Tremendous WW2 story about a B17 crew.

[Buckeye Dale]

I've heard/seen this one before, but it showed up on another board...(might have been HERE that I saw it, in fact)
(C&P)

Tremendous WW2 story about a B17 crew. Fact checked it too and apparently it checks out...

In the summer of 1978 two former members of a B-17 crew met to discuss their escape from death in a raid on Kassel in 1943.

Sitting on a porch in New York, co-pilot Bohn Fawkes turned to his navigator Elmer "Benny" Bendiner & said: “Remember we were hit with 20mm shells?”

Benny said of course he did but wasn’t unusual. It happened whenever they got jumped by a German fighter.

Yes, but remember the shell that hit the gas tank? Bohn said.

Benny said he did. All the crew had talked about it like it was a miracle.

I mean to them it was - because somehow the plane had not exploded.

Just unbelievable luck, they assumed, and carried on with their duties.

That’s not quite the full story, Bohn told him now, 35 years later.

He said the morning after the raid he’d checked with the ground crew and was told there had been not one but 11 unexploded shells in the gas tank.

11 unexploded shells in the fuel when just one should have enough to blow the B-17 apart.

The shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused but had then been rushed away by an intelligence officer.

But Bohn had tracked down the intelligence officer and he had told Bohn the full story before swearing him to secrecy.

Bohn wanted to tell his old friend now.

He said that as the armourers had opened each shell they had found no explosive charge.

Each shell was empty, harmless.

Except one.

Inside that one was a carefully rolled piece of paper with a note written in Czech by the forced labourer made to make the shells for the Luftwaffe.

The note said:

“This is all we can do for you now.”

The crews' lives had been saved by someone they would never know.

And the worker would never know that he/she had saved ten lives.

I came across this story while researching the lives of B-17 crews for an upcoming project.

It appears in Elmer Bendiner’s marvellous memoir, ‘The Fall of the Fortresses’ (Souvenir Press, 1980).

[oujour76]

Apr 14, 2020 7:01:04 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

I've heard/seen this one before, but it showed up on another board...(might have been HERE that I saw it, in fact)
(C&P)

Tremendous WW2 story about a B17 crew. Fact checked it too and apparently it checks out...

In the summer of 1978 two former members of a B-17 crew met to discuss their escape from death in a raid on Kassel in 1943.

Sitting on a porch in New York, co-pilot Bohn Fawkes turned to his navigator Elmer "Benny" Bendiner & said: “Remember we were hit with 20mm shells?”

Benny said of course he did but wasn’t unusual. It happened whenever they got jumped by a German fighter.

Yes, but remember the shell that hit the gas tank? Bohn said.

Benny said he did. All the crew had talked about it like it was a miracle.

I mean to them it was - because somehow the plane had not exploded.

Just unbelievable luck, they assumed, and carried on with their duties.

That’s not quite the full story, Bohn told him now, 35 years later.

He said the morning after the raid he’d checked with the ground crew and was told there had been not one but 11 unexploded shells in the gas tank.

11 unexploded shells in the fuel when just one should have enough to blow the B-17 apart.

The shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused but had then been rushed away by an intelligence officer.

But Bohn had tracked down the intelligence officer and he had told Bohn the full story before swearing him to secrecy.

Bohn wanted to tell his old friend now.

He said that as the armourers had opened each shell they had found no explosive charge.

Each shell was empty, harmless.

Except one.

Inside that one was a carefully rolled piece of paper with a note written in Czech by the forced labourer made to make the shells for the Luftwaffe.

The note said:

“This is all we can do for you now.”

The crews' lives had been saved by someone they would never know.

And the worker would never know that he/she had saved ten lives.

I came across this story while researching the lives of B-17 crews for an upcoming project.

It appears in Elmer Bendiner’s marvellous memoir, ‘The Fall of the Fortresses’ (Souvenir Press, 1980).

Wow. Hell of a story. Took some true courage for those laborers to do what they did.

[canefan]

Apr 14, 2020 8:44:05 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Apr 14, 2020 7:01:04 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

I've heard/seen this one before, but it showed up on another board...(might have been HERE that I saw it, in fact)
(C&P)

Tremendous WW2 story about a B17 crew. Fact checked it too and apparently it checks out...

