1945 B-17 Crash, Hawkinge

Thank you very much for the info, sorry for the WAY delayed response.

Thread drift…but for you gerstyd…
#42-38120 B17-G 388th BG, shot down by AA and crashed Wesendorf Mar 23 1944 on mission to Braunschweig Germany.
1 KIA- 9 POW.
Source USASC USAAS USAAC USAAF USAF Serials 1908-Present.

Hope this helps
Regards Mike

Thread drift…but for you gerstyd…
#42-38120 B17-G 388th BG, shot down by AA and crashed Wesendorf Mar 23 1944 on mission to Braunschweig Germany.
1 KIA- 9 POW.
Source USASC USAAS USAAC USAAF USAF Serials 1908-Present.

Hope this helps
Regards Mike

David – My father was co-pilot of Mary’s Sister – 42-97528 – when it crash landed at Hawkinge on 5 January, 1945. How can I help you?

Does anyone have any further info on B-17 42-97528 (Mary’s Sister) of the 388th Bombardment Group that is listed as crash landed – pretty badly at Hawkinge? The excellent 388th data site gives all the names, returning from a raid and date of 5th Jan 1945. Looking for exact location though – assume it was on the airfield? Any local knowledge out there?

My grandfather flew this plane on at least one occasion. He was not the pilot that was flying it when it crashed, but his records state he flew it. He was shot down in B-17F # 42- 38120 which I cant find any records of.

David
Certainly use what I have put if it is any good to you.
I have a strong memory of the tail sitting on the top of the hill while the rest of the aircraft looked like a rubbish tip spread down the hill. Also the morphine syringes scattered about. The service ambulance people kept us away and we didn’t stay long.

Peter,

Thanks for this, it’s very helpful and exactly what I needed. It seems your account tallies to Mary’s Sister and today I visited the site and got a grasp of where it is. Would you be okay for me to quote your recollections in a new book I’m writing? I’m following 2 crews of the 388th and this aircraft was one that they flew. The picture attached shows the mess made, on your account it may be that the wing and forward section is in fact detached and further down from the bank than the tail in the background? Certainly the tail is at a different angle.

Thanks again, David Price[ATTACH=CONFIG]229371[/ATTACH]

Kent Battle of Britain museum. Address: Aerodrome road, Hawkinge, Folkstone. CT18 7AG. Again Google maps will take you directly to it from the first exit off the M/A20 after leaving the Roundhill tunnel.
The Museum is based on the site of the former Airfield and I believe if memory serves Aerodrome Road follows the line of the original perimeter track and approach road.

This site has some interesting information with a number of photographs of Raf Hawkinge long after it closed.
http://www.airfieldinformationexchange.org/community/showthread.php?108-Hawkinge

As a child I can remember watching a damaged Fortress circling Hawkinge firing off Verey lights. We were at Elham about 3 miles away and saw it descend below the trees and the resultant column of black smoke. We jumped on our bikes and located the crash site at Paddlesworth. It had landed on top of the inland cliff which overlooks the Channel Tunnel terminal at Folkestone, approx map ref TR1938. It had gone over the edge leaving the tail at the top while the rest of the aircraft looked just like a rubbish tip down the cliff. An ambulance was in attendance and there were numerous used and unused little glass morphine phials scattered about. I think one casualty was recovered. My memory of the exact location is not clear but we were on the road which runs at the top of the cliff.

This may not be the aircraft referred to above because this occurred sometime in 1944-45 period.

I am pretty sure there is something in the Battle of Britain Then and Now book about this crash, including location. My copy is not to hand and I have no scanner, but I am sure someone on here would.

Thanks for this, but I need some local specific info if possible. Perhaps there’s not much more to tell but what I’m really on the hunt for is a specific location on the former airfield – possibly houses built on now! I’m in the area in a few weeks time.

Please change the title abit – i thought for a horrible split second that something had happened to SallyB.

Bit of Googling works wonders,

This link gives a reference to the aircraft in question.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pr0aAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA55&lpg=PA55&dq=B-17+42-97528+(Mary%27s+Sister)+of+the+388th+Bombardment+Group&source=bl&ots=0TNkaArI_o&sig=a1xnS0Ks05EbB-mkDA_6Uh0PGCo&hl=en&sa=X&ei=HeJ_U5_TBoTZOvOHgPgK&ved=0CDkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=B-17%2042-97528%20(Mary’s%20Sister)%20of%20the%20388th%20Bombardment%20Group&f=false

Raf Hawkinge were the B17 reportedly crashed is well known in the area though there is little of it left these days,again Google brought up a number of references to it with Wiki as usual giving a lot of detailed information.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Hawkinge