B 17G 42-3535 - Near Varpelev                                                               Updated:  20 NOV 2012

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
v999049.htm Bethe K E 2ndLt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999050.htm de Mars R A 2ndLt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999054.htm Esler A C S/Sgt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999058.htm Hamlin J A Sgt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999051.htm Juskowitz H J 2ndLt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999055.htm Lauer R A Sgt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999057.htm Morgan Jr. E Sgt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999056.htm Mrozek S T S/Sgt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999053.htm Segalla C L S/Sgt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S
v999052.htm Smith R D 2ndLt USAAF 339 p295.htm B17 42-3535 Bomb G Near Varpelev d110444 v999 v999.htm EVD to S


B17 42-3535 nødlandede her omkring 100 m sydvest for Bækkemosevej 9, 4672 Klippinge i Tåstrup omkring 900 m sydvest for gården "Myrekær" her Myrekærvej 5, 4652  Hårlev den 11. april 1944 omkring kl. 13.30 (Kilde: MACR) på returflyvning fra Poznan her. Se dansk pressemeddelelse på engelsk Danish Bulletin.

"585 B-17 fly fløj til mål i Nordtyskland, og 52 gik tabt. Under returflyvningen blev formationen angrebet af fly af typerne Bf109  Bf410 og Fw190. Motor nr 3 og 4 blev kantstillet, og på nr. 2 blev topcylinderne beskadiget, hvilket medførte en mindre brand og en del røg. Brændstoftabet var katastrofalt, og flere tanke var tomme, da flyet nåede dansk område. Co-piloten var såret i ansigtet af plexiglassplinter, og piloten, navigatøren samt engineer  havde lettere sår efter splinter. Da flere faldskærme var beskadiget, valgte piloten en nødlanding, der skete på gårdejer Johan Nissens mark ved Varpelev. Gårdejeren fik straks gemt flyverne af vejen og fik skabt den nødvendige kontakt med modstandsbevægelsen. Den 15. april blev alle 10 sejlet til Sverige, og allerede den 26. april var de tilbage i England." (FT 88-40-25) (Det var Knud Larsens mark. Korrekt at Johan Nissen var meget aktiv.)

Lige efter nødlandingen her styrtede flyverne 800 m mod øst over til en lille lund her 350 m syd for "Myrekær", mens gårdejer Johan Nissen skyndte sig at harve deres fodspor væk. (Kilde til positioner: Erik Mouritzen og Peer Wolsing) Mere i A TIME TO REMEMBER (pdf) af Co-Pilot 2nd Lt Raoul A. de Mars.
Se fotos af flyet efter nødlandingen og af flyets Co-Pilot og Happy Ending. Se flyet - en lokal attraktion.
Statistikker med tabstal må ikke få os til at glemme, at dette er om mennesker.

Det ville være uheldigt, om flyverne i Sverige fortalte, at de blev kørt til København i en kreaturvogn og blev sejlet derfra til Malmø (her), så svenske journalister fik at vide, at de var nødlandet i Nordsjælland, havde boet i en hule i en skov og havde stjålet en robåd i en lille havn, inden de sejlede over Øresund! (Kilde: DFEV)

Raoul A. de Mars fortæller historien i A TIME TO REMEMBER som han oplevede den. Det er meget værdifuldt! Senere har Henning Bencard nærlæst hans beretning og skaffet flere skriftlige kilder og vidneudsagn til artikel i Årbog 1993 (pdf) fra Historisk Samfund for Præstø Amt.
Henning Bencard skaffede oplysninger og genstande til en udstilling, der stadig ses i Kalamazoo Air Zoo i Michigan, USA om B17 42-3535 og dets besætning.
Se også Last Flight of B-17 23535 (pdf 4.85 MB) af Henning Bencard & Gerard Pahl, baseret på erindringer fra co-pilot Raoul A. de Mars og original efterforskning af Henning Bencard og Ted Damick, først trykt i Warbirds International, January/February 1994, Volume 13, Number 1.

