42-31192
Uploaded
Delivered Cheyenne 30/9/43; Scott Fd 24/10/43; Presque Is 1/11/43; with Roy Parsons force landed Meeeks Fd, Iceland 12/11/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG Deenethorpe 13/11/43; transferred 509BS/351BG [RQ-R] Polebrook 3/12/43; 508th BS [YB-R]; Missing in Action 42m Politz 7/10/44 with crew of 509th BS: Einer Peterson (P), Duane Wilson (CP), Louis Candelaria (TT), J.K. Blake (BT), Robert Crawford (WG), Benjamin Christensen (N), William Rooney (B), Lawrence "Larry" Jensen (RO), Lloyd Best (TG); 7 KIA, 2 survived INT. On it’s way to target Politz, N Germany (Poland today) lost one supercharger engine 2. Lost speed, altitude and group. Continued for target alone. Hit by flak, lost engine 3 and 4, and most of the fuel.
Decided to try to land in Sweden and turned north out over Baltic Sea with only one engine and 110 gallons fuel left.
Dropped ammunition over Baltic to loose weight. Cloudy weather, couldn’t see land.
When out of fuel, went through clouds, too low altitude to bail out. Decision to belly land in a potato field, but pilot spotted workers in field and tried to turn and gain altitude and stalled instead.
Crashed in woods nearby at Farabol, southern Sweden.
Jensen, Best, Christensen and Rooney survived, but Christensen and Rooney died in hospital in city of Karlshamn within a few days. Larry Jensen and Lloyd Best were interned in Sweden and later transfered back to England.
Jensen has been interviewed about his experiences, by the veteran project ”The Voices of World War II”.
Missing Air Crew Report 9566.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 509th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17053821
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 509th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39720274
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 509th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39692501
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 509th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-719888
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 509th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19162232
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Benefield
- Site type: Aircraft crash site
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Other
- Known as: Police
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: PIAAF / Presque Is
Missions
- Date: 7 October 1944
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Crashed Failed to Return (FTR) |
Farabol, Sweden | 7 October 1944 - 7 October 1944 | Crashed in woods of Farabol, Sweden, trying for emergency landing, after being hit by flak over Politz, N Germany. |
Revisions
Interview with surviving radio operator Lawrence E Jensen at "The Voices of World War II", link: http://www.wwiihistoryclass.com/education/transcripts/Jensen_L_051.pdf
Swedish eye witness, at Farabol, Sweden. He saw plane coming down and was at crash site immediately after, and witnessed the following events.
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 9366 / MACR 9566 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database