In the summer of 1978 two former members of a B-17 crew met to discuss their escape from death in a raid on Kassel in 1943.

Sitting on a porch in New York, co-pilot Bohn Fawkes turned to his navigator Elmer "Benny" Bendiner & said: “Remember we were hit with 20mm shells?”

Benny said of course he did but wasn’t unusual. It happened whenever they got jumped by a German fighter.

Yes, but remember the shell that hit the gas tank? Bohn said.

Benny said he did. All the crew had talked about it like it was a miracle.

I mean to them it was - because somehow the plane had not exploded.

Just unbelievable luck, they assumed, and carried on with their duties.

That’s not quite the full story, Bohn told him now, 35 years later.

He said the morning after the raid he’d checked with the ground crew and was told there had been not one but 11 unexploded shells in the gas tank.

11 unexploded shells in the fuel when just one should have enough to blow the B-17 apart.

The shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused but had then been rushed away by an intelligence officer.

But Bohn had tracked down the intelligence officer and he had told Bohn the full story before swearing him to secrecy.

Bohn wanted to tell his old friend now.

He said that as the armourers had opened each shell they had found no explosive charge.

Each shell was empty, harmless.

Except one.

Inside that one was a carefully rolled piece of paper with a note written in Czech by the forced labourer made to make the shells for the Luftwaffe.

The note said:

“This is all we can do for you now.”

The crews' lives had been saved by someone they would never know.

And the worker would never know that he/she had saved ten lives.

I came across this story while researching the lives of B-17 crews for an upcoming project.

It appears in Elmer Bendiner’s marvellous memoir, ‘The Fall of the Fortresses’ (Souvenir Press, 1980).

Wow. Hell of a story. Took some true courage for those laborers to do what they did.

Amazing and awesome. As I mentioned before, my Uncle BG was a B-17 pilot and his ship was hit on a raid over Germany. He was able to make it up to Sweden, noting that they, although neutral, had anti-aircraft guns a d shot at allies and axis planes. This was important because they noted the smoke trail off my uncle's plane and focused their fire on the German fighters chasing him. This allowed him to belly land his ship in a field. He was then kept as a POW in a luxury hotel for a few months until they worked a trade of him and 3-4 other officers for a handful of German prisoners. They flew them out at night, going straight north a d then looping over to come south to England. This was because if he was shot down and captured a 2and time he and the others would be treated as says and shot. He was reassigned to B-29's and was training to go to the Pacific theater when the war ended. My aunt told me once that she was notified he was missing in action the same day my 2 yo sister died of pneumonia. As she said, it was a pretty bad day for her. Fortunately my uncle made it home but died of a brain tumor 1/2/69. A little strange, we got two calls that morning about five minutes apart. First that my uncle had passed, then my brothers son was born within an hour.

[Buckeye Dale]

Apr 14, 2020 9:16:06 GMT -5 canefan said:

Apr 14, 2020 8:44:05 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Wow. Hell of a story. Took some true courage for those laborers to do what they did.

Amazing and awesome. As I mentioned before, my Uncle BG was a B-17 pilot and his ship was hit on a raid over Germany. He was able to make it up to Sweden, noting that they, although neutral, had anti-aircraft guns a d shot at allies and axis planes. This was important because they noted the smoke trail off my uncle's plane and focused their fire on the German fighters chasing him. This allowed him to belly land his ship in a field. He was then kept as a POW in a luxury hotel for a few months until they worked a trade of him and 3-4 other officers for a handful of German prisoners. They flew them out at night, going straight north a d then looping over to come south to England. This was because if he was shot down and captured a 2and time he and the others would be treated as says and shot. He was reassigned to B-29's and was training to go to the Pacific theater when the war ended. My aunt told me once that she was notified he was missing in action the same day my 2 yo sister died of pneumonia. As she said, it was a pretty bad day for her. Fortunately my uncle made it home but died of a brain tumor 1/2/69. A little strange, we got two calls that morning about five minutes apart. First that my uncle had passed, then my brothers son was born within an hour.

Timing is everything in life...

