Boeing B-17F-50-BO Fortress 42-5357...
Continental Airlines, Modification Center #13, Denver Municipal Airport, CO 20Nov42. 15th Ferrying Group, Caribbean Wing, Air Transport Command, Morrison Field, West Palm Beach, FL 11Dec42. Ferried South Atlantic route, departed Morrison Field 20Dec42. Waller Field, Trinidad 20Dec42. Val de Cães Field, Belém, Brasil 21De42. Parnamirim Field, Natal, Brasil 22Dec42. Wideawake Field, Ascension Island 26Dec42. Roberts Field, Liberia; Yundum Field, Bathurst, Gambia; Menara Airport, Marrakech, French Morocco. Twelfth Air Force, North Africa. 97th Bomb Group, Biskra, Algeria 3Jan43. Crashed on the ferry flight from Marrakech to Biskra 3Jan43 (9POW).
The plane was in a flight of three which were detailed to join the
97th Bomb Group; problem was, no-one told the Bomb Group to expect the flight. They found themselves over a solid undercast, preventing visual navigation and the airfield at Biskra did not respond to any radio calls. Dropping down, they realized they were over the enemy territory of Tunisia. Two of the planes were attacked by German fighters, one crash landing and this plane force landing in the desert near Gabès, Tunisia. Intending to force land alongside, the pilot of the third plane aborted when the crew fired a red flare; they had landed in enemy territory. Before a takeoff could be attempted the next morning, the crew and plane were captured and taken prisoners of war.
Two pilots of
58th Fighter Squadron, 33rd Fighter Group were flying a patrol over enemy-held territory between Gabès and El Guettar 5Jan43. They spotted an apparently undamaged B-17 being towed along a road. Captured by the Germans, the B-17 was being towed towards a Luftwaffe base when the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk pilots found it. The two pilots did not like the idea of the B-17 falling into enemy hands, so they dove down and strafed the bomber until it caught fire and burned to a hulk.
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