B 17G 42-39936 - Near Meltofte                                                               Updated: 11 AUG 2021

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
e777004.htm Abernathy W D 2nd Lt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
u096094.htm Boyd C G 1st Lt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 b220544 c096.htm Svinø
o888010.htm Brand B H S/Sgt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 o888 o888.htm POW
u096095.htm Craighead W H 2nd Lt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 b010744 c096.htm Svinø
o888011.htm Hopper C F S/Sgt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 o888 o888.htm POW
u001001.htm Julius E P 2nd Lt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 b140744 c001.htm (Agersø)
o888009.htm Meese O G S/Sgt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 o888 o888.htm POW
o888007.htm Nunan T J S/Sgt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 o888 o888.htm POW
u010002.htm Parker J E S/Sgt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 b280644 c010.htm Dannemare
u096096.htm Raley R E S/Sgt USAAF 728 p280.htm B17 4239936 Bomb G Near Meltofte d090444 b130444 c096.htm Svinø


Mere end 500 amerikanske bombefly var den 9. april 1944 på bombetogt til Polen og Tyskland.
Se 8 af de tabte fly: 
Google Map 9APR1944 og artiklen De satte livet på spil over Sjælland, trykt i en del Sjællandske Medier 9. april 2014, også om dette fly.

Den 9. april 1944 styrtede B17 42-39936 ned ved Meltofte på Lolland. Se Beretning fra Gunnar Ploug and Google Map p280 med hans angivelse af nedstyrtnings- stedet. Det var på hjemturen fra et bombetogt til Poznan. Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver (navne fra p280MACR - Missing Air Crew Report):

"Under angreb fra flere FW 190 blev flyets to inderste motorer skudt i brand, og den midterste del af kroppen blev også ramt kraftigt, hvorved både navigator 2ndLt
William D. Abernathy og left waist gunner Raymond E. Raley omkom. Intercom i flyet var ødelagt, og efter at piloten 1st Lt Carroll G. Boyd havde fået delvis
kontrol over flyet, forlod pilot, co­pilot 2nd Lt Elmer P. Julius og bombardier 2nd Lt William H. Craighead flyet fra forreste nødluge. Alle tre landede i farvandet syd
for Kramnitse og druknede, og umiddelbart før flyet passerede kysten, begyndte besætningsmedlemmerne fra flyets bageste del at springe ud med faldskærm. Right
waist gunner (S/Sgt James E. Parker) landede i vandet og druknede. Hans lig drev senere ind på kysten ved Dannemare, hvor han blev begravet. De tre sidste (S/Sgt (Radio Operator) Timothy J. Nunan, S/Sgt (Ball Turret Gunner) Bernard H. Brand og S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) Oather G. Meese) sprang ud syd for Tillitse, og efter kort tid
blev de taget til fange af tyskerne. Netop som S/Sgt. Charles F. Hopper (engineer/top turret gunner) sprang over Arninge, begyndte det tyske flak i Nakskov at skyde
efter flyet, og han blev ramt i den ene arm af sprængstykker. Flyet fortsatte mod Halsted og eksploderede i ca. 200 meters højde, hvorefter vragdele styrtede ned
nordøst for det daværende alderdomshjem i Meltofte og ca. 1 km syd for landevejen mellem Nakskov og Maribo. Falck blev sendt til Arninge for at bringe S/Sgt
Hopper til Nakskov sygehus, hvor overlæge MacDougal arbejdede på højtryk for at redde armen, men den måtte amputeres. Den 5. juni blev Hopper udskrevet til
fortsat behandling i Tyskland." (FT 86-91-25)

Læs om Aage Astrup og McDougall's behandling af 3 sårede amerikanske flyvere i 1944: Earl F. Green * Charles F. Hopper * Lynn H. Barbour
i artikel i
Lolland-Falsters FOLKETIDENDE 6. februar 2002 af Mogens Warrer: Flyveren og sygeplejersken (kopi fra Aage Astrup via Ib Walbum) og
fra Peter Gade, Lolland-Falsters FOLKETIDENDE 8. maj 2015: På færten - Snød tyskerne med   flyverbehandlinger - Likvidering skabte frygt.

3 flyvere fra B17 42-39936 blev begravet på Svinø, 1 på Agersø og 1 i Dannemare. 1 har ingen kendt grav. 4 blev krigsfanger.
Se
B-17 Flyvende Fæstning * B17 i airmen.dk * tegning af besætningen på en B-17. 10 flyvere.

On 9 April 1944 more than 500 American bombers were on a bombing raid on Poland and Germany. See 8 of the lost planes: Google Map 9APR1944.

On 9 April 1944 B17 42-39936 crashed near Meltofte on Lolland. See Account from Gunnar Ploug and Google Map p280. It was on the return flight from a bombing
raid on Poznan
. (Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes (names from p280MACR - Missing Air Crew Report):

"The two inner engines of the plane caught fire after hits from a number of attacking FW 190s. Also the middle section of the fuselage was heavily hit and navigator
2ndLt William D. Abernathy and left waist gunner Raymond E. Raley perished. The intercom in the plane was destroyed and after the pilot 1st Lt Carroll G. Boyd
had regained some of the control over the plane, he, co-pilot 2nd Lt Elmer P. Julius and bombardier 2nd Lt William H. Craighead abandoned the plane from the
front emergency hatch. They landed in the waters south of Kramnitse and drowned. Just before the plane passed the coast line the crew members from the rear end
of the plane started bailing out. Right waist gunner S/Sgt James E. Parker landed in the water and drowned. His body was washed ashore at Dannemare where he
was buried. The last three S/Sgt (Radio Operator) Timothy J. Nunan, S/Sgt (Ball Turret Gunner) Bernard H. Brand and S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) Oather G. Meese) bailed
out south of Tillitse. After a short while they were captured by the Germans. Just as S/Sgt Charles F. Hopper (engineer/top turret gunner) bailed out over Arninge,
the German flak in Nakskov started firing at the plane and he was hit in one arm by splinters of shells. The plane flew on towards Halsted and exploded at an altitude
of about 200 m. Debris fell north east of the then Old People's Home in Meltofte and about 1 km south of the road between Nakskov and Maribo. An ambulance from
Falck was sent to Arninge to take S/Sgt Hopper to Nakskov Hospital. Here Consultant MacDougal worked hard to save his arm, but it had to be amputated.
On 5 June Hopper was discharged and taken to further treatment in Germany." (FT 86-91-25)

Read about Aage Astrup and McDougall's treatment of 3 wounded American airmen in 1944: Earl F. Green * Charles F. Hopper * Lynn H. Barbour
in article in Lolland-Falsters FOLKETIDENDE 6 February 2002 by Mogens Warrer: The airman and the nurse (Copy from Aage Astrup via Ib Walbum)
and from Peter Gade, Lolland-Falsters FOLKETIDENDE 8 May 2015:
Sensing the presense of history * Fooled the Germans * Liquidations.

3 airmen from B17 42-39936 were buried in Svinø Churchyard, 1 in Agersø and 1 in Dannemare Churchyard. 1 has no known grave. 4 became POWs.
This B-17 was from 728 BS, 452 Bomb Group (Heavy), 45 CBW, 3 BD. See  452nd BOMB GROUP * p280MACR
It took off from RAF Deopham Green - USAAF Station 142. See also B17s in airmen.dk and a
drawing of the crew of a B-17. 10 airmen.