| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-100-BO: 42-30332 to 42-30431 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 94th Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 332nd Bomb Squadron |
| RCL: | XM-A |
| Fate: |
, Crashlanding (20 October 1943) |
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History of
B-17 42-30374 / Little Sir Echo
Delivered Cheyenne 24/5/43; Gore 25/5/43; Gr Isle 3/6/43; Dow Fd 27/6/43; Assigned: 332BS/94BG [XM-A] Rougham 27/6/43; detailed Duren 20/10/43 Pilot: Gerald T Smith, crew ‘ (10RTD); mission ruled out through bad weather and aircraft crashed near Dover, Kent, UK; Salvaged. 21/10/43. LITTLE SIR ECHO.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
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B-17 42-30374 / Little Sir Echo Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | --- | Gerald T. Smith | RTD | - |
| CP | --- | R A Stevenson | RTD | - |
| NAV | --- | Rowan Upton | RTD | - |
| BOMB | --- | J A Mills | RTD | - |
| ENG/TT | --- | Orlo Strubel | RTD | - |
| RO | --- | W A. Mannie | RTD | - |
| BT | --- | Michael Daioczek | RTD | - |
| WG | --- | George Harper | RTD | - |
| WG | --- | Racine Black | RTD | - |
| TG | --- | J McTaggart | RTD | - |
This page was last updated on 19 October 2021
24. May 2020 access_time 5:30
I have the photograph with the whole crew and plane. Also letter from my Great Uncle George to his family describing the battle, being shot down, the rescue, and recuperation.
19. September 2020 access_time 22:42
Hi Catherine, Very excited to discover your connection with Little Sir Echo. I was nine years of age when LSE crash landed near Dover, Kent. It narrowly missed my father and I as we drove along the A2 toward Dover. The pilot had clearly selected the road as his best option for the landing but only spotted us at the very last minute. Thankfully he was able to pull the mighty machine off to the left ending up in the field alongside us. I have photos taken by Orlo Struble the Top Turret Engineer and letters from Orlo in later years. My late friend an author of Aeronautical Stories wrote a reconstruction of that fateful flight based partly on my recollections which he named ” On a wing and a prayer” I hope you will find this information interesting and I would be glad to exchange and share info between ouselves. Best wishes, Bert Danson.
27. September 2020 access_time 0:43
Hi Bert, So nice to have your information. I would to read about it. My great aunt, Catherine Harper, kept a whole book of all of her brother’s letters. One of them in particular is very descriptive of what was going on inside the plane when it was going down. I also have a photograph of “Little Sir Echo” with the crew but I think the photograph was taken when they returned from a mission over North Africa. I need to upload this information and a few other photographs. I am currently in Colorado (I live in Virginia) but promise to do it when I get home next week. Best, Catherine
05. October 2020 access_time 15:01
Thank you Catherine, I have only just realised you have responded to my earlier contact. I must wake up and smell the coffee. I am assisting with a reconstruction of Little Sir Echo’s final flight and model of the crash site. Information from your Great Uncle George would be of paramount importance and very much appreciated. I hope you enjoyed your time in Colorado, oddly enough my grandson is travelling to the states today. He is an Army Avionics Technician working with Apaches helicopters visiting his American counterparts for training. Best wishes, Bert.
06. October 2020 access_time 20:02
I can be contacted on sapper626@tiscali.co.uk.
15. October 2020 access_time 14:09
Hi Catherine,
I hope you find the attached interesting.
Best wishes.
Bert.
Apples for the airmen.
15 October 2020
13.01
APPLES FOR THE AIRMEN
It was a glorious afternoon in late autumn and I had been with my dad to a local farm to collect Kentish apples. Whilst dad chatted to the farmer and loaded the van with apples, I took the opportunity to explore the orchard. I ran around, revelling in the freshness of the country air; leaving a trail in the lush green grass. Alone and surrounded by nature’s beauty, I thought how lucky I was to have a father who took me to visit such wonderful places. Dad owned a greengrocer’s shop in Tower Hamlets and was visiting a farmer friend to buy apples to store in preparation for sale in the shop at Christmas. I often went with him on such trips; it was an opportunity for us both to fleetingly escape the perils of daily life in ” Hellfire Corner “. The date was 18th October 1943. Having loaded the van to capacity, we said farewell to our farmer friend and set off towards Dover.
We progressed along the main road at a steady pace; dad’s faithful old Jowet van was in no mind to hurry. The urgent chugging of the little twin cylinder engine was very hypnotic and the smell of the apples intoxicating. We had both enjoyed a relaxing afternoon in good company and were looking forward to rejoining mum in the back room of the little shop for tea. As we chatted enthusiastically about our afternoon at the farm, dad drew my attention to a large aircraft approaching us from the direction of the coast. He had a very keen eye and was no doubt concerned for our safety lest it proved to be an enemy aircraft. We kept a close watch on the aircraft; an activity we had become accustomed to following months of aerial combat in the skies above Dover. I sensed that dad felt uneasy and I knew that we were witnessing something very unusual.
As the plane drew nearer we could see it was a large bomber flying at low altitude trailing black smoke from two of its engines. Our hitherto relaxed afternoon suddenly took on a new and alarming dimension. Soon the aircraft was close enough for us to make out its American Air Force markings and dad, sounding quite relieved, identified it as a Flying Fortress. We continued to follow its progress as the pilot banked the aircraft into a left turn and headed back towards the coast. However, the change of direction proved catastrophic for the fire on board the aircraft. The thick black smoke gave way to vivid orange flames that now swept across both wings. Fearful as to what might happen next we watched and waited. We were not kept in suspense for very long, as unexpectedly the huge aircraft made another complete turn, rapidly lost height and headed straight towards us. Our little van was still chugging steadily along the road, heedless of the drama unfolding in front of us.
