Edwin W. Hays                                                                                         Updated:  30 OCT 2014

Airman: o888127.htm Surname: Hays Init: E W Rank: S/Sgt Service: USAAF Sqdn: 335

P_link: p273.htm Plane: B17 42-31561 Operation: Bomb G Crash_site: Near Øster Højst

Crash_d: d240244 Buried_d: o888 C_link: o888.htm At_Next: POW

 Den korte version: ”Efter et bombetogt til Poznan i Polen nødlandede kl. 16.20 24. februar 1944 et B-17 fly (Flyvende Fæstning) ved Øster Højst, syd for Løgumkloster. 2 omkomne besætningsmedlemmer, C.D. Sahner og G.F. Pechachek, blev begravet den 2. marts 1944 i Aabenraa.

Resten af besætningen, 8 mand, overlevede i mere eller mindre såret tilstand. Værnemagten forhindrede i flere timer, at selv hårdt sårede flyvere kunne komme under lægebehandling.” (FAF) Se den lange version. Uddrag, her om S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) Edwin W. Hays:      (Se besætningen på en B-17)

Hays og Carnie sprang ud vest for Mårbæk Bjerg, og da Johannes Ulrich bemærkede faldskærmene, skyndte han sig på cykel for at hjælpe dem. Kort efter ankom Anton Lund, og de to fragtede Hays, der havde kvæstet det ene ben, på cykel til Lunds ejendom. Her nød de et sønderjysk kaffebord, idet fru Lund netop fejrede 40 års fødselsdag. Der blev ringet til læge Højholdt, og han kørte dem i sin bil til Løgumkloster Sygehus.

De 4 første, der sprang ud fra flyet, kørtes alle til Løgumkloster Sygehus. Dr. Højholdt diskuterede meget kraftigt med den tyske underofficer, som krævede bevæbnede vagter i både røntgenafdelingen og i operationsstuen. Selv efter at have talt med Hauptmann Hansen fra et tyske hovedkvarter i Århus nægtede underofficeren at tage mod ordrer fra fremmede officerer. Han nægtede også at lade de sårede få andet tøj på, at få noget at spise og drikke samt hindrede operative indgreb. Det gav 2 timers forsinkelse til en tysk militærperson fra Tønder ankom! Så kunne de 4 komme videre til Tønder Sygehus!

Næste dag på Tønder Sygehus fortalte overlægen Costales, at to af hans kammerater var døde, men resten af mandskabet overlevede. Skoug, Kish og McCulloch skulle transporteres til et hospital i Slesvig, og Hays, Joyce, Seelig og Carnie skulle sendes til forhørscentret i Frankfurt. Nogle måneder senere kom Costales også til Frankfurt. Det var hårdt at være krigsfange!

Kish, Hays og Joyce har mange år efter krigen besøgt mindelunden i Øster Højst.

Nødlandingen med denne B-17 Flyvende Fæstning var her - set fra større højde her.
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.
Se monument for alle 10 flyvere fra B17 42-31561  rejst her i mindelunden ved Øster Højst Forsamlingshus. 10 flyvere.          

The short version: ”After a bombing raid to Poznan in Poland a B-17 (Flying Fortress) crash landed at 16.20 on 24 February, 1944 at Øster Højst, south of Løgumkloster. 2 perished members of the crew, C.D. Sahner and G.F. Pechachek, were buried on 2 March, 1944 in Aabenraa.

The rest of the crew, 8 men, survived in a condition more or less wounded. The Wehrmacht for several hours prevented that even severely wounded airmen could get medical treatment.” (FAF) See the long version. Excerpts, here about S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) Edwin W. Hays,       (See the crew of a B-17)

Hays and Carnie bailed out west of Mårbæk Bjerg, and as Johannes Ulrich noticed the parachutes, he hurried on his bike to help the airmen. A little later Anton Lund arrived, and the two of them took Hays, whose leg had been injured, on a bike to Lund’s farm. Here Mrs Lund was celebrating her 40^th anniversary, so they had coffee with an abundance of cakes in the traditional manner of Southern Jutland. Doctor Højholdt was called by telephone and he drove them in his car to Løgumkloster Hospital.

The first 4 who bailed out from the plane were all driven to Løgumkloster Hospital. Doctor Højholdt had a heavy discussion with the German noncommissioned officer, who demanded armed guards in both the X-ray department and in the operation room. Even after he had talked to Hauptmann Hansen from the German HQ in Århus, the noncommissioned officer refused to take orders from officers unknown to him. He also prevented the wounded from getting other clothes, something to eat and drink and from surgical operations. This meant a delay of 2 hours till a German military person from Tønder arrived! Then the 4 could get on to Tønder Hospital.

Next day at Tønder Hospital the consultant told Costales that two of his mates were dead, but that the rest of the crew would survive. Skoug, Kish and McCulloch were to be taken to a hospital in Schleswig, and Hays, Joyce, Seelig and Carnie were to be sent to the interrogation centre in Frankfurt. Some months later Costales too came to Frankfurt. It was hard to be a prisoner of war!             S/Sgt Edwin W. Hays wrote The Heydekrug Run about the evacuation from Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug.

Kish, Hays and Joyce have visited the memorial grove in Øster Højst many years after the war.

The crash landing with this B-17 Flying Fortress was here - seen from a greater altitude here.
See 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 monument to all 10 airmen from B17 42-31561 erected here in the memorial grove at Øster Højst Village Hall.

This B-17 belonged to 335th Bomb Squadron, 95th Bombardment Group, 13th Combat Bombardment Wing, 3rd Bombardment Division, 8th Air Force, USAAF.
See 335 BS *  95th Bomb Group Horham * 95th Bomb Group (H) Memorials Foundation  10 airmen.