[Deleted]

Apr 14, 2020 8:44:05 GMT -5 oujour76 said:

Apr 14, 2020 7:01:04 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

I've heard/seen this one before, but it showed up on another board...(might have been HERE that I saw it, in fact)
(C&P)

Tremendous WW2 story about a B17 crew. Fact checked it too and apparently it checks out...

In the summer of 1978 two former members of a B-17 crew met to discuss their escape from death in a raid on Kassel in 1943.

Sitting on a porch in New York, co-pilot Bohn Fawkes turned to his navigator Elmer "Benny" Bendiner & said: “Remember we were hit with 20mm shells?”

Benny said of course he did but wasn’t unusual. It happened whenever they got jumped by a German fighter.

Yes, but remember the shell that hit the gas tank? Bohn said.

Benny said he did. All the crew had talked about it like it was a miracle.

I mean to them it was - because somehow the plane had not exploded.

Just unbelievable luck, they assumed, and carried on with their duties.

That’s not quite the full story, Bohn told him now, 35 years later.

He said the morning after the raid he’d checked with the ground crew and was told there had been not one but 11 unexploded shells in the gas tank.

11 unexploded shells in the fuel when just one should have enough to blow the B-17 apart.

The shells had been sent to the armorers to be defused but had then been rushed away by an intelligence officer.

But Bohn had tracked down the intelligence officer and he had told Bohn the full story before swearing him to secrecy.

Bohn wanted to tell his old friend now.

He said that as the armourers had opened each shell they had found no explosive charge.

Each shell was empty, harmless.

Except one.

Inside that one was a carefully rolled piece of paper with a note written in Czech by the forced labourer made to make the shells for the Luftwaffe.

The note said:

“This is all we can do for you now.”

The crews' lives had been saved by someone they would never know.

And the worker would never know that he/she had saved ten lives.

I came across this story while researching the lives of B-17 crews for an upcoming project.

It appears in Elmer Bendiner’s marvellous memoir, ‘The Fall of the Fortresses’ (Souvenir Press, 1980).

Wow. Hell of a story. Took some true courage for those laborers to do what they did.

Too bad they didn't double charge one out of every 100 rounds.

[DrSchadenfreude]

Something about the professional writer Elmer Bendiner's WWII story here sounds fictitious or, at least, embellished-- and, apparently is.*

For one thing, why would the intelligence officer have "rushed the shell from the armourers" and then, allegedly, sworn Bohn to secrecy?  Good Spielberg-esque, Hollywood script, but it makes no sense.

And notice that even the versions (per Truth or Fiction) of who found the alleged note in the shell differ.  Was it found by "crew members," or by "intelligence" officers/staff who "rushed it away from the armourers"-- for some mysterious reason?

*  The Fall of Fortresses by Elmer Bendiner, and a Note Found in a Dud Shell -Truth or Fiction?
Inspirational, Military, Space / Aviation / By Rich Buhler & Staff / March 17, 2015

www.truthorfiction.com/fall-of-fortresses-bendiner/

The Fall of Fortresses by Elmer Bendiner, and a Note Found in a Dud Shell-Truth(?)
Note Found in Dud Shell Written by Jewish Slave Laborers-Fiction!

Summary of eRumor:

This is a miraculous account of a World War II bombing mission where the crew of a B-17 survived unharmed after their bomber was hit by a barrage of anti-aircraft fire. Enemy shells hit the gas tank of the aircraft, yet there was no explosion. When the crew landed safely, an inspection revealed all the shells that pierced the fuselage lacked explosive charges. In one shell, crew members discovered a note that said, “This is all we can do for you now… Using Jewish slave labor is never a good idea.”

The account was allegedly written in a book by Elmer Bendiner called “The Fall of Fortresses.”

The Truth:

The story, as written in the circulating eRumor below, is a paraphrasing of an actual account given by World War 2 war veteran Elmer Bendiner in his book “The Fall of Fortresses”. The book is now out of print but the TruthOrFiction.com team was able to acquire a used copy at Amazon.com.
The eRumor accurately summaries the same story that Bendiner tells in his book. However, there is a detail in the eRumor that does not appear in Bendiner’s book. The closing line “Using Jewish slave labor is never a good idea” does not appear in Bendiner’s account of the story. Bendiner wrote that the note found in the artillery shell was written as “This is all we can do for you now”.

