Type: Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress

Part: 333 BS USAAF

Crash date: 22nd June 1943 

Crash location: Gesperdensestraat, Opheusden

Commander: 2nd Lt. J.G. Sabella 

Occupants: 10

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​This aircraft, number 42-5880, took off from Bury St Edmund’s RAF airport and completed a successful mission above Hüls in Germany. 

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On board were pilot 2nd Lt. J.G. Sabella, co-pilot F/O D.D. Long, navigator 2nd Lt. J.H. Gaudette, bombardier W.R. Tinker, flight engineer and gunner R.C. Hardin, flight engineer technical sergeant G. Eliason, liaison technical sergeant A.P. Galasso, gunner staff sergeant R.C. Hardin, gunner sergeant D.C. Benner, gunner staff sergeant L.E. Blocker and gunner staff sergeant C.E. Simpson.

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But on the way back - somewhere around 10:10 hours between Hemmen and Dodewaard - things started going wrong. The aircraft was hit by Flak anti-aircraft guns and shot at by a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-4, which had taken off from Schiphol and was being operated by Unteroffizier Johannes Ratenow from 1./JG1.

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​The aircraft had to make an emergency landing. The entire crew managed to survive and were subsequently taken as prisoners of war.

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​You can find more details about this crash here.