B-17 Flying Fortress Memorial

This memorial is dedicated to the B-17 pilot Lt. W. Johnson who crashed here on 13 October 1944 and died. The B-17 bomber was badly damaged by German flak near Dunkirk. The aircraft was B-17G 42-31719 of 711th Bomb Squadron [IR*K], 447th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force, Rattlesden, Suffolk.

When the airplane reached the English coast, Johnson ordered his fellow crew members to bail out. He stayed in the cockpit with the intention to land safely on the ground. He failed.

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Source

• Text: Kaj Metz
• Photos: Ernest W Adams