B17 42-30246 havde været på bombetogt til Rostock. Flyet landede omkring her.
"Kl. 14.20 kaldte piloten, 1st Lt William M. Gaillard, over radioen og fortalte, at han ikke kunne få brændstof fra "Tokyo-tankene". Over målet var reservetankene blevet
ramt at flak, og fra et andet fly havde man set brændstof strømme ud. Kort efter forlod B17 42-30246 formationen, og piloten meddelte, at han ville forsøge at nå
Sverige.
Kl. 15.35 foretog piloterne en perfekt mavelanding ved Tirstrup, og hele besætningen kunne uskadt forlade flyet. Tilstrømmende danskere kunne til amerikanernes
store skuffelse fortælle, at de var landet i Danmark. En maskinkanon og en sæk appelsiner blev fjernet af besætningen fra flyet, og det blev antændt.

Kort efter ankom tyskerne, men de kunne ikke forhindre, at flyet totalt udbrændte. De 10 amerikanere fortsatte mod kysten, men de efterlod et tydeligt spor af appelsinskaller. Da appelsiner var en mangelvare både i Danmark og Tyskland, kunne tyskerne blot følge sporet, og kl. 19.30 blev 6 amerikanere taget til fange ved Hyllested, ca. 10 km fra nødlandingsstedet. De sidste 4 flyvere, deriblandt top turret gunner, S/Sgt John W. Doherty, overnattede på et vist tidspunkt mellem den 20.
og den 26. februar i to sommerhuse på Grenå sydstrand. Otte dage efter nødlandingen var alle 10 flyvere blevet fanget. De havde også haft det uheld at færdes i en
egn, som var fyldt med tyskere og deres danske hjælpere, der arbejdede på Tirstrup flyveplads." (FT 90-102-18)

S/Sgt (Right Waist Gunner) Joseph I. Sala og de andre besætningsmedlemmer blev ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre.
Se Foto af en B-17 + B-17 i airmen.dk og Google Map p266-270 20FEB44. 10 flyvere.

B17 42-30246 had been on a bombing raid to Rostock. The plane landed about here.
 “At 14.20 hours the pilot, 1^st Lt William M. Gaillard, called on the radio and reported that he could not get fuel from the “Tokyo-tanks”. The reserve tanks had been
hit by flak over the target, and from another plane fuel had been seen pouring out. Shortly after B17 42-30246 left the formation, and the pilot said that he would try
to get to Sweden.

At 15.35 hours the pilots made a perfect wheels up-landing at Tirstrup, and all of the crew could leave the plane unharmed. The Americans were very disappointed
when they learned from Danes crowding in that they had landed in Denmark. The crew removed a machine gun and a sack of oranges from the plane and set it
on fire.

Shortly afterwards the Germans arrived, but they could not prevent the plane from burning down completely. The 10 Americans went on towards the coast, but they
left a clear track of orange peels. As no oranges were sold in either Denmark or Germany the Germans just had to follow the track, and at 19.30 hrs. 6 Americans
were captured at Hyllested, about 10 km from the site of the forced landing. At some time between 20 February and 26 February the remaining 4 airmen including
top turret gunner, S/Sgt John W. Doherty slept in two holiday cottages on the beach south of Grenaa. 8 days after the forced landing the 10 airmen had all been
captured. They had also had the bad luck of having to walk about in an area crowded with Germans and their Danish helpers who worked on Tirstrup Airfield.”
(FT 90-102-18)

S/Sgt (Right Waist Gunner) Joseph I. Sala and the other crew members were taken to German POW-Camps.
This B-17 was from 570 BS, 390 BG, 13 CBW, 3 BD of the 8 AF. It took off from RAF Framlingham - USAAF Station 153. Happy Ending.
See Photo of a B-17 + B-17s in airmen.dk and Google Map p266-270 20FEB44. 10 airmen.