B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 43-37943 / The Fertile Turtle

History of
B-17 43-37943 / The Fertile Turtle

Delivered Cheyenne 8/6/44; Kearney 19/6/44; Grenier 30/6/44; Assigned 833BS/486BG [4N-G] Sudbury 2/7/44; 61m battle damaged Leipzig 27/2/45 with Lloyd E. Moore; 9 POW?; force landed Bernstadtgram, Ger; Salvaged 1/4/45. Missing Air Crew Report 12782. THE FERTILE TURTLE.

Last updated: 15. January 2026

B-17 43-37943 / The Fertile Turtle Details

Witness Statements

Aircraft 943 was in position at 1330 hours, about 10 minutes before bombs away, all engines were running but aircraft was moving from side to side. (Possible due to engine trouble). The aircraft was not seen after the target.

Lt. Roy M. Schmitz

Aircraft 943 was flying #2 position in my element. This aircraft left the formation at 1330 hours (51°39’N-11°30’E) at an altitude of 26000 feet. I was unable to determine the extent or nature of the difficulty.

Lt. Thomas M. Casey

Source: MACR 12782