
Sgt Howard A. Earney, radio operator,
S/Sgt Robert H. Ade, air gunner,†
S/Sgt Gilbert F. Andrews, air gunner,†
S/Sgt Walter Bohaczyk, air gunner, †
S/Sgt Clifford E. Cadle, air gunner.†
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-65-BO Flying Fortress in Stotel: 5 klilled

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 1308 LT
Operator:
Registration:
42-29658
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Thurleigh - Thurleigh
MSN:
4772
YOM:
1942
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Thurleigh on an operation to the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory at Bremen. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Stotel, 10 km south of Bremerhaven. Five crew members were killed and five others became PoW.
Crew:
Frank Watson, pilot,
Bob Kemp, copilot,
Roy Livington, flight engineer,
2nd Lt Calvin O. Bjornsgaard, navigator, †
T/Sgt Wilbur R. Giraud, radio operator, †
Bob Hansen, bombardier,
Sgt Reed M. Bottomley, air gunner, †
S/Sgt Lawrence E. Davis, air gunner, †
George Kormish, air gunner,
S/Sgt Arthur J. Sanders, air gunner. †
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-60-BO Flying Fortress in Fiebing: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 1305 LT
Operator:
Registration:
42-29574
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bassingbourn - Bassingbourn
MSN:
4688
YOM:
1942
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Bassingbourn on an operation to the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory at Bremen. After leaving the target area, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Fiebing, 31 km east of Emden. Five crew members were killed and five others became PoW.
Crew:
1st Lt Nick Stoffel, pilot,
Cpt Bob Foster, copilot,
Edson Saylor, flight engineer,
John Segrest, navigator,
T/Sgt Harold L. Langhofer, radio operator, †
2nd Lt Everet A. Coppage, bombardier, †
John Townsend, air gunner,
Sgt Matthew C. Medina, air gunner, †
S/Sgt Carl H. Quist, air gunner, †
Sgt Douglas W. Wood, air gunner. †
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-40-BO Flying Fortress in Beckeln: 2 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943 at 1255 LT
Operator:
Registration:
42-5172
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bassingbourn - Bassingbourn
MSN:
3711
YOM:
1942
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
10
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
2
Circumstances:
The airplane departed RAF Bassingbourn on an operation to the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory at Bremen. It was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Beckeln, 28 km southwest of Bremen. Both pilots were killed while eight other crew members parachuted to safety and became PoW.
Crew:
1st Lt Harold H. Beasley, pilot,
1st Lt Walter L. McCain Jr., copilot,
Jay Franklin, flight engineer,
Harry Sipe, navigator,
Mark Schaefer, radio operator,
Matt Michaels, bombardier,
Jim Branch, air gunner,
John Cagle, air gunner,
Ed Jediak, air gunner,
Everett Creason, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Shot down by the German Flak.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-25-DL Flying Fortress near Grindavik

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
42-3128
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Schedule:
Bangor - Patterson Field
MSN:
8064
YOM:
1942
Country:
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
0
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Bangor, ME, on a flight to England with an intermediate stop at Patterson Field (Meeks Field) near Keflavik. En route, the crew encountered poor weather conditions with limited visibility due to heavy snow falls. In darkness, the crew got lost and after a flight of 14 hours, the airplane ran out of fuel, forcing the crew to attempt an emergency landing. The airplane crash landed in a field located north of Grindavik and was damaged beyond repair. All crew members were rescued.
Probable cause:
Fuel exhaustion.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-5-BO Flying Fortress off Hood Point: 7 killed

Date & Time: Apr 17, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
41-24425
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Port Moresby - Port Moresby
MSN:
3110
YOM:
1942
Region:
Crew on board:
7
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
7
Circumstances:
The airplane departed Port Moresby-Jackson (7 Mile Drome) on a training flight with other similar airplanes. While flying in close formation over the sea, the airplane was caught by a sudden downdraft and the propellers collided with B-17F registered 41-24355, causing some damage to its tail. Following the collision, the engines caught fire then the airplane entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the sea off Hood Point, 48 km southeast of Port Moresby. All seven crew members were killed. The other B-17 returned to Port Moresby safely.
Crew:
Cpt Charles N. McArthur,
2nd Lt La Rue Haralson,
T/Sgt Joseph C. Whitelaw,
Sgt Robert R. Greenwood,
Sgt George N. Neuman,
Pvt William N. Phillips,
Pvt Brony C. Wysocki.
Probable cause:
In-flight collision with another airplane after being caught by a sudden downdraft.

