Den 9. april 1944 styrtede
B17 42-39936 ned ved Meltofte på Lolland.
Se
Google Map p280.
Det var på hjemturen fra et bombetogt til Poznan (her).
Flyvehistorisk Tidsskrift skriver (navne fra MACR - 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. - " (FT 86-91-25)
2nd Lt (Co-Pilot) Elmer P.
Julius druknede syd for Kramnitse. Hans lig blev fundet drevet ind på Agersø
den 12. juli 1944. Han blev begravet på Agersø Kirkegård
den 14. juli 1944.
(Kilde: AOD) Som næsten alle andre
amerikanske flyvere begravet i Danmark blev han taget
hjem i maj 1948.
Hans navn er ikke i registret hos ABMC,
så mest sandsynligt blev han begravet på en privat kirkegård i USA.
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
B17 42-39936 crashed near Meltofte on Lolland.
See
Google Map p280.
It was on the
return flight from a bombing raid on Poznan (here).
(Danish) Aviation Historical Review writes (names from MACR - 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.- " (FT 86-91-25)
2nd Lt (Co-Pilot) Elmer P.
Julius drowned south of Kramnitse. His body was found washed ashore on the
island Agersø on 12 July 1944. He was buried in Agersø Churchyard on 14 July
1944. Like nearly all other American airmen
buried in Denmark he was taken to
Ardennes American
Cemetery in BELGIUM in May 1948.
His name
is not in the
ABMC
records, so most likely he was buried in a private cemetery in the U.S.A.
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 Bombardment Group.
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.
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