The Forgotten B-17C 40-2072
"Miss EMF(Every Morning Fixing)"
The Worst Aviation Disaster in WWII
An Australian Memorial
14 June, 1943
Mackay, Australia
On 4 June, 2000 in the seaside city of Mackay, Queensland, Australia the Australian Returned and Service League(RSL similar to the American Legion) will hold its annual B-17C 40-2072 Memorial service at a memorial near the aircraft fatal resting ground. Only the Australians have remembered this historical US Army Air Force(USAAF) aircraft all these years whereas it has been forgotten in the US until now. It will be attended by American representatives from the 5th Air Force, the USAF Air Attache to Australia, the USN and USMC whose ships are in dock(they will be marching in the ceremony), US military retirees and one of the survivors of this aircraft. This memorial is dedicated to the B-17C that crashed at Bakers Creek, outside of Mackay, on 14 June, 1943 killing 40 of the 41 passengers and crews that day. It was the worst Australian air disaster then and now, the worst US military air disaster at that time and the worst single disaster of any of the 12,731 B-17s built. Sgt Robert Foye was the only survivor that day and his recollection of the crash had been limited due to injuries received and is now living in Witchita Falls, Texas. Sgt Del Sparrow, of Sonoma, CA and another Sgt flipped for crewing the aircraft that day and Del lost and will be at the ceremony on 4 June. A day in June is used to memorialize these Americans when American warships are in dock.
The B-17 was the most recognized aircraft of WWII. It first flew in 1935 and production ended in 1945. 12,731 B-17s were produced by three aircraft companies with a fly away cost of $301,121 initially and in 1945 it was reduced to $187,742 per aircraft. It had a normal crew of 10 or less and carried a bomb load greater than 4,000 lbs. 5,000 were lost in combat and another 2,500 returned so damaged that they never were used as bombers again in WWII. There were 38 B-17C built with 20 of them going to the British. The other 18 were assigned mostly to US units in the Philippines Island. B-17C 40-2072 was originally assigned to the 19 Bomb Group(BG) at Del Monte air field, Minando Philippines Island(PI) and was in the same unit as Capt Collin Kelly who was the first war hero of WWII. According to the 19BG history, on 31 March, 1941 21 of the 19th Bombardment Group's B-17 Flying Fortress were flown from March Field to Hamilton Field near San Francisco. Later that same evening the B-17s left for a 2,400 mile flight to Hickam Field in Hawaii. This was the first mass flight of land base aircraft to make the trip and the first time that the US had flown land-base aircraft to reinforce an overseas base.
B-17C 40-2072 aircraft was one of the few to escape the Japanese bombing raids on 7 Dec., 1941 in the PI. It flew missions out of the Del Monte air field, PI until it became impractical and the plane flew first to Davao and to Darwin, Australia The B-17s were moved to Australia on 23 Dec 1941 due to the Japanese invasion of the PI. The first B-17 to be based in Australia were 14 early model Flying Fortress of the 19th bomb Group which had been evacuated from Del Monte air field in the PI. They began arriving at Batchelor airfield in Northern Territory on 17 December, 1941. They started to fly combat missions from their new base in Townsville, Australia right from the start. There is very little information on this aircraft for most of the time except for a few unpublished sources and photos. A photo of B-17C 40-2072 aircraft for this period had the following data written on it:
"Seems as if they used the star for a target. this ship is still flying August 21, 1942. It sunk 2 loaded transports, one destroyer, one sub from 20,000 feet with one bomb, and has shot down 21 planes including a 4-engined flying boat. It has bomb landing parties and enemy occupied airdromes in the PI. It got 2 direct hits from 3" AA and had over 1000 machine holes in it. It was always flown by the same crew. It never had a man killed aboard it, and only 3 slightly hurt. It evacuated 28 pilots from Del Monte at night in a tropical storm and flew to Australia. It flew from San Francisco to Manila, PI in Oct 1941 via Hawaii, Midway, Wake, New G. and Australia. Capt Mueller-Pilot, Lt Tobaric-Co-Pilot, Lt Marcovitch-Navigator, Sgt Anderson-Engineer, Sgt Olson-Radio, Sgt Schelito-Gunner, Sgt -Bomber."