[DrSchadenfreude]

Elmer Bendiner
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elmer_Bendiner

Elmer Bendiner (February 11, 1916 – September 16, 2001)[citation needed] was an American writer and journalist.

Bendiner was born in Pittsburgh to William Bendiner, a businessman, and Lillian (maiden name Schwartz). His brother was Robert Bendiner. Growing up Jewish in an Appalachian environment where the Ku Klux Klan was influential and "Jews, Catholics, and the very few blacks on the outskirts of town ... served as ritualistic enemies" helped shape him.[1] He attended City College of New York from 1932 to 1935, then met Esther Shapiro, an editorial assistant, while he was working for the Brooklyn Daily Eagle; they were married in 1941, shortly before the U.S. entered World War II. During the war, Bendiner served as a B-17 Flying Fortress navigator, receiving the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, and the Purple Heart.

After the war, he worked for Esquire, then for a series of medical publications, and wrote a number of books. Among his better-known works are The Rise and Fall of Paradise (a history of al-Andalus), A Time for Angels: A Tragicomic History of the League of Nations, The Bowery Man, The Virgin Diplomats, Biographical Dictionary of Medicine (cowritten with his daughter Jessica), and The Fall of Fortresses.[2]
References

Elmer Bendiner, The Fall of Fortresses: A Personal Account of One of the Most Daring – and Deadly – Air Battles of the Second World War (Putnam, 1980: ISBN 0-399-12372-5), p. 30.
"THE FALL OF FORTRESSES by Elmer Bendiner | Kirkus Reviews" – via www.kirkusreviews.com.

[canefan]

This is a story from the Swedish paper about my uncles 17 crash landing. I did run it through Google translate. Not sure if the pictures will post. If not I'll try to figure out a way to put them up. Note the name of the B-17 "Lakanuki." Funny, the whole time I was growing up and always heard the story of my uncles adventure, we kids were always told the name of his plane was either "Kissimmee Rebel" or "Sweet Alice" for my Aunt Alice. It wasn't until many years later I learned the actual name.


1944-01-05
Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress "Lakanuki" - Serial # 42-5827
USAAF 379 BG, 524 BS, Kimbolton, Stn 117




1 / Lt A.E.Grissom, Pilot
2 / Lt J. Phillips Jr., Co Pilot
2 / Lt J.T. Beach, Navigator
2 / Lt H.A. Eklund, Bomber
T / Sgt H.W. Sea Jr, Radio Operator
T / Sgt J.O. Prochazka, Engineer
S / Sgt B.A. Green, Ball Turret Gunner
S / Sgt D.A. Sower, Right Waist Gunner
S / Sgt B.E. Kelley, Left Waist Gunner
S / Sgt R.D.Hall, Tail Gunner
 
eyewitness account
- Text by Ulla Hjördis Nilsson -
Thirteen-day evening 1944 began as a very ordinary winter day in Västra Värlinge with a thin snow blanket, some minus degree and fairly windy, but before the day was over, a minor sensation would have occurred in the small village.

The whole family was together, my father, mother, big sister and I, who were then 13 years old. There were also my sister's classmates from Trelleborg visiting. She and my sister had learned that my mother would teach them to bake wheat bread and after they put the dough to ferment we would eat. Just when we were seated at the table, we heard a terrible thunder and as we looked out the windows we saw a large aircraft flying very low. It only took a few seconds and then it disappeared, but after a minute the same maneuver was repeated and then we all rushed except my mother out on the courtyard to see what was going on.

From there, we saw how the plane circled over the village just as it was looking for a landing spot and our father could see the American bomber. As we stand out there, we suddenly see how the plane goes down and that it probably landed behind the village - where we couldn't see. My father immediately took his bike and a camera and went away but my sister and I who had our bikes on the wind did not have that opportunity. My mother was of the opinion that cycling in the winter got way too much cold air and this was almost fatal, so our bikes were excepted between December and March.

