Next to the monument.

Marker

A rectangular information board displaying an image of the B-17G #44-8186 "Sugar Report" and its crew, detailing the history of the aircraft's emergency landing in the area on December 26, 1944. The content is presented in both Slovak and English.

Source of photos: Pavol Hornák

POSLEDNÝ LET „SUGAR REPORT“

LAST FLIGHT OF THE "SUGAR REPORT"

Príbeh so štastným koncom

Jedným z 28 bombardovacích lietadiel B-17G 301. bomb. skupiny 15. leteckej armády USA, ktoré 26. 12. 1944 krátko po ôsmej hodine ráno vzlietli z leteckej základne pri mestecku Lucera v južnom Taliansku, bola aj „Sugar Report" zo stavu 32. bomb. letky. Pilotom tejto lietajúcej pevnosti vybavenej namiesto spodnej streleckej veže radarom bol nadporucik Ralph H. Kagi. Cielom formácie 1 013 lietadiel, ku ktorej sa po vzlete pripojili, boli ropné rafinérie Blechammer, Odertal a Osviencim. Nálet z 26. 12. 1944 bol jedným z mnohým v rámci spojeneckej kampane zameranej na oslabenie schopnosti nemeckého priemyslu pokracovat v produkcii pohonných hmôt. Po štyroch hodinách letu k južnej casti priemyselného komplexu Blechhammer sa formácia 301. bomb. skupiny dostala nad cielom do hustej protilietadlovej palby. Tá okrem vedúceho lietadla zostavy 301. bomb. skupiny pilotovaného majorom Donaldom W. Ewingom, v tú dobu velitelom 32. bomb. letky, poškodila aj „Sugar Report". Zatial co posádka „De De" majora Ewinga svoje lietadlo opustila, nadporucík Kagi sa rozhodol o prelet na územie kontrolovamé Cervenou armádou. Vhodné miesto na núdzové pristátie našiel na poliach nedaleko tohto miesta, kde krátko po oslobodení obce Hatalov (26. 11. 1944) vzniklo sovietske polné letisko. Posádka pristála bez ujmy na zdraví a užívala si pomoci a pohostenia obyvatelov Hatalova, Budkoviec a Dúbravky až do 23. 1. 1945, kedy Slovensko opustila. Po 51 dnoch cesty na trase Sanok, Stryj, Lvov, Kyjev, Poltava, Teherán, Káhira a Atény sa 15. 2. 1945 vrátila na domovskú základnu Lucera, aby pokracovala v dalšom boji až do konca vojny v Európe.

A story with a happy ending

One of the 28 B-17G bombers of the 301st Bomb Group 15th USAAF that took off shortly after 8 a.m. from their home base near Lucera, a small town in southern ltaly, was "Sugar Report" of the 32nd Bomb Squadron. The pilot of this Flying Fortress equipped instead of a ball turet with a radar was 1st Lt. Ralph H. Kagi. 

The goal of the 1,013 aircraft formation that they have joined were the oil refineries at Blechhammer, Odertal and Oswiecim. The air raid of December 26, 1944 was one of many in the allied campaign aimed to cripple the capability of the German industry to continue the production of fuels. 

After four hours flight to the southern part of the Blechhammer complex, the group led by major Ewing, then commanding officer of the 32nd Bomb Squadron, encountered heavy flak that damaged his plane, the "De De" and "Sugar Report" as well. The crew of maj. Ewing bailed out, the crew of 1st Lt. Kagi decided to make it to the territory controlled by the Red Army. Fields near this place, where a Soviet airstrip was built shortly after Hatalov was liberated (November 26, 1944), proved suitable. The crew crash landed unharmed and enjoyed the help and hospitality of the locals in Hatalov, Budkovce and Dubravka till January 23, 1945 when it left Slovakia. After 51 days the crew arrived back to home base at Lucera via Sanok, Stryi, Lviv, Kiev, Poltava, Tehran, Cairo and Athens February 15, 1945, and continued in it's duty till the end of the war in Europe.