Raoul A. de Mars Jr., Peer Wolsing, Erik Mouritzen, Arne Aasbjerg, Henning Bencard, Robert E. Ellis, Gerard Pahl og andre gjorde det muligt at fortælle denne historie!
Se tegning af besætningen på en B-17, Foto af en B-17 + B-17 i airmen.dk samt B-17 Ball Turret, Ammunition og Ball Turret Gunner. 10 flyvere.

 On 11 April 1944 app. at 13.30 hours (Source: MACR) B17 42-3535 made a forced landing here about 100 m southwest of Bækkemosevej 9, 4672 Klippinge in Tåstrup about 900 m southwest of the farm "Myrekær" here Myrekærvej 5, 4652 Hårlev on the return flight from Poznan here. See Danish Bulletin.

"585 B-17 planes flew to targets in Northern Germany, and 52 were lost. (About this plane:) The formation was attacked on the return flight by planes of the types Bf109  Bf410 and Fw190. Engines no. 3 and 4 were feathered, and the top cylinders of engine no. 2 were damaged, which caused a small fire and heavy smoke. The loss of fuel was fatal, and some tanks were empty, when the plane reached Danish territory. The co-pilot had his face wounded by splinters of Plexiglas, and the pilot, the navigator and the flight engineer were injured slightly by splinters. The pilot decided to crash land on farmer Johan Nissen´s field at Varpelev, as several parachutes were damaged . The farmer immediately hid the airmen and established the necessary contact to the resistance movement. On 15 April all 10 were sailed to Sweden, and they were back in England already on 26 April." (FT 88-40-25) (It was Knud Larsen´s field. Correct that Johan Nissen was very active.) 

Right after the crash landing here the airmen ran 800 m to the east to a small stand of trees here 350 m south of "Myrekær", while farmer Johan Nissen hurried to harrow their footprints away. More in A TIME TO REMEMBER by Co-Pilot 2nd Lt Raoul A. de Mars. See photos of photos of the plane after the forced landing of the Co-Pilot Raoul A. de Mars and the Happy Ending. Some loss statistics must not make us forget that this is about people! See the plane - a local attraction.

It would be inconvenient if the airmen told people in Sweden that they were driven to Copenhagen in a cattle truck and were sailed from there to Malmø (here), so Swedish reporters were told that they had crash landed in North Zealand, had lived in a cave in a forest and had stolen a rowing boat in a small harbour to cross the Øresund! (Source: DFEV)

Raoul A. de Mars told the story in A TIME TO REMEMBER the way he experienced the events. That is very valuable! See also de Mars Documents.
Henning Bencard read his account closely, and he has collected documents and witness accounts about B17 42-3535 and its crew.
He wrote an artikel i Aarbog 1993 (pdf - in Danish but with some maps and photos) and helped in writing Last Flight of B-17 23535 (pdf 4.85 MB) by
Henning Bencard & Gerard Pahl, based on the notes of co-pilot Raoul A. de Mars and original research by Henning Bencard and Ted Damick, originally
printed in Warbirds International, January/February 1994, Volume 13, Number 1. He collected information and artifacts for an exhibition still on display in the Kalamazoo Air Zoo, Michigan, USA, where Gerard Pahl is the Education Programs Coordinator.

Raoul A. de Mars Jr., Peer Wolsing, Erik Mouritzen, Arne Aasbjerg, Henning Bencard, Robert E. Ellis, Gerard Pahl and others made it possible to tell this story!

See a drawing of the crew of a B-17, Photo of  a B-17 + B-17s in airmen.dk and B-17 Ball Turret, Ammunition and the story of a Ball Turret Gunner.
See 339 BS, 96 BG, 45 CBW, 3 BD and the 96th Bombardment Group Association. This B-17 took off from RAF Snetterton Heath - USAAF Station 138. 10 airmen.