B-17C 40-2072 flew bombing missions until 24 Dec, 1942 when it suffered wing structural damage when it was attacked returning to Australia from a bombing mission and had to dive from 20,000 ft down to 12,000 ft. As the Flying Fortress pulled out of the dive the wing flexed leaving permanent damage. The wing was structurally bent and according to Del Sparrow, one of its crew chief, it was the only B-17 on the flight line whose wing tips were a foot higher than the others. Repair was attempted but was reassigned as a troop carrier with the 64 Troop Carrier Squadron(TCG) of the 317 Troop Carrier Group(TCG) of the 5th Air Force(5AF). Its remaining days were ferrying troops and supplies between New Guinea and Australia(a 4.5 hour flight) on R&R trips. The R&R flights were described by a number of people including Teddy Hanks and Robert Foye both of Witchita Falls, Texas(who first meet in 1992 when an article was put in the local paper about the Memorial in Mackay), Del Sparrow of Sonoma, California, and others as packing the troops in the N-17C like sardines in a can. In fact when the aircraft took off the passenger had to try and inch forward so that the aircraft wasn't tail heavy on takeoff. The question always comes up by former B-17 aircrew and others; how could they put 41 troops on board a B-17. According to several of the aircrew flying the aircraft they took out all the armament and put some type of floor in the aircraft. The troops didn't mind the inconvenience of sitting on the aircraft floor without seat belts for the 4.5 hour flight because it was R&R time. There are several source that document the number of persons that the B-17C carried and they include:
a. "Protect and Avenge the 49th Fighter Group in WWII" by SW Ferguson & WilliamK Pascalis, Military History 1996-The Great Mackay Tragedy.
b. Australia detailed police report dated 21 June, 1943.
c. A B-17 was tested in Alaska, with 60 combat troops on board, to see if it could transport that many in an emergency-"Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Vol 7", Warbird Tech, Frederick A. Johnson 1997.
d. Gavin Souter, an Aussie that lived in the area at the time recounts the crash in his book "The idle Hills of Summer-an Australian Childhood 1939-1945.
e. The verbal account of the people there that day as well as the diary of Capt Cutler-Red Cross commander in Mackay-who keep a manifest of the aircraft and the accident for that day. His son, Professor Robert Cutler, has his father's diary.
At the time of the accident wartime security was in affect both in Australia and with the US troops. Everything about the accident was classified. The Australian police report was declassified and recovered by the RSL in early 1990 but the USAAF/USAF classified report has never been located. The seriousness of the accident and bad publicity that might result if disclosed and wartime security guaranteed silence for a long time. We are actively seeking these US documents now and previous attempts by the Aussies and Americans in the 90s did not produce any results. Even the name and burial of the 40 American killed required the determination of Colin Benson, the RSL historian who has doggedly pursued the history of this aircraft for some 8 years, and Teddy Hanks in the US required searching and digging for a number of years just to get the 40 names of the troops killed on 14 June 1943. The 40 military killed that day were all buried in Townsville, Queensland, where about 100,000 US troops were stationed in WWII. After the war the bodies were returned to American soil. Thirteen are buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery in Hawaii and the remaining were buried in their home towns. This aircraft was forgotten by the USAAF and the USAF with the only historical recording at Maxwell Historical office that there was a B-17C with this tail number which crashed at Mackay, Australia on 17 June, 1943-the date was even in error. The Australian police had a full report on the accident and the RSL retrieved it and has been gathering data on it since 1992 and has built a memorial near the crash site outside Mackay, Australia. They daily fly the American flag and the Australian flag over the site and now some of the 20 States, whose sons died that day, are donating their state flag to be flown on special occasions in honor of the Americans who helped defend the area from the Japanese invasion.
On 4 June the RSL ceremony will start with the local high schools playing marching music and the National Anthem of both countries. The USN and USMC, whose ship will be in port that day, will march in the parade. There will be a formal ceremony officiated by the local officials, a planned flyby of a USAF aircraft that is on duty in Australia, a presentation of the USAF Air Attache and Del Sparrow one of two survivors of the aircraft crew. The Australian RSL will follow this with a Australian old fashioned local cuisine and hospitality to cap the memorial service. Everyone is invited and you can contact Gene Rossel in the US at 909-930-5700, e-mail aircommando1@earthlink and in Australia Colin Benson, 19 Mengel Street, Mackay QLD 4740 Australia, Tel 61 07 4957 7951 & fax 61 07 4957 6820, e-mail vailant@easynet.net.au & col@sri.org.au
It is just fantastic to have a foreign group honoring our warriors who have been forgotten by their own people.
The list of the 40 people that died that day are attached as well as the police report and a picture of the memorial.
Sincerely;
Eugene D. Rossel, LtCol USAF, Retired
PR Officer, Air Commando Association
Tel 909-930-5700 Work
Tel/Fax 909-591-7342 Home
e-mail arcommando1@earthlink.net