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42-97212

B-17 Flying Fortress

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Delivered Cheyenne 10/2/44; Gr Island 22/2/44; Presque Is 12/3/44; Assigned 339BS/96BG [QJ-G] Snetterton 16/3/44; Missing in Action Rostock 11/4/44 with Sherman Gillespie, Co-pilot: Earl Ward, Navigator: Carl Goodhouse, Bombardier: Cecil Williams, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Steve Condur, Radio Operator: Ernie Richardson, Ball turret gunner: Myron Berry, Waist gunner: Jack Fletcher, Waist gunner: Bob Christiansen,Tail gunner: Willard Berg (10INT); enemy aircraft on return from target, force landed Bulltofta, Sweden. Missing Air Crew Report 3817. Returned to the USA Hunter 1/8/45; 4185 BU Independence 30/11/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 16/12/45.

Service

Units

People

  • Willard Berg

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 96th Bomb Group

  • Myron Berry

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 #4297212. Landed in Sweden. Interned.

  • Robert Christiansen

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 42-97212. Landed in Sweden. Interned.

  • Steve Condur

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 #4297212. Landed in Sweden. Interned.

  • Jack Fletcher

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 42-97212. Landed in Sweden. Interned.

  • Sherman Gillespie

    Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 42-97212. Landed in Sweden. Interned.

  • Carl Goodhouse

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 96th Bomb Group
    Awarded Purple Heart 14 Feb 1944. Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 #4297212. Landed in Sweden. Interned in Falun Sweden. Released 11 Oct 1944

  • Ernest Richardson

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator, Radio Operator Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 42-97212. Landed in Sweden. Interned.

  • Earl Ward

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 #42-97212. Landed in Sweden, Interned (INT).

  • Herbert Williams

    Military | Flight Officer | Bombardier | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 April 1944 in B-17 42-97212. Landed in Sweden. Interned.

Places

  • Snetterton Heath

    Military site : airfield
    Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50...

  • Presque Isle Army Airfield

    Military site : airfield

Events

Event Location Date
Failed to Return (FTR) Falun, Sweden 11 April 1944

Please Find Pilot Gillespie's Fall 2004 6 page article regarding this crew/aircraft's landing in Sweden
Nicknames
The story of this aircraft's final mission is attached-landing in Sweden
Production block number
B-17G-45-BO Fortress
Manufacturer
Boeing
Markings and paint scheme/livery

As written in the attached magazine article by Pilot Gillespie, the aircraft was so new that there had been no time to add nose art.

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
14 August 2020 20:32:15 Robert C. Goodhouse Changes to markings and media associations
Sources

Gillespie article attached
Date Contributor Update
13 August 2020 16:55:48 Robert C. Goodhouse Changes to nicknames
Sources

Flight Journal Magazine, Fall 2004 issue regarding final landing
Date Contributor Update
13 August 2020 16:53:38 Robert C. Goodhouse Changes to events and media associations
Sources

CJ Goodhouse Military files regarding story of Swedish Landing
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:41:10 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 3817 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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