When My family & I, moved into our village (along the Norfolk coastline) & we started using the local sports/clubhouse (for beers), several ‘old-boys’/’locals’, told me vague details of an American bomber that had crashlanded close by, on the beach/mudflats at Dersingham.
Some months later, whilst visiting the ‘Dersingham Village’ website, I came across an interesting entry, from a guy who (now) lived in Canada, but as a youth, lived locally, along the coastline, at Wolferton.
He mentions (in some detail) that………”where the wildlife hut is (RSPB observation hut) approx’ 5 – 600 yds out, on the mud-flats, in the summer of 1944, a B.17 crash-landed with a full bomb-load on board.”
“It’s oxygen tanks caught fire & everyone but the pilot, parachuted to safety – the pilot made a superb wheels-up landing & was able to get out across the mud-flats, before the whole aircraft exploded.”
Described in fair-enough detail; I wondered where he got his information from & indeed, whether or not, as a 16-year old, he was an eye-witness (though I doubt it).
SO, I’m (severely) hoping that you lot out there, can come up trumps with the Date, possibly the crew-name – & most importantly to me (as a matter of extreme interest), the B.17’s Bomb Group, codes & serial/tail No.
????????
Ironically, this happened just to the South, of USAAF Station No 172 -Snettisham – the Gunnery school used by the 1st A.D. (& presumably, the 3rd A.D.) of the 8th A.F.
By: Hornchurch - 22nd November 2006 at 03:52
B.17 crashlanded on N.W. Norfolk Coast
It’s probably the 96th BG, 339th BS a/c down on 19 August 1943; 42-30172 ‘Black Heart Jr‘ which crash landed on the sands to the west of Wolferton at 17:20 hrs.
There is an account in Freemans Mighty Eighth War Diary describing how after developing an electrical fire in the top turret, the decision was made to bale out. The co-pilot, 2/Lt Matthew Vinson, discovered as only he and the bombarier were left aboard that his chute was missing. He persuaded Miller the bombardier to bale out and proceded to land the burning Flying Fortress on the sands. He suffered burns to his hands and face but managed to get clear of the wreck. He was awarded the DSC.
Jeff
Kiteflyer/Jeff,
Many, many thanks for taking the trouble to look it up & respond with the relevant information !
I’ve often wondered & now it’s solved – (although I’d still like to know the fuselage/tail, individual ident’ letter, within the 339th Bomb.Sqdn).
I tried to find my copy of ‘Freeman’s – M’ 8th War Diary’ (my edition has 1944 Duxford 78th F.G. – P.47; ‘MX*W’ ‘Miss Behave’ on the cover).
Alas since we moved it was boxed up with (too many) of my other books & ‘packed away’ somewhere !!! (probably at Parents ?) = must find it; I have 4th F.G./336th’s/James Goodson’s business card inside my copy, from when I met him at North Weald, back in ’92 – (on the ’42-’92 anniversary).
Some books I did find; A.T.B’s ‘Airfields of the Eighth/Then & Now’ – &
‘ Fortresses of the Triangle First ‘ – furnished where it had come from – Station 138, (Snetterton Heath)……….
& another thing that had puzzled me – namely, WHY it had crash-landed with a full Bomb-load aboard, as late as 17.20 in the late-afternoon ???????
Apparently, it was involved in ‘ Mission No 85’ – the Raid was an attack, on the Dutch Airfields of Gilze-Rijen & Flushing.
Thanks Again 😎 ………..H.C.H.
By: Kiteflyer - 19th November 2006 at 08:19
It’s probably the 96th BG, 339th BS a/c down on 19 August 1943; 42-30172 ‘Black Heart Jr‘ which crash landed on the sands to the west of Wolferton at 17:20 hrs.
There is an account in Freemans Mighty Eighth War Diary describing how after developing an electrical fire in the top turret, the decision was made to bale out. The co-pilot, 2/Lt Matthew Vinson, discovered as only he and the bombarier were left aboard that his chute was missing. He persuaded Miller the bombardier to bale out and proceded to land the burning Flying Fortress on the sands. He suffered burns to his hands and face but managed to get clear of the wreck. He was awarded the DSC.
Jeff
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November 19, 2006 at 5:03 am