Liberty Run propeller                            Updated:  20 MAY 2019

Propeller from a B-17 Flying Fortress
Part of the article "Propel fra B-17 flyvende fæstning".
"On 22 February 1944 the Allied made a great effort to destroy the German factories producing airplanes. The bombing raid this day had Schweinfurt and Regensburg as primary targets and
a total of 466 bombers and 780 escort fighters took off. 58 of these bombers targeted Denmark without escort to bomb Rødslet (Aalborg West). The real reason was an attempt to draw
German fighters away from the main force over Germany.

Poor visibility over both Germany and Denmark meant that a part of the planes were called back
to their bases. The losses that day were 38 bombers and 11 fighters.

The propeller is from a B-17G No. 4231409 from USAAF 364 SQN with Pilot Barnes from
Group 92B in the cockpit. At 14.33 hours the plane flew over the Hansted fortress at an altitude of 6,000 metres met by heavy fire from German 75 mm and 105 mm flak.

The last report from the plane was received at 14.48 hours, very close to the position from
which the propeller was picked up. (About 35 km NW of Thyborøn - about here) All 10 crew members perished. They have never been found."


The 4 propellers were found in 1990, 1995, and in 1996. One of them is seen here in Museumscenter Hanstholm that also has a part of HUDSON V AM684.
A 38 cm gun in the Museum Bunker here, overview here, was to block the waters between Denmark and Norway together with other guns and mines.

See also Operation 22 FEB 1944 - Aalborg with a TIMELINE from COURAGE ABOVE THE CLOUDS by Paul Allonby.

B-17 42-31409 Liberty Run was flown by Pilot, 1st Lt Charles O. Barnes. He has no known grave. His name is inscribed on Tablets of the Missing,
Cambridge American Cemetery, England. He entered the Service from Texas. Awards: Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. (Source: ABMC)

See Missing Air Crew Report 2648 and 3 articles in Danish as pdf-files from Museumscenter Hanstholm.

Flyvestationsorientering, Flyvestation Aalborg, DEC 1995: Propel fra flyvende fæstning - Propeller from a Flying Fortress Foto i Museumscenter Hanstholm.

Aalborg Stiftstidende 28 JUL 1996: Den sidste brik fundet  The last piece of the puzzle found

Thisted Dagblad 2 AUG 1996: 117 granater i 6000 meter Skudt ned fra Hansted-fæstning 
117 grenades in an altitude of 6000 metres - Shot down from the fortress of Hansted  (Hansted/Hanstholm - both names are used)