Dad was obliged to make a quick decision; should he accelerate and attempt to undershoot the stricken aircraft or brake and pray that we might be spared from being crushed beneath it. Despite a desperate foot set hard against the accelerator, our faithful old van fully laden with the apples was in no mood to go faster. Devoid of choice he forced the brake pedal to the floor, the little van shuddered and we held our breath, bracing ourselves for a close encounter with the rapidly approaching monster. By now down to hedgerow height, the wings of the aircraft were slicing through telegraph poles as if they were made of matchwood. Its undercarriage retracted in preparation for a belly flop landing, the huge bomber finally ceased to be airborne and slammed down onto the roadway directly in front of us.
The sound of crunching metal and splintering wood reached an ear-splitting crescendo, as the bomber grew larger by the second and threatened to engulf us. Suddenly and as if guided by a hidden hand, the huge aircraft swung off the road and skidded to a stop in a field to our right. Stunned by our experience we sat motionless as an eerie silence descended on the crash scene, we were alone and ours was the only vehicle on the road. Thankful and relieved at our survival, dad’s thoughts turned to the airmen as he quickly got out of the van and made his way toward the burning plane.
To my great relief some members of the crew started to emerge from the crumpled fuselage before he had time to get close to the plane. The first person to speak to dad was the Captain, he was clearly anxious about our well being. He explained how he had been at the controls and was horrified when he saw our van right in the middle of his emergency landing strip. He was very relieved that we were fine and had escaped injury, but distressed that some of his crew had sought to use their parachutes prematurely. Most of the crew appeared visibly shaken by their ordeal, but were nonetheless quickly rounded up by their Captain and organised into search parties. They set off across the fields in search of their buddies. It was some time before we could resume our journey, the road being littered with uprooted trees, broken telegraph poles and debris from the plane. In the meantime a Red Cross mobile van had arrived and served hot drinks to airmen returning from the search parties. Several airmen had by then discovered the delights of Kentish Cox’s Orange Pippins, which dad was happily dispensing from the back of the van. With a huge grin, one of the airmen presented me with a section of the wing incorporating a Plexiglas landing light.
We later learned that one crewman, who had parachuted early as the plane made its initial turn, had landed safely in the rear garden of a house in Stonehall, Lydden. He had been fortunate and benefited from the high altitude of the aircraft as it flew over the village. Sadly three other crewmen who had baled out later as the aircraft regained the high ground were less fortunate and lost their lives, their parachutes having had insufficient time to fully open.
Those were indeed perilous days and I count myself extremely lucky to have survived as a young lad living in Dover during the war years. It is not possible to repay the debt we owe to those intrepid flyers and others like them; we can but admire their courage and heroism whilst reserving a special place for them in memories of those grim and desperate days.
The B17 Flying Fortress was number 42 30374, had been built in 1942 and belonged to the 94th Bomber Group USAAF, stationed at Rougham Airfield, Bury St.Edmunds, Suffolk.
The names of the crewmembers of ‘Little Sir Echo’ were as follows;
• Lt Gerald T Smith Pilot
• George Harper. Waist Gunner.
• Racine Black. Waist Gunner
• J Mc Taggart. Tail Gunner
• Orlo Strubel. Top Turret (second oldest 26 years).
• Rowan Upton. Navigator
• Michael Daioczek. Ball Turret
• Capt R A Stevenson. co-pilot
• J A Mills. Bombardier
• W A Mannie. Waist gunner.
Bertram G Danson
20. January 2021 access_time 19:06
Hi Catherine, just wondering if you’ve had time to look out the information about the crash landing of Little Sir Echo near Dover UK 18 October 1943. I’ve built a diorama of the crash scene if you’d like some pictures I’d be happy to send you some. Look forward to hearing from you. Regards Mark Danson
07. January 2022 access_time 14:59
My uncle was the waist gunner on Little Sir Echo and onboard when it crashed. Can you supply me with anything you have pertaining to the crew? Thank you
01. August 2022 access_time 20:47
My uncle, Racine Black was the waist gunner on “Little Sir Echo”. Any and all info would be greatly appreciated. Especially that photo you have. Thank you
14. January 2024 access_time 17:49
My uncle Racine Black was a WG in Little Sir Echo. Can you forward the final flight info?
07. January 2022 access_time 14:54
My uncle was Racine Black, the waist gunner in Little Sir Echo. Can you forward me what you have please? Thank You
03. August 2022 access_time 22:55
how can i post the picture that i have?
20. July 2023 access_time 21:48
Any pictures or correspondence relating to the 42 – 30374 please. I have made a diorama model of the crash scene which my father and grandfather witnessed. Happy to send pictures.
02. January 2024 access_time 15:17
Hi Catherine, i have built a diorama of the LSE crash site and would be happy to send you pictures if you can send me your email address. I would also love to see a copy of the letter regarding the description of the crash landing. Best wishes. Mark
21. January 2024 access_time 12:08
Hi Catherine, there appears to be a problem in communication. If you get this message I would be grateful if you could send me details contained in the letter you refer to which describes what was happening in the aircraft as it came into crash land. I have built a scale model of the aircraft and crash site, I’d be happy to send you pictures if we can make contact via email. Best wishes Mark Danson (Bert Danson is my father who witnessed the crash landing on 18/10/1943)
08. November 2024 access_time 15:46
bit if a one sided story ,attempts to obtain info from one correspondent disappointing despite her being afforded full info, h’mmm!