B-17 43-38137 Plaque
Details:
Affixed on the outside wall at the front on the eastern side of the superstore, very close to the ATMs.
A white rectangular metal board, supported by a white backboard, printed in English text with black lettering. On the top are the printed 835th Bombardment Squadron badge and a B-17 depiction with ‘square W’ as its tail mark. The plaque commemorates the downed crew of the B-17 #43-38137 “Miss B Haven” and one civilian.
B-17 No 43-38137 commanded by Second Lt. Clarence B. Hermann, took off at 0538 hours in the darkness of early morning to take part in a bombing mission on Cologne, Germany. It was the sixth aircraft to take off but the pilot seemed to have problems with the No 4 engine and although the heavily laden aircraft lifted off its wing lights showed that it was struggling to gain height. It bore to the right then a loud explosion was heard and the glow of a fire lit up the morning darkness. The plane had torn into the top part of the Woodhall farmhouse and then continued on a short distance before exploding in a field beyond the house. Pieces of the aircraft were scattered over a wide area and the field was blackened by fire. Eight of the nine man crew were killed but the pilot was blown clear when the aircraft exploded. He was taken to the Station hospital at Acton where he spent two months recovering.
The crew:
Pilot; 2lt., Clarence B. HERRMANN. Injured, Survived.
Co-pilot; 2lt., Robert ETTER
Navigator; 2Lt., William ANNAN
Left Waist Gunner; Sgt., John JACKSON
Flight Engineer; S/Sgt., John SARTAIN
Bombardier; 2lt., Vernon MEIERHENRY
Ball Turret Gunner; Sgt., Ralph SPAULDING
Radio Operator; S/Sgt., Robert STONE
Rear Gunner; Sgt., Joseph COOK
Source of info: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register, https://americans.sudburysuffolk.co.uk
Source of image: Imperial War Museum War Memorials Register
Monument Text:
'A FATAL TRAGEDY'
Early in the morning of October 15th 1944, an American Bomber took-off from its base at Sudbury but failed to gain height and crashed killing all but the pilot. It came down slicing the roof off Woodhall Farm House and setting the first-floor alight. Fifteen year old Raymond Smith, asleep in the upstairs bedroom of the farmhouse, lost his life as a result of fatal injuries suffered from the fire which ensued. The trail of destruction left in its wake extended from near here, in a westerly direction, towards the thatched barn on the adjoining farm.
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Flying Fortress: B-17G/43-38137/HB-N |
Donated in February 1999 by kind support of Tesco Stores Ltd.
Commemorates:
People:
Units:
486th Bomber Squadron, 340th Bomber Group
835th Bomber Squadron, 486th Bomb Group
US Army Air Corps
Wars:
WWII