William
H. Craighead
Photo: AS
25 MAY 2015 Updated:
18 JUN 2015 1948
-
Ardennes, BELGIUM
Airman: u096095.htm
Surname: Craighead Init: W H Rank: 2nd Lt Service: USAAF
Sqdn: 728
P_link: p280.htm
Plane: B17 42-39936 Operation: Bomb G Crash_site: Near
Meltofte
Crash_d: d090444 Buried_d: b010644
C_link: c096.htm At_Next: Svinø
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 (Bombardier) William H. Craighead
druknede syd for Kramnitse. Hans lig blev fundet drevet
ind ved Tjørneby den
31. maj 1944.
Han blev begravet på Svinø den 1. juni 1944.
(Kilde: AOD)
I 1948 blev han og andre
Amerikanske flyvere fra Svinø flyttet til
Ardennes American
Cemetery i
Belgien. (Kilde: FAF) Kom i tjenesten fra Louisiana.
Begravet
på
Ardennes American
Cemetery Plot B Row 39 Grave 9.
Hæderstegn:
Air Medal med
Oak Leaf Cluster. (Kilde: ABMC)
Se Monument for 46 amerikanske flyvere.
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 (Bombardier) William H. Craighead
drowned south of Kramnitse. His body was found drifted ashore at Tjørneby on 31
May 1944.
He was buried in Svinø Churchyard on 1 June 1944. (Source: AOD)
In 1948 he and other
American airmen from Svinø were taken to
Ardennes American
Cemetery in BELGIUM. He stills rests there. Buried at:
Plot B Row 39 Grave 9.
He entered the Service from: Louisiana. Awards:
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster.
(Source: ABMC)
See Monument to 46 American airmen and the map
USAAF with all American airmen buried in Denmark.
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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