B17 42-39894 USAAF - Ørsted, Denmark
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member Klabautermanden
N 55° 19.374 E 010° 02.865
32U E 566482 N 6131224
I vejsiden nær et kryds mellem Glamsbjerg og Aarup by findes en mindesten for besætningen ombord på Boeing B 17 nr. 42-39894 fra USAAF 388. Bomber gruppe / 560. Bomber eskadrille. Den 20. februar 1944 blev flyet skudt ned over Fyn.
Waymark Code: WM157MK
Location: Denmark
Date Posted: 11/01/2021
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member pmaupin
Views: 2

I vejsiden nær et kryds mellem Glamsbjerg og Aarup by findes en mindesten for besætningen ombord på Boeing B 17 nr. 42-39894 fra USAAF 388. Bomber gruppe / 560. Bomber eskadrille. Den 20. februar 1944 blev flyet angrebet af tyske jagerfly og skudt ned over Fyn.

Barbara eksploderede i luften og vraget faldt ned på marken i vejkrydset mellem Assens-Aarup-Glamsbjerg. Kun haleskytten, S/Sgt Andrea Alcarese, reddede sig ud i faldskærm og landede i en mark tilhørende Mads Peter Andresen, Uglebjerg. Bonden Niels Rasmussen så Alcarese dale ned og løb over til stedet. Han fandt haleskytten liggende i den sneklædte mark og hjalp ham på fødderne. Købmand Valdemar Hansen kom også til og sammen fik de Alcarese befriet fra faldskærmsselerne og bragt ham til arbejdsmanden Edvard Christiansens hus. De opdagede snart at han var såret. Ambulancen ankom og tog ham til Assens hospital, hvor han fik fjernet et 20mm projektil fra sit venstre ben. Den efterfølgende dag blev han overført til et tysk felthospital i Fredericia og herfra sendt videre til Dulag Luft, hvor han skulle forhøres.

Maskingeværskytte S/Sgt Grant Tucker, bombeskytte 2nd Lt Clarence H.W. Swanson, navigatør 2nd Lt James J. Kelley, bugskytte Gunner S/Sgt Joseph Pappalardo, maskingeværskytte Gunner Sgt James C. Ellis and andenpilot 2nd Lt Carl E. Cole blev fundet døde mellem vragdelene. Man kunne ikke finde hundetegn på ligene, så de blev identificeret ved mærkerne på deres tøj. Sammen blev de begravet på Assens kirkegård ved daggry den 24. februar 1944.

Der var ingen spor af piloten 2nd Lt Jerry B. Payne, tekniker T/Sgt Marco J. Zumbolo eller radiomanden T/Sgt John B. White.

Flyvernes jordiske rester blev gravet op i april-maj 1948 og af US Army sendt til den amerikanske kirkegård i Neuville en Condron i Belgien. Da man undersøgte resterne fandt man også spor efter de resterende tre besætningsmedlemmer. I dag hviler de i amerikansk jord.

English: On the side of the road near a crossroads between Glamsbjerg and Aarup town is a memorial stone for the crew on board Boeing B 17 no. 42-39894 from USAAF 388. Bomber group / 560. Bomber squadron. On February 20, 1944, the plane was attacked by German fighter jets and shot down over Funen.

Barbara exploded in the air and the wreck fell on the field at the crossroads between Assens-Aarup-Glamsbjerg. Only the tail shooter, S / Sgt Andrea Alcarese, escaped in a parachute and landed in a field belonging to Mads Peter Andresen, Uglebjerg. Farmer Niels Rasmussen saw Alcarese descend and ran over to the place. He found the tail shooter lying in the snow-covered field and helped him to his feet. Merchant Valdemar Hansen also came and together they freed Alcarese from the parachute harnesses and brought him to the workman Edvard Christiansen's house. They soon discovered that he was wounded. The ambulance arrived and took him to Assen's hospital, where he had a 20mm projectile removed from his left leg. The following day, he was transferred to a German field hospital in Fredericia and from there sent on to Dulag Luft, where he was to be interrogated.

Machine Gun S / Sgt Grant Tucker, Bomber 2nd Lt Clarence H.W. Swanson, navigator 2nd Lt James J. Kelley, belly shooter Gunner S / Sgt Joseph Pappalardo, machine gunner Gunner Sgt James C. Ellis and co-pilot 2nd Lt Carl E. Cole were found dead between the wreckage. One could not find dog tags on the corpses, so they were identified by the marks on their clothes. Together they were buried in Assen's cemetery at dawn on 24 February 1944.

There was no trace of 2nd 2nd pilot Jerry B. Payne, technician T / Sgt Marco J. Zumbolo or radioman T / Sgt John B. White.

The remains of the planes were excavated in April-May 1948 and sent by the US Army to the American Cemetery in Neuville en Condron in Belgium. When the remains were examined, traces of the remaining three crew members were also found. Today, they rest in American soil.
Web Address for Related Web Sites: [Web Link]

Date of Crash: 02/20/1944

Aircraft Model: B17 Flying Fortress

Military or Civilian: Military

Tail Number: 42-39894

Cause of Crash:
Shot down by german fighters.


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