B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 44-8032

History of
B-17 44-8032

Delivered Tulsa 16/5/44; Dallas 13/6/44; Langley 1/7/44; Dow Fd 25/7/44; Assigned: 457BG Glatton 22/8/44, battle damage damage Gaggenau 10/9/44 Pilot: Gilbert; cp, n, and b all bailed, leaving ettg Dave Foltz to administer oxygen and help pilot