B 17F 42-30246 - Near Tirstrup       Fotos fra Ole Fangel       Photos from Ole Fangel     Updated: 18 JUN 2024

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
o888110.htm Brodzik F J 2ndLt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888109.htm Doherty J W S/Sgt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888104.htm Gaillard W M 1stLt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888111.htm Gannon T F 2ndLt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888108.htm Quinn R E Sgt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888112.htm Sala J I S/Sgt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888106.htm Skrzyniecki L C Sgt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888107.htm Steuck G E 2ndLt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888113.htm Whitney P B Sgt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW
o888105.htm Williams J E Sgt USAAF 570 p269.htm B17 42-30246 Bomb G Near Tirstrup d200244 o888 o888.htm POW


B17 42-30246 havde været på bombetogt til Poznan. Flyet landede omkring 3 km øst for Tirstrup her 200 m sydøst for Enghaven 2, 8444 Balle, S for Lunbakkevej.
"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) p269MACR Poznan bombet. Problem v. Rostock.

Anders Bjørnvad nævner at 316 B-17 Flyvende Fæstninger passerede hen over Danmark ved middagstid den dag. Se Google Map p266-270 20FEB44
Se Foto af en B-17 + B-17 i airmen.dk. Happy Ending.
Skudt ned over DK: B17 4239894 Brahesholm, B17 4231126 Bellinge, B17 4237951 Haldagerlille og B17 42-37790 Haarslev. Nødlandet: B17 4230246 Tirstrup.10 flyvere.

B17 42-30246 had been on a bombing raid on Poznan. The plane landed about 3 km east of Tirstrup here 200 m SE of Enghaven 2, 8444 Balle, S of Lunbakkevej.
 “At 14.20 hours the pilot, 1st 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)
See also p269MACR that Posen (German name for Poznan) was bombed. The pilot reported loss of fuel after Rostock.

316 B-17 Flying Fortresses passed Denmark at noon on 20 February 1944. (Source: Anders Bjørnvad) See Google Map p266-270 20FEB44.
Shot down over DK: B17 4239894 Brahesholm, B17 4231126 Bellinge, B17 4237951 Haldagerlille og B17 42-37790 Haarslev. Crash landed: B17 4230246 Tirstrup.

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.
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 also The 390th Bomb Group Memorial Air Museum * 390th Bomb Group * The 390th Memorial Museum, Tucson, Arizona  10 airmen.