A rectangular bronze plaque containing a commemoration message inscribed in English and French in raised lettering. Made in 1995, the plaque had been submerged and fixed on the cabin. Removed from the water, it was placed on land in November 2012 following the search by a US Navy ship for the remains of a crew member who had been lying in the wreckage of the plane since February 1944, at a depth of 27 meters. B-17G 4#2-31044 was hit by enemy fighters during a mission to Italy. Diverting to Corsica, the pilot force landed in the waters at the eastern foot of the citadel. The pilot, as well as six other crew members, survived the incident but the other three were killed during the fight.

Report from the pilot, 2Lt Chaplick:

“When we approach the goal, the group had a more pronounced effect on the left to correct the attack-planned flight angle bend. Our plane lying on the right-wing training, I found myself displaced and especially isolated to avoid possible collision some time. This was fatal for us, for our B-17 was caught in part by enemy fire.

With two engines on fire and a third who coughed it only remained for us to do much, if not cling to orders ...

Unfortunately, our radio operator and gunner had been killed during the attack. Equally terrible, our rear gunner just had the strength to tell us over the intercom that he would die.

Suddenly, a Me-109 had the bad idea to come together steal a few moments with us, and to our left!

Immediately, the two walked browser 50 of the chin turret on it and literally riddled impacts.

German aircraft nosed by releasing a long plume of black smoke, while the P-47 came to the rescue fortunately net stopping the fight.

One of them escorted us and we took a direct course for Corsica.

Here, a call to the control tower Calvi made us know that the track was limited to receive a damaged our scale.

I then decided, despite our two engines now cut (the fire had been extinguished by the sprinkler wings), to make the first pass to assess the field. We are finding a new sea, I was doing the tried our final approach when the third affected engine stopped without having enough power at that time and immediately losing altitude, I had only one choice: ditch.

So I put the B-17 on the water, very close to and facing the citadel Calvi. The aircraft is not broke during the operation and with float a few minutes, which allowed us to evacuate except for the three gunners killed during the attack and whose bodies sank with the wreck.”

Source of information and photos: www.aerosteles.net, www.waymarking.com

MÉMORIAL DE GUERRE     WAR MEMORIAL

BOEING B 17 G FLYING FORTRESS

CRASH LANDED HERE FEBRUARY 14, 1944

To The Men Who Served

Second Lieutenant Frank G. Chaplick

Second Lieutenant Warder H. Skaggs

Second Lieutenant Thomas M. Cowell

Second Lieutenant Armand C. Sedgeley

T/Sgt Robert H. Householder ★

S/Sgt George J. Murphy ★

S/Sgt Tony Duca ★

T/Sgt Joseph P. Baron

T/Sgt Frank E. Bradley

S/Sgt Orville F. Grilliot

★ Killed in Action - Went down with this Aircraft

In Memory Of The

Fiftieth Anniversary of the World War II and the Friendship

Between The United States and France

September 30, 1995