Crash of a Boeing B-17F-15-VE Flying Fortress in Boise: 5 killed

Date & Time: Apr 13, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
42-5751
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Boise - Boise
MSN:
6047
YOM:
1942
Location:
Crew on board:
4
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
5
Circumstances:
The sortie was an instrument check ride which included a blind takeoff and the student was taking his first check. The B-17 started to take off with the student under the hood and an instructor pilot of considerable experience was sitting in the right hand seat. The airplane ran 1,550 feet down the runway then turned off the runway under full power. It was straightened out momentarily while still under full power and swerved further to the right. Finally, after proceeding in a wide arc for approximately 3/10 of a mile from the runway, it hit the left wing of an airplane parked on the north side of the ramp (B-17F 42-29548). It swung further to the right, still under full power at an estimated speed of 70 or 80 miles an hour and proceeded south across the ramp. It collided with the transformers furnishing power to one of the main water wells on the field and smashed head-on into another parked plane (B-17F 42-2987). As the airplane came onto the ramp, witnesses stated that it was in a nose-down attitude under full power. The propellers were observed to strike the ground and the left tire blew out just before the airplane struck the wing of the first parked plane. At the time of the accident the airplane was travelling at an angle of approximately 45° or more with the original takeoff direction, and was swerving violently to the right. When 42-5751 collided head-on with 42-2987, both planes were badly damaged and fire started, without an explosion, which completely destroyed both planes. Four men in the airplanes were killed as a result of the crash; one man who was on the ramp was struck and killed by the airplane.
Crew:
S/Sgt Clifford J. Hawthorne,
1st Lt Richard Pease,
2nd Lt Elbert J. Williams Jr.,
2nd Lt William D. Workman.
The man killed on the ground was Sgt Thomas E. Lovelace.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress in Port Moresby: 11 killed

Date & Time: Apr 12, 1943 at 0148 LT
Operator:
Registration:
41-9209
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Port Moresby - Port Moresby
MSN:
2681
YOM:
1941
Region:
Crew on board:
11
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
11
Circumstances:
During the takeoff run from Port Moresby-7 Mile Drome, a tyre and a rim came off from a main gear. The aircraft went out of control, veered off runway, rolled for 200 yards before coming to rest, bursting into flames and exploding. All 11 crew members were killed. Explosions were caused by three 500 lbs bombs stored in the cargo bay. A dead wallaby was later found on the runway but it was not proven if this was the cause of the accident or not. The aircraft was named 'Blues in the Nite'.
Crew (43th BG):
Maj Kenneth D. McCullar, pilot,
2nd Lt Byron G. Andrews,
2nd Lt Blaine McCord Jr.,
2nd Lt John W. Schultz Jr.,
T/Sgt Elmer R. Hansen,
S/Sgt Philip A. Zumwalt,
Sgt Bert F. Bredemeier,
Cpl George A. Mowad,
Pvt David W. Stuckey,
S/Sgt Pierre R. O'Grady,
S/Sgt Michael J. Paz Jr.
Probable cause:
A tyre and a rim came off from a main gear during the takeoff roll for undetermined reason.

Crash of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress on Mt Foel Cwmcerwyn: 1 killed

Date & Time: Apr 11, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
42-29505
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Schedule:
Marrakech - Saint Eval
MSN:
4619
YOM:
1942
Region:
Crew on board:
9
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The plane departed Marrakech-Menara Airport on a ferry flight to RAF St Eval. Arriving over the coast of Ireland, a low cloud base required assistance from St Eval to navigate to the airfield. With unreliable compass systems, the plane let down through the cloud but struck a mountain before reaching clear air. Spotting ground, the pilots pulled back on the control column and the tail struck tearing off the left horizontal stabilizer. Without elevator control, the plane struck the ground again approximately a quarter mile beyond, slid to a stop and broke its back. The wreckage was found on Mt Foel Cwmcerwyn. A crew was killed and eight others escaped unhurt.
Crew:
2nd Lt Dinwiddle Fuhrmeister, pilot,
1st Lt Emil Oluf Rasmussen Jr., copilot,
2nd Lt Art Titus, navigator,
1st Lt William J. Smith, †
T/Sgt Odes Franklin Harvey Jr., flight engineer,
Sgt Amos Roy May, radio operator,
Sgt Keith Thousand, air gunner,
Sgt Ray Young Wilson, air gunner,
Sgt Owen Nabors, air gunner.
Probable cause:
Controlled flight into terrain.

Crash of a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress in Fort Wayne: 3 killed

Date & Time: Apr 8, 1943
Operator:
Registration:
41-2543
Flight Phase:
Flight Type:
Survivors:
No
MSN:
2354
YOM:
1941
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Crashed while taking off from Fort Wayne-Bear Field and destroyed by fire. All three crew members were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Leroy D. Ronnfeldt,
Pvt Bennie J. Grabiec,
Pvt Devere Lambert.