So we only had one way to get to the landing and that was to run. We and my sister's friend ripped our outerwear together and laced up our boots (the shoe cover at the time) and headed off. We heard that our mother was standing on the stairs shouting something about wheat bread, but we ignored it - especially me who was not at all involved in that project.

It was just over a kilometer to the village and running with ski boots was not the easiest so sometimes we had to stop for a few seconds to catch our breath. When we ran through the village, we thought we would see the landing place for people had already gathered and then we were given new powers.

By now the Swedish defense had sent up an aircraft orbiting the landing site and flew at very low altitude. Just outside the village we meet a woman who lived in the village and who has run away only wearing a cardigan and hat. Just when we meet her, the Swedish plane goes down at low altitude and then the woman screams in despair "they take me, they take me" and pulls the apron over her head just as if it would protect her. We didn't give ourselves time to calm her down but ran on - we towards the landing and she home to the village.

Once we arrived at the landing plastic it was blocked off, but we could at least see when the crew came walking on their way into the yard, on whose property they had landed.

On January 7, there were major headlines in the two local magazines Trelleborgstidningen and Trelleborgs Allehanda and when we came back to the real school in Trelleborg after the Christmas holidays we had kids from the small village something to tell.

I didn't remember how it was with the wheat bread, but probably my mother had baked it.

[daleko]

Apr 14, 2020 7:01:04 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

I've heard/seen this one before, but it showed up on another board...(might have been HERE that I saw it, in fact)
(C&P)

Tremendous WW2 story about a B17 crew. Fact checked it too and apparently it checks out...

In the summer of 1978 two former members of a B-17 crew met to discuss their escape from death in a raid on Kassel in 1943.
............................

Interesting story. I'm due to call my neighbor,  who flew B17s for the 8th, in WWII, as did Benny Bendiner. Lot of Crews in the 8th but perhaps he'll recall something about the book and event that, at the least, was discussed at one of the many reunions he attended since the book came out in 1980. In his late 90s, not many left; fewer still who live at home. I'll give it a try, he may even answer the phone. Until our latest trials, I'd just bang on the door and the dog would alert them someone was there. Today, a phone call is the best I can do.

[Deleted]

Apr 14, 2020 18:53:01 GMT -5 canefan said:

This is a story from the Swedish paper about my uncles 17 crash landing. I did run it through Google translate. Not sure if the pictures will post. If not I'll try to figure out a way to put them up. Note the name of the B-17 "Lakanuki." Funny, the whole time I was growing up and always heard the story of my uncles adventure, we kids were always told the name of his plane was either "Kissimmee Rebel" or "Sweet Alice" for my Aunt Alice. It wasn't until many years later I learned the actual name.


1944-01-05
Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress "Lakanuki" - Serial # 42-5827
USAAF 379 BG, 524 BS, Kimbolton, Stn 117




1 / Lt A.E.Grissom, Pilot
2 / Lt J. Phillips Jr., Co Pilot
2 / Lt J.T. Beach, Navigator
2 / Lt H.A. Eklund, Bomber
T / Sgt H.W. Sea Jr, Radio Operator
T / Sgt J.O. Prochazka, Engineer
S / Sgt B.A. Green, Ball Turret Gunner
S / Sgt D.A. Sower, Right Waist Gunner
S / Sgt B.E. Kelley, Left Waist Gunner
S / Sgt R.D.Hall, Tail Gunner
 
eyewitness account
- Text by Ulla Hjördis Nilsson -
Thirteen-day evening 1944 began as a very ordinary winter day in Västra Värlinge with a thin snow blanket, some minus degree and fairly windy, but before the day was over, a minor sensation would have occurred in the small village.

The whole family was together, my father, mother, big sister and I, who were then 13 years old. There were also my sister's classmates from Trelleborg visiting. She and my sister had learned that my mother would teach them to bake wheat bread and after they put the dough to ferment we would eat. Just when we were seated at the table, we heard a terrible thunder and as we looked out the windows we saw a large aircraft flying very low. It only took a few seconds and then it disappeared, but after a minute the same maneuver was repeated and then we all rushed except my mother out on the courtyard to see what was going on.

