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27 AUG 1944 styrtede
B17 43-37629 ned ved Sædden ved Esbjerg, omkring
her.
(Kilde: Kortet Flystyrt ved Esbjerg af Torben 
Thorsen og Morten S. Jensen)   Luftalarmer i Esbjerg.
Google Map Esbjerg 27 AUG 1944. 
"Den 
27. august 1944 udsendtes 1200 amerikanske bombefly mod Berlin, men på grund af 
ugunstige vejrforhold over Nordtyskland angreb en del af de udsendte 
fly andre 
mål på Kontinentet.
Et af disse mål var Esbjerg flyveplads, hvor ca. 60 B-17 fly nedkastede mere end 
200 bomber, hvilket gjorde flyvepladsen ubrugelig i  
resten af krigen." (FAF) Den gamle Esbjerg flyveplads lå i
området 
omkring dette punkt. Nu er det en del af byen Esbjerg. (Kilde: Søren Diers) 
Se også
Farlige jagere. 
"Et af de angribende B-17 fly blev ramt af det tyske flak og nedstyrtede uden for 
Esbjerg på tysk militært område kl. ca. 15.12.
Hele besætningen blev dræbt." (FAF) 
 
Mission Report Nr. 233 siger 
at flyet brækkede i to dele og faldt ned. Ingen faldskærme blev set! Ingen 
danske rapporter taler om overlevende! FAF, registret fra 
Fovrfeld Gravlund i 
Esbjerg, AOD,
Mission Report Nr. 233 og
ABMC har modstridende 
oplysninger om flyverne fra 
B17 43-37629. Nogle blev identificeret og begravet 
i 
Esbjerg, andre fra samme angreb og måske også fra dette fly blev begravet i 
Esbjerg som uidentificerede og nogle flyvere blev aldrig fundet!
 
S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) Melvin Birenbach blev 
begravet i Esbjerg den 31. august 1944 ifølge optegnelser i Fovrfeld Gravlund. 
Den 30. april 1948 blev han og andre amerikanske flyvere begravet i Esbjerg ført 
til 
Ardennes American 
Cemetery. (Kilde: FAF) Se kortet USAAF - 
Amerikanske flyvere begravet i Danmark.
Hans navn er ikke i registret hos ABMC, 
så mest sandsynligt blev han begravet på en privat kirkegård i USA. 
 
Mistet under denne mission: B17 43-37629 * 
B17 42-37841 * P51 43-25049 * P51 
44-13733 * P51 44-13951 * P51 
44-13991 * P51 42-106480. (Kilde: AOD) 
Se 
B-17 Flyvende 
Fæstning
* B17 i airmen.dk * 
tegning af besætningen på 
en B-17. 
9 flyvere. 
  On 27 AUG 1944 
B17 43-37629 crashed at Sædden near Esbjerg, about 
here. (Source: 
The map Air Crashes at Esbjerg by Torben Thorsen 
and Morten S. Jensen) Air-raid warnings in 
Esbjerg.
Google Map Esbjerg 27 AUG 1944. 
"On 27 August 1944 1200 American bombers 
were to target Berlin, but due to unfavourable weather conditions over North 
Germany some of the dispatched planes attacked other targets on the Continent. 
One of these targets was Esbjerg Airfield where about 60 B-17s dropped more than 200 bombs which made the airfield useless 
for the rest of the war." (FAF) The old Esbjerg Airfield was in 
the area around 
this point. Now it is a part of the town of Esbjerg. (Source: Søren Diers) 
"One of the attacked B-17s was hit by German flak 
and crashed into a German military area outside Esbjerg at about 15.12 hours.
All of the crew perished." 
 
Mission Report No. 233 says 
that the plane broke in half and fell away. No parachutes were seen! No Danish 
reports mention survivors! FAF, the register from the cemetery Fovrfeld Gravlund 
in Esbjerg, AOD,
Mission Report No. 233 and
ABMC have conflicting 
information about the airmen from 
B17 43-37629. Some of them 
were identified and buried in 
Esbjerg, others from the same attack and maybe also from this plane were buried 
in Esbjerg as unidentified and some airmen were 
never found! 
S/Sgt (Tail Gunner) Melvin Birenbach was 
buried in Esbjerg on 31 August 1944 according to the records of the cemetery. 
On 30 April 1948 he and other American airmen 
buried in Esbjerg were disinterred and taken to 
Ardennes American 
Cemetery. (Source: FAF)  
See the map 
USAAF - American airmen buried in Denmark.  His name 
is not in the
 ABMC 
records, so most likely he was buried in a private cemetery in the U.S.A. 
Lost on this mission: B17 43-37629 * 
B17 42-37841 * P51 43-25049 * P51 
44-13733 * P51 44-13951 * P51 
44-13991 * P51 42-106480. (Source: AOD) 
This
B-17 belonged to
360 BS, 303 
BG, 41 CBW, 1 BD, 8 AF of USAAF. It took off from RAF Molesworth 
- USAAF Station 107. 
See 303rd Bomb Group Heavy with the
Mission Report No. 233 of Aug 
27, 1944 about this crew. See also B17s in airmen.dk and a 
drawing of the crew of a 
B-17. 
9 airmen. 
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