B 17F 42-29939 - The Baltic Sea                                                                     Updated: 12 AUG 2021

Airman Surname Init Rank Service Sqdn P_link Plane Operation Crash_site Crash_d Buried_d C_link At_Next
u047005.htm Ashmead J A 2ndLt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 b080844 c047.htm Korsør
e777694.htm Borradaile B L S/Sgt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
e777692.htm Cantrell O L Sgt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
o888610.htm Dennis W A Sgt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 o888 o888.htm POW
e777695.htm Hayes O L 2ndLt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
e556037.htm Hilton T B 2ndLt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e556a e556a.htm Ardennes, B
e777698.htm Onsgard A T S/Sgt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
e777693.htm Ritz R F S/Sgt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
e777696.htm Ryan E H S/Sgt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
e777697.htm Weekes Jr. E S/Sgt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e777c e777c.htm NO - CAM
e556030.htm Young W J 2ndLt USAAF 338 p298.htm B17 4229939 Bomb G The Baltic Sea d110444 e556a e556a.htm Ardennes, B


Den 11.april 1944 kl. 13.30 styrtede B17 42-29939 i Østersøen et sted under et bombetogt til Poznan.
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver:

"Boeing B-17F 42-29939 (BX- ) 338 BS, 96 BG, 45 CBW, 3 BD, Snetterton Heath, Norfolk. (Poznan)
585 B-17 fløj til mål i Nordtyskland, og 52 gik tabt. Syd for Bornholm forlod 42-29939 formationen. Det vides ikke nøjagtigt, hvor flyet styrtede ned, men navigatøren,
2nd Lt John Alfred Ashmead Jr., blev begravet på Korsør Kirkegaard den 8. august 1944, og den samme dag blev co-piloten, 2nd Lt Thomas Bradford Hilton, begravet
i Warnemünde. Et besætningsmedlem, left waist gunner, Sgt Wilfred Albert Dennis, nåede at springe ud med faldskærm og blev samlet op af en tysk hurtigbåd.
Det 11. besætningsmedlem var en fotograf, S/Sgt Eugene Henry Ryan." (FT 88-40-24)

"Erklæring: Sgt Dennis underretter om at 3 andre besætningsmedlemmer sprang ud med faldskærm: Sgt Ritz, Sgt Borradale og Sgt Cantrell. Et tysk patruljefartøj samlede Sgt Dennis op. Han blev ført til kaptajnen og anmodede om at kaptajnen skulle søge efter de andre 3 besætningsmedlemmer. Det ville han ikke, da han
sagde, at han skulle melde sig tilbage til havnemyndigheden omgående." (MACR - Blanket om manglende besætning)

4 andre flyvere forsvandt også i havet: 2nd Lt Hayes, S/Sgt Onsgard, S/Sgt Ryan og Sgt Weekes. 2nd Lt Young blev begravet i Belgien. (Kilde: AOD)

1 flyver fra B17 42-29939 blev begravet i Korsør og 2 i Belgien. 7 har ingen kendt grav. 1 blev ført til Tyske krigsfangelejre.

See p298MACR. Se B-17 Flyvende Fæstning,  Tegning af besætningen på en B-17 og Foto af en B-17 + B-17 i airmen.dk. 11 flyvere.

On 11 April 1944 at 13.30 hours B17 42-29939 crashed somewhere into the Baltic Sea on a bombing raid on Poznan.
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes:

"Boeing B-17F 42-29939 (BX- ) 338 BS, 96 BG, 45 CBW, 3 BD, Snetterton Heath, Norfolk. (Poznan)
585 B-17s flew to targets in North Germany and 52 were lost. South of Bornholm (which is here) 42-29939 left the formation. It is not known exactly where the plane crashed, but Navigator, 2nd Lt John Alfred Ashmead Jr. was buried in Korsør Cemetery on 8 August 1944. On the same day Co-pilot, 2nd Lt Thomas Bradford Hilton
was buried in Warnemünde. Left Waist Gunner, Sgt Wilfred Albert Dennis managed to bail out. He was picked up by a German patrol boat. The 11th crew member
was a photographer, S/Sgt Eugene Henry Ryan." (FT 88-40-24)

"Statement: Sgt Dennis advises that 3 other members of the crew bailed out, Sgt Ritz, Sgt Borradale and Sgt Cantrell. A small German boat picked up Sgt Dennis.
He was taken to the Captain of the boat and requested that the Captain look around for the other 3 members. This he would not do, saying he had to report back 
to the port officials immediately." (MACR)

4 other airmen also disappeared into the sea: 2nd Lt Hayes, S/Sgt Onsgard, S/Sgt Ryan and Sgt Weekes. 2nd Lt Young was buried in Belgium. (Source: AOD)

1 airman from B17 42-29939 was buried in Korsør and 2 in Belgium. 7 have no known grave. 1 was taken to German POW-Camps.

See p298MACR. A search on AirmenDK: American airmen - MIA - Baltic Sea

This B-17 belonged to 338 BS, 96 BG, 45 CBW, 3 BD of 8 AF, USAAF. It took off from RAF Snetterton Heath - USAAF Station 138.
See 96th Bombardment Group Association * Drawing of the crew of a B-17 * Photo of a B-17+ B-17s in airmen.dk. 11 airmen.