Calvi B17G Flying Forteress Memorial - Corse, France
Posted by: Groundspeak Premium Member ATMO Studio
N 42° 34.163 E 008° 45.702
32T E 480441 N 4713024
This memorial is dedicated to the men who served in the Flying Forteress
Waymark Code: WMH0P3
Location: Corse, France
Date Posted: 05/03/2013
Published By:Groundspeak Premium Member iconions
Views: 17

Shortly before the arrival of the lens, 97th Bomber Group is particularly targeted by the German fighters.
A B-17 carrying the serial 42-31044, then severely hit by enemy fire. We found the pilot for this plane, Lieutenant Frank G. Chaplick, who told us precisely the story of his last and quite terrifying mission

Report F. Chaplik: when we approach the goal, the group had a more pronounced effect on the left to correct the attack-planned flight angle bend. Our plane lying on the right wing training, I found myself displaced and especially isolated to avoid possible collision some time. This was fatal for us, for our B-17 was caught in part by enemy fire.

With two engines on fire and a third who coughed it only remained for us to do much, if not cling to orders ...

Unfortunately, our radio operator and gunner had been killed during the attack. Equally terrible, our rear gunner just had the strength to tell us over the intercom that he would die.

Suddenly, a Me-109 had the bad idea to come together steal a few moments with us and to our left!

Immediately, the two walked browser 50 of the chin turret on it and literally riddled impacts.

German aircraft nosed by releasing a long plume of black smoke, while the P-47 came to the rescue fortunately net stopping the fight.

One of them escorted us and we took a direct course for Corsica.

Here, a call to the control tower Calvi made us know that the track was limited to receive a damaged our scale.

I then decided, despite our two engines now cut (the fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler wings), to make a first pass to assess the field. We are finding new sea, I was doing the tried our final approach when the third affected engine stopped without avertir.N 'having enough power at that time and immediatly losing altitude, I had only one choice: ditch.

So I put the B-17 on the water, very close to and facing the citadel Calvi.L aircraft is not broke during the operation, and with float a few minutes, which allowed us to evacuate except the three gunners killed during the attack and whose bodies sank with the wreck.
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open full time


Entrance fees (if it applies): No

Type of memorial: Plaque

Website pertaining to the memorial: Not listed

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seal13 visited Calvi B17G Flying Forteress Memorial - Corse, France 08/29/2022 seal13 visited it
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