From there, we saw how the plane circled over the village just as it was looking for a landing spot and our father could see the American bomber. As we stand out there, we suddenly see how the plane goes down and that it probably landed behind the village - where we couldn't see. My father immediately took his bike and a camera and went away but my sister and I who had our bikes on the wind did not have that opportunity. My mother was of the opinion that cycling in the winter got way too much cold air and this was almost fatal, so our bikes were excepted between December and March.

So we only had one way to get to the landing and that was to run. We and my sister's friend ripped our outerwear together and laced up our boots (the shoe cover at the time) and headed off. We heard that our mother was standing on the stairs shouting something about wheat bread, but we ignored it - especially me who was not at all involved in that project.

It was just over a kilometer to the village and running with ski boots was not the easiest so sometimes we had to stop for a few seconds to catch our breath. When we ran through the village, we thought we would see the landing place for people had already gathered and then we were given new powers.

By now the Swedish defense had sent up an aircraft orbiting the landing site and flew at very low altitude. Just outside the village we meet a woman who lived in the village and who has run away only wearing a cardigan and hat. Just when we meet her, the Swedish plane goes down at low altitude and then the woman screams in despair "they take me, they take me" and pulls the apron over her head just as if it would protect her. We didn't give ourselves time to calm her down but ran on - we towards the landing and she home to the village.

Once we arrived at the landing plastic it was blocked off, but we could at least see when the crew came walking on their way into the yard, on whose property they had landed.

On January 7, there were major headlines in the two local magazines Trelleborgstidningen and Trelleborgs Allehanda and when we came back to the real school in Trelleborg after the Christmas holidays we had kids from the small village something to tell.

I didn't remember how it was with the wheat bread, but probably my mother had baked it.

Great post!!!

What was the cause of the crash?  The pilot(s) kept the airplane in one piece, and at least both engines on the right wing were still running when it hit the ground.   Can't see the left side, but overall, it looks amazingly intact!

It's unusual too, in that the red line around the star and bar insignia was officially used only from June 29th, 1943 to August 14th, 1943.  About 6 weeks.

[Buckeye Dale]

Apr 14, 2020 22:52:40 GMT -5 daleko said:

Apr 14, 2020 7:01:04 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

I've heard/seen this one before, but it showed up on another board...(might have been HERE that I saw it, in fact)
(C&P)

Tremendous WW2 story about a B17 crew. Fact checked it too and apparently it checks out...

In the summer of 1978 two former members of a B-17 crew met to discuss their escape from death in a raid on Kassel in 1943.
............................

Interesting story. I'm due to call my neighbor,  who flew B17s for the 8th, in WWII, as did Benny Bendiner. Lot of Crews in the 8th but perhaps he'll recall something about the book and event that, at the least, was discussed at one of the many reunions he attended since the book came out in 1980. In his late 90s, not many left; fewer still who live at home. I'll give it a try, he may even answer the phone. Until our latest trials, I'd just bang on the door and the dog would alert them someone was there. Today, a phone call is the best I can do.

I hope he's able to answer...as you said, not many left...another national treasure, almost gone.  

[canefan]

Apr 15, 2020 7:56:05 GMT -5 @muttthemaster said:

Apr 14, 2020 18:53:01 GMT -5 canefan said:

This is a story from the Swedish paper about my uncles 17 crash landing. I did run it through Google translate. Not sure if the pictures will post. If not I'll try to figure out a way to put them up. Note the name of the B-17 "Lakanuki." Funny, the whole time I was growing up and always heard the story of my uncles adventure, we kids were always told the name of his plane was either "Kissimmee Rebel" or "Sweet Alice" for my Aunt Alice. It wasn't until many years later I learned the actual name.


1944-01-05
Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress "Lakanuki" - Serial # 42-5827
USAAF 379 BG, 524 BS, Kimbolton, Stn 117




1 / Lt A.E.Grissom, Pilot
2 / Lt J. Phillips Jr., Co Pilot
2 / Lt J.T. Beach, Navigator
2 / Lt H.A. Eklund, Bomber
T / Sgt H.W. Sea Jr, Radio Operator
T / Sgt J.O. Prochazka, Engineer
S / Sgt B.A. Green, Ball Turret Gunner
S / Sgt D.A. Sower, Right Waist Gunner
S / Sgt B.E. Kelley, Left Waist Gunner
S / Sgt R.D.Hall, Tail Gunner
 
eyewitness account
- Text by Ulla Hjördis Nilsson -
Thirteen-day evening 1944 began as a very ordinary winter day in Västra Värlinge with a thin snow blanket, some minus degree and fairly windy, but before the day was over, a minor sensation would have occurred in the small village.

