Warbird Information Exchange

B-17F s/n 42-5793 H2S radar pathfinder crashed on take-off Nov.1943 crew of 13 killed

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Don't touch my junk!!

Hi, 92nd was based at my local WW2 airfield, now Santa Pod Race Way.

I looked on the 92nd BG Web site and the missions, the only bird they record as crashing at take off in Nov was on the 30th.

30 Nov Solingen, Ger industrial complex; 1 a/c cr t/o; unable to bomb / weather

Could not find anything else for that time period.

There is still a lot up at Podington, buildings etc, one T2 was lost to fire and the other was taken down a few years ago.

There is a pair of landing gear from one of the three crashed B-17's from 'black day' - this was the incident when one very foggy morning, one B-17 failed to take off crashed into woods at end of runway, a second aborted tack off and taxied back up the runway, a third attempted to take off and had not seen the warning flares or the returning B-17 due to fog and they hit each other midway, all crews were killed.

My grandmother remembered this day, massive explosions from the bombs going off, an engine from the B-17 that crashed into the woods was salvaged and given to a museum (20 years back) the landing gear are also from this aircraft and were resting near one of the disused buildings (two years ago) there was also at one time the remains of a ball turret of site.

Will

Good to see the 92nd Jack!

Got any more?

Regards
Zwit

Great pic! Interesting to see the crudely blacked-out markings.

SN

Jack, you sure can dig 'em up!


For fun, here's the story of this particular Fort:

28 Jan 43 - Accepted into the inventory
04 Mar 43 - Arrived overseas

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17 Mar 43 - Gained by 305th BG
... no squadron assignment

24 Mar 43 - BAD1 (Burtonwood)
(Not regained by 305th BG)

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05 Apr 43 - Asset reassigned to 92nd BG on paper while at BAD1
20 Apr 43 - Gained by the 92BG
... assigned 325th BS (assigned codes NV-Y and -M while with the 92nd)

02 May 43 - Assigned BAD1 for mod work
25 May 43 - Regained by 92nd BG
27 May 43 - Assigned to Defford for 8AF's very first H2S installation
16 Aug 43 - Regained by 92nd BG

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25 Aug 43 - Along with seven other 92nd BG B-17Fs, 793 was ... assigned to 482nd BG (Pathfinder), based at Alconbury ... the 482nd BG was the only US Bomb Group to be formed in England.
... assigned 813th BS (assigned code PC-M; named "Stinky")

09 Nov 43 - Crash landed at Brome, Suffolk - completely burned out, crashed shortly after takeoff from Thorpe Abbots (TDY to 100th BG). 13 KIA.

10 Nov 43 - Salvaged.

Wade

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Wade's rundown is correct and interesting in that all the first H2S airplanes were reassigned to the 482nd BG in order to concentrate the radar training, equipment, and experience in a single unit. The pathfinders would then be TDY-ed to the other Groups to act as lead ships. The crews would generally hop to their temporary field the night before in order to be ready for launch with the Group. Later, of course, the Groups got their own Mickey ships.

Scott

I forgot to mention that there is a photo of 793 post-crash on page 221 (IIRC - not near my books at present) of Cliff Bishop's excellent Fortresses of the Big Triangle First, which covers the B-17s assigned to the 8th AF's 1st Air Division.

Wade

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An account of the demise of 42-5793 is also in "Eighth Air Force Bomber Stories" by Ian McLachlan and Russel J. Zorn. A post-crash photo of the tail taken by Sgt. Zorn and an airborne shot similar to what Jack posted are also in the article.

Shortly after takeoff, #1 caught fire. They were too low to bail out and the crew headed for Eye since the runway there was more-or-less straight ahead. Sadly, they didn't make it, and the crash and fire killed all thirteen crew and four civilians.

Scott