B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 43-38633

History of
B-17 43-38633

B-17 43-38633 Details

A/A was moderate and accurate. Aircraft hit by flak at target, knocking out #3 engine and setting #3 feeded tank on fire. Fire spread over wing and stabilizer.

Pilot’s Statement

We were hit at the target by flak which knocked out #3 engine. I don’t know exactly what it was that started the fire which started in the #3 feeder tank but I tried diving the aircraft to put the fire out. I was unsuccessful in doing so. After the dive I slowed the plane down and told the crew to bail out. This was about fifteen or twenty minutes after the target. I kept losing altitude but was able to maintain an airspeed of 170 mph. When I got down to 10000 feet I found that I could hold my altitude so I stayed at 10000 feet and followed the bomber column around, cutting inside of them a little so that I could keep then in sight. I couldn’t feather #3 but it finally froze and the prop broke loose from the engine. When I got almost to the coast I got a few accurate bursts of flak. By this time it looked as though the fire was out and I came on out across the Channel. I called air-sea rescue and they sent a P-47 out to flying me in. The P-47 took me to Woodbridge where I landed.

Newton W. Kerr
2nd Lt., Pilot, Air Corps

B-17 43-38633 Crew