The whole family was together, my father, mother, big sister and I, who were then 13 years old. There were also my sister's classmates from Trelleborg visiting. She and my sister had learned that my mother would teach them to bake wheat bread and after they put the dough to ferment we would eat. Just when we were seated at the table, we heard a terrible thunder and as we looked out the windows we saw a large aircraft flying very low. It only took a few seconds and then it disappeared, but after a minute the same maneuver was repeated and then we all rushed except my mother out on the courtyard to see what was going on.

From there, we saw how the plane circled over the village just as it was looking for a landing spot and our father could see the American bomber. As we stand out there, we suddenly see how the plane goes down and that it probably landed behind the village - where we couldn't see. My father immediately took his bike and a camera and went away but my sister and I who had our bikes on the wind did not have that opportunity. My mother was of the opinion that cycling in the winter got way too much cold air and this was almost fatal, so our bikes were excepted between December and March.

So we only had one way to get to the landing and that was to run. We and my sister's friend ripped our outerwear together and laced up our boots (the shoe cover at the time) and headed off. We heard that our mother was standing on the stairs shouting something about wheat bread, but we ignored it - especially me who was not at all involved in that project.

It was just over a kilometer to the village and running with ski boots was not the easiest so sometimes we had to stop for a few seconds to catch our breath. When we ran through the village, we thought we would see the landing place for people had already gathered and then we were given new powers.

By now the Swedish defense had sent up an aircraft orbiting the landing site and flew at very low altitude. Just outside the village we meet a woman who lived in the village and who has run away only wearing a cardigan and hat. Just when we meet her, the Swedish plane goes down at low altitude and then the woman screams in despair "they take me, they take me" and pulls the apron over her head just as if it would protect her. We didn't give ourselves time to calm her down but ran on - we towards the landing and she home to the village.

Once we arrived at the landing plastic it was blocked off, but we could at least see when the crew came walking on their way into the yard, on whose property they had landed.

On January 7, there were major headlines in the two local magazines Trelleborgstidningen and Trelleborgs Allehanda and when we came back to the real school in Trelleborg after the Christmas holidays we had kids from the small village something to tell.

I didn't remember how it was with the wheat bread, but probably my mother had baked it.

Great post!!!

What was the cause of the crash?  The pilot(s) kept the airplane in one piece, and at least both engines on the right wing were still running when it hit the ground.   Can't see the left side, but overall, it looks amazingly intact!

It's unusual too, in that the red line around the star and bar insignia was officially used only from June 29th, 1943 to August 14th, 1943.  About 6 weeks.

Yes, Uncle BG was one hell of a pilot. But he never flew again after the war. I think the first time he was even in an airplane was in 1961 when he and my aunt flew to New London when his son, my cousin, graduated from submarines training. Sidenote, he was on the last sub to see the Thresher as they both left out on assignment the same day. He was on the USS Jallo. As we were told, the B-17 was on a bombing mission over Germany and was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Unable to get back to England he turned north to try to limp his ship into Sweden before crash landing. He said as they approached over Sweden they had German fighters on their tail but the Swedish anti-aircraft fire focused on them instead of his ship. They broke off and let him go and he found an open field to set it down in. And yes, one hell of a job belly landing with so little damage. This was in January of 1944.

[canefan]

Apr 15, 2020 8:40:39 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

Apr 14, 2020 22:52:40 GMT -5 daleko said:

Interesting story. I'm due to call my neighbor,  who flew B17s for the 8th, in WWII, as did Benny Bendiner. Lot of Crews in the 8th but perhaps he'll recall something about the book and event that, at the least, was discussed at one of the many reunions he attended since the book came out in 1980. In his late 90s, not many left; fewer still who live at home. I'll give it a try, he may even answer the phone. Until our latest trials, I'd just bang on the door and the dog would alert them someone was there. Today, a phone call is the best I can do.

