media-418539.jpg FRE 8883 A B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-7627) nicknamed "BTO" of the 445th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'WV:4, "BTO", 445 BG.'

This aircraft diverted to Sweden after a mission to Tutow, Germany on Easter Sunday, April 9th, 1944. One engine was shot out by German fighters which started an oil fire. After pulling the extinguisher, the pilot had to put the plane into a dive to blow the fire out. Separated from the main formation and badly damaged ( #1 feathered and #4 throwing oil), the crew decided to head for Sweden which was only 100 miles away. As they got over the Baltic Sea, the bombsight and excess gear (weapons & ammunition) were thrown over the side. A Swedish fighter came up and signaled them to land. Unable to lower the landing gear, they crash-landed on a small island just offshore from Sweden. For the crew of 'BTO' their war was over. Roger Freeman Collection

NARA Records of the 445th Unit Historian