B17 42-31377 med navnet Pot O´Gold var 22. februar 1944 sammen med en del andre fly på bombetogt til Aalborg West Lufthavn (her) som afledningsmanøvre
for et større bombetogt mod Ruhr-området i Tyskland. Dårlig sigtbarhed forhindrede flyene i at bombe lufthavnen. På tilbagevejen blev dette fly beskadiget af tyske
Me109 og Ju88 over Nordsøen, så Pilot 2nd Lt W.R. Lavies valgte at vende om for at nødlande i Thy (omkring her). Alle 10 flyvere sprang ud med faldskærm. Flyet styrtede ned her ca. 500 m nordvest for Koustrup Møllegård, Damsgårdvej 3, Sønderhå, 7752 Thisted (Kilde: Niels Møller). The day of my capture.
En vinge styrtede ned ved gården omkring her. Se dele af flyet B17 42-31377 "Pot O' Gold" på gårdspladsen. 9 af flyverne landede på jorden. Se ID+Lester Schrenk.
Se Schrenk og H.H. Müller i uniform og Schrenk og H.H. Müller i 2012 og TV indslag fra 25. april 2012 41sek. TV2: Gamle krigsfjender mødes 68 år efter
og 2 min. 47 sek. TV/MIDT-VEST: Dødsfjender bliver venner (klik på ikonet for AFSPIL og til højre på linjen på ikonet for FULD SKÆRM) Se tekst.

En af dem landede ved Sønderhå Plantage (her), hvor P.C. Olesen og Adolf Nielsen arbejdede. Flyveren talte om "Sweden", men de fik ham til at forstå, at han var i Danmark, selv om ingen af dem kunne engelsk. Det kunne degnen i Sønderhå Skole (senere nedrevet, nu kirkens P-plads her), så de fik ham med op på skolen, for
at læreren kunne tale med flyveren. Selv kendte de intet til folk i modstandsbevægelsen, der kunne have hjulpet! Desværre var lærerens kone alene hjemme, og hun
ringede straks til politiet. (Kilde: Thisted Museum se Lokalhistorisk Arkiv og Lyd samtaler om Flystyrt ved Sønderhaa (29 minutter, sendt 1988)).

Pilot 2nd Lt W.R. Lavies landede på tynd is i Ove Sø omkring her. Hvis tyskerne ikke havde forhindret danskere i en hurtig redning, kunne han måske have overlevet.
Nu blev den døde flyver trukket op i en lille båd og bragt til tyskernes hovedkvarter på den skole, der nu er Svankjær Efterskole (her). Sgt L.F. Schrenk blev bedt
om at identificere ham. (Kilde: På sporet af Pot o´Gold (film, 23 minutter) om Schrenk, 84 år i 2008, der igen besøgte Thy, sendt af TV/MIDT-VEST 4. januar 2009.)

Næste dag blev de 9 overlevende besætningsmedlemmer sendt med tog til Tyskland, hvor de blev forhørt i Dulag Luft Oberursel, inden Schrenk og andre kom til
Stalag Luft VI og senere Stalag Luft IV. Alle overlevede krigen, men i maj 2008 var kun en enkelt flyver og Lester Schrenk tilbage.
Se meget mere ved Lester Schrenk og Foto af en B-17 + B-17 i airmen.dk samt B-17 Ball Turret, Ammunition og Ball Turret Gunner.

Pilot, 2nd Lt William R. Lavies omkom. Begravet i Frederikshavn 26 februar 1944. Overført til Belgien 1. maj 1948. (Kilde: FAF) Se maleri af Pot O' Gold. 10 flyvere.

On 22 February 1944 together with a number of other planes B17 42-31377 "Pot O´Gold" was on a bombing raid to Aalborg West Airfield (here) as a diversion for
a greater bombing raid to the Ruhr area in Germany. Bad visibility prevented the planes from bombing the airfield. This plane was damaged on the return flight by
German Me109s and Ju88s over the North Sea, so Pilot 2nd Lt W.R. Lavies decided to return to crash land in Thy (about here). A Ju88 kept firing and all 10 airmen
bailed out. The plane crashed here about 500 m northwest of Koustrup Møllegård, Damsgårdvej 3, Sønderhå, 7752 Thisted (Source: Niels Møller). A wing crashed at
the farm about here.  See parts from the plane B17 42-31377 "Pot O' Gold" in the yard. 9 of the airmen landed on the ground. See ID + Lester Schrenk.
See Schrenk and H.H. Müller in uniforms and Schrenk and H.H. Müller in 2012 and TV items 41sec. TV2: Old enemies meet 68 years later and
2 min. 47 sec. TV/MIDT-VEST: Mortal enemies become friends (click on icons for PLAY and for FULL SCREEN. Print the speech) sent on 25 APR 2012.
See How I met the German Pilot and the letter that started it all. Also The day of my capture.

One of them landed at Sønderhå Plantation (here) where P.C. Olesen and Adolf Nielsen were working. The airman talked about "Sweden", but they made him
understand that he was in Denmark, even if none of them spoke English. The teacher in Sønderhå School (later demolished, now Parking lot here of the church)
could speak English, so they took the airman to the school, so the teacher could talk to him. They knew nothing about people in the resistance movement, who
might have helped. Unfortunately, the teacher´s wife was alone at home, and she called the police right away. (Source: A radio programme sent in 1988).

Pilot 2nd Lt W.R. Lavies landed on thin ice in the lake Ove Sø about here. He might have survived, if the Germans had not prevented the Danes from a fast rescue.
Now the perished airman was taken up in a small boat and taken to the German HQ at the school, which is now Svankjær Efterskole (here). Sgt L.F. Schrenk
was asked to identify him. (Source: På sporet af Pot o´Gold On the Track of Pot o´Gold (film, 23 min.) about Lester Schrenk, 84 in 2008, who revisited Thy, sent
4 January 2009 on TV/MIDT-VEST. In Danish, but with many sequences with Lester Schrenk.)

Next day the 9 surviving crew members were sent by train to Germany, where they were interrogated in Dulag Luft Oberursel, before Schrenk and others were taken
to Stalag Luft VI and later to Stalag Luft IV. All of them survived the war, but in May 2008 only a single airman and Lester Schrenk were left.
See much more at Lester Schrenk and Photo of  a B-17 + B-17s in airmen.dk and B-17 Ball Turret, Ammunition and the story of a Ball Turret Gunner.

Pilot, 2nd Lt William R. Lavies perished. Buried in Frederikshavn on 26 February 1944. Transferred to Belgium on 1 May 1948. (Source: FAF)

Eighth Air Force Historical Society, 92 BG * 8 Air Force, 1 BD, 40 CBW, 92 BG, 327 BS *  RAF Podington
92nd USAAF-USAF Memorial Association with Missions 1944, see Losses 22 FEB 1944. See a painting of Pot O' Gold. 10 airmen.