Greenland B17s

[Rocket88]

B-17E 41-9101 Under ice, wreckage
B-17E 41-9090 Underwater Ditched 6/27/42; current reg N3142U; attempted recovery 7/99; not located
B-17G 42-97854 Underwater Ditched 4/9/44; current reg N9094V; attempted recovery 8/99; believed located but unrecovered
B-17E 41-9105 Under ice, wreckage

Anyone have more information on these 4 airframes? From what I read they may have located the B17G but not the E's. What happened to the recovery attempts? Are they too far gone, too deep to be recovered? I know the G model was bellied in and is intact, but no clue on the other 3.

[JohnB]

As a kid, I recall reading several books about the exploits of the Air Rescue Service.

There was a famous post-war rescue in Greenland (or perhaps northern Canada somewhere, but not Alaska, IIRC) where a plane landed on the ice and a SB-17 got stuck trying to land to pick them up...along with a SC-47, and perhaps an L-5.

They eventually got off the icecap by CG-4....(or was it a RATO C-47?)
Anyway, there is another B-17 somewhere....

Last edited by JohnB on Thu Sep 05, 2013 12:49 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Rocket88]

I remember reading about a Grumman Duck up there somewhere also that a couple guys volunteered to go looking for one of these B17 crews. I don't know much about the Duck, but those guys had some huge balls flying around up there in that thing...especially since the Greenland weather didn't have a problem forcing down much larger planes. They never made it home

[PinecastleAAF]

What happened to the recovery attempts?

I think they were location attempts rather than recovery attempts. Whether they found anything or not is debatable and if they did the logistics involved in an offshore recovery attempt in Greenland would be $pendy in the extreme.

[TAdan]

I remember reading about a Grumman Duck up there somewhere also that a couple guys volunteered to go looking for one of these B17 crews. I don't know much about the Duck, but those guys had some huge balls flying around up there in that thing...especially since the Greenland weather didn't have a problem forcing down much larger planes. They never made it home

The Duck Hunt is in progress. Here is a blog with current updates.

http://live.boston.com/Event/Frozen_in_ ... ry_mission

[CoastieJohn]

I remember reading about a Grumman Duck up there somewhere also that a couple guys volunteered to go looking for one of these B17 crews. I don't know much about the Duck, but those guys had some huge balls flying around up there in that thing...especially since the Greenland weather didn't have a problem forcing down much larger planes. They never made it home

The Duck Hunt is in progress. Here is a blog with current updates.

http://live.boston.com/Event/Frozen_in_ ... ry_mission

Hopefully there will be a press release in the future to give an update. They have to demobilize in a bit and get everything off the ice cap.

As I recall from the Lost Squadron book....the one B-17 that was located was crushed by the ice and deemed not worthy to recover. Kinda surprised no one has gone for the B-25 (or 24???) that was set down up there. That should be easy to locate judging from the pics that are out there.

http://www.warcovers.dk/greenland/geen_main.htm

[Rocket88]

Ah that's right i forgot about the two from the lost squadron. Those would be the two E models under ice. I'd love to see the condition of the two underwater the recovery crews tried to locate. I've heard of a B25 sitting up there somewhere. Thanks for the Duck link and link to the photos of the crashes. I know My Gal Sal was ROUGH when they finally went after her.

[Stephan Wilkinson]

See my article in the current issue of Aviation History magazine if you're interested...

[Chappie]

Wasn't parts of one of the B-17s recovered and used in an airworthy B-17 restoration? It was one of the Forts that had a name which I can't remember off the top of my head.

Chappie

[Enemy Ace]

B-17E "Big Stoop" was crushed beyond hope but many parts including upper turret were salvaged. Parts all went to Don Brooks in Douglas Ga who later started the liberty Foundation with Liberty Belle.
Used to drive a van with all the Greenland society stuff in it to airshows in the SE back in the day, it was a lot more fun to fly the C-47 N99FS to show than drive that van though!!

[Steve Nelson]

I thought I heard that "Big Stoop's" top turret dome was installed on the "Movie Memphis Belle" when she was leased by the Liberty Foundation (her complete turret was removed to make room for passengers and make it easier to get around inside.)

SN

[B29Gunner]

I thought I heard that "Big Stoop's" top turret dome was installed on the "Movie Memphis Belle" when she was leased by the Liberty Foundation (her complete turret was removed to make room for passengers and make it easier to get around inside.)

Correct you are sir!

[daviemax]

The SB-17G that became lodged on the ice cap in an attempt to rescue the C-47 crew was 44-83724. Available records indicate it may have been salvaged and scrapped but this is not confirmed. See photo below, haunting arctic shadows render the scene ghostly and lonely.

[Chris Brame]

WAIT A MINUTE!! Davie, isn't that a large version of that "mystery" B-17 photo on the Air Pirates site that created a lot of buzz a few years ago? Looks like you cleared that one up!

Also, the way things are now, I wonder if someone will still go after Big Stoop and its mate someday? When you consider how there probably aren't any other available "project" B-17s left besides maybe the stored Brazilian example, and how many of the current projects have new-build fuselage components, it might be worthwhile to get the Greenland planes for all the intact internal parts to build a fuselage around (or at least they'd go a long way towards finishing Desert Rat and the Paul Allen E-model internally). What do you think?

[CoastieJohn]

WAIT A MINUTE!! Davie, isn't that a large version of that "mystery" B-17 photo on the Air Pirates site that created a lot of buzz a few years ago? Looks like you cleared that one up!

Also, the way things are now, I wonder if someone will still go after Big Stoop and its mate someday? When you consider how there probably aren't any other available "project" B-17s left besides maybe the stored Brazilian example, and how many of the current projects have new-build fuselage components, it might be worthwhile to get the Greenland planes for all the intact internal parts to build a fuselage around (or at least they'd go a long way towards finishing Desert Rat and the Paul Allen E-model internally). What do you think?

Aside from our team up there now, I know a group was up there not too long ago, 2011-12 I think it was, looking for the P-38's and maybe the B-17's although I can't confirm that last piece.

Thinking aloud for discussion purposes......I'm thinking it would require a pretty good size cavern and shaft to manipulate and bring a disassembled B-17 to the surface. They are at least 260' down below the ice....likely deeper by now. A bigger borer would have to be built.

A C-53 thought.....I'm hoping during the demobilization of the Duck Hunt camp in a few days the guys can place a GPS sat-tracker in a search box we have developed for the C-53 not too far away.