Airwar over Denmark

Airwar over Denmark

 By Søren C. Flensted

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B 17G 42-31427 ditched in the Baltic Sea 11/4 1944.


The aircraft belonged to USAAF, 8 Air Force, 305 Bomb Group, 364 Bomb Squadron and was coded WF-?.
T/O Chelveston. OP: Poznan.


42-31427 was hit by flak over the target and had to feather a propeller. On the return flight it left the formation and headed for Sweden. 25 miles east south east of Tejn on the island of Bornholm Pilot 1st Lt Calvin Vanee found necessary to ditch the B 17. At 15:00 hours he made a perfect landing after which the crew entered the B 17`s two dinghies. The ditching had been observed from the Danish fishing boat RØ 40 “Dannebrog” of Tejn and at 15:30 Skipper Gaarde Jensen was beside the dinghies. The flyers transferred to the fishing boat and the dinghies were taken in tow. Due to the presence of a German patrol boat guarding the fishing place it was not possible for Jensen to sail the flyers to Sweden and at 19:00 hours “Dannebrog” arrived at Tejn harbour. After about 1½ hour the flyers were picked up by a Wehrmacht truck and taken to Rønne.
 


                                    (Via Niels Christian Pihl)

“Dannebrog”

 
Before the prisoners were taken away a young Dane managed to get their names and put them down in writing.

The flyers were 1st Lt Calvin Vanee, 1st Lt John W. Raedeke, 2nd Lt Norman H. Blum, Lawrence Bernier, Iney Little, S/Sgt Morvin J. Hulsey, S/Sgt Robert Ostrander, Albert H. Miller, S/Sgt Clive Bishop and S/Sgt Robert Bain.

They were sent to Dulag Luft at Oberursel for interrogation and after a few days to different POW camps.

Vance and Blum were sent to Stalag Luft III Sagan and later to Stalag XIIID Nuremberg-Langwasser.
Raedeke was sent to Stalag Luft I Barth and on to Stalag Luft IV Gross Tychow.

Hulsey, Bishop, Bein and Bernier were sent to Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikendorf near Krems in Austria.

It is not known where Little, Ostander and Miller were sent.



Sources: FB, Rigspolitiet Report, LBUK, FT, Bornholmske Samlinger 1976.

 

 

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