I hope he's able to answer...as you said, not many left...another national treasure, almost gone.  

Years ago we used to buy a lot of artwork. Usually bought it unframed and took it to a frame shop in our town. The shop we used always had a lot of WW2 warbirds framed on the wall. The owners father would fill in for him from time to time and one day when we were in there I asked him about one of the photos on the wall. Turns out he was in the 101st Airborn, the Screaming Eagles, and jumped on D Day. Being a bit of WW2 buff, I started finding more excuses to visit the shop because I could count on getting one or two new stories out of him on each visit. Wish I'd had the foresight to record them or jot them down afterwards and wow, they were amazing. The things that generation went through for the country was just unbelievable.

[daleko]

Apr 15, 2020 8:40:39 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

Apr 14, 2020 22:52:40 GMT -5 daleko said:

Interesting story. I'm due to call my neighbor,  who flew B17s for the 8th, in WWII, as did Benny Bendiner. Lot of Crews in the 8th but perhaps he'll recall something about the book and event that, at the least, was discussed at one of the many reunions he attended since the book came out in 1980. In his late 90s, not many left; fewer still who live at home. I'll give it a try, he may even answer the phone. Until our latest trials, I'd just bang on the door and the dog would alert them someone was there. Today, a phone call is the best I can do.

I hope he's able to answer...as you said, not many left...another national treasure, almost gone.  

Nice day in St L, sunny and 75 out on his large brick patio. Ol' Al was out there w his wife catching rays. Great grand kids, in his back yard, playing. I walked over and gave him you orig post, keeping my distance, and the Amazon sheet on the book. At 97 took him a bit to recall the book, in a box, up stairs, probably new, he said. I think he has a every book published on the B17, that's not recent. A hundred + he thinks.

He doesn't remember this story but went on to tell me 5 more. Interesting as heck. But like anyone at that age, 97, the thought may take some soaking time to recall the event you posted on. Hell of a guy Al is. Some Brit did a documentary on the 8th and included him, awhile back. He has a copy and soon I will watch it.  

When this CV thing abates, I going to do a couple of Go Pros vid Q & A but I gotta do it soon, I'd guess. But off he had to go for his Cardio MD scheduled visit. On the phone off course.

[canefan]

Apr 22, 2020 12:50:51 GMT -5 daleko said:

Apr 15, 2020 8:40:39 GMT -5 Buckeye Dale said:

I hope he's able to answer...as you said, not many left...another national treasure, almost gone.  

Nice day in St L, sunny and 75 out on his large brick patio. Ol' Al was out there w his wife catching rays. Great grand kids, in his back yard, playing. I walked over and gave him you orig post, keeping my distance, and the Amazon sheet on the book. At 97 took him a bit to recall the book, in a box, up stairs, probably new, he said. I think he has a every book published on the B17, that's not recent. A hundred + he thinks.

He doesn't remember this story but went on to tell me 5 more. Interesting as heck. But like anyone at that age, 97, the thought may take some soaking time to recall the event you posted on. Hell of a guy Al is. Some Brit did a documentary on the 8th and included him, awhile back. He has a copy and soon I will watch it.  

When this CV thing abates, I going to do a couple of Go Pros vid Q & A but I gotta do it soon, I'd guess. But off he had to go for his Cardio MD scheduled visit. On the phone off course.

The old vets from WW2 are priceless. I knew a guy several years older than me for years who had been a mechanic on B-17's during the war. I served as the host for the Collings Foundation a couple of times when they came to our local airport. They always toured with a B-17, the Nine O' Nine that crashed last year, a B-24, I was able to spread my brothers ashes in the Gulf from this aircraft, and sometimes one of their various fighter aircraft. They sold rides in the aircraft but one ship had to sell at least six or eight passengers before they would commit to go up. My old buddy Jay was pushing 80 the last time I hosted and I wanted to buy him a ride and he was crazy for the idea. Unfortunately the B24 was more popular that time it sold more tickets and the 17 not enough, and he wasn't interested in the 24. He wanted to fly in that which he had worked with and flown in during the war. We did go through the plane together and he was just in heaven telling stories. I have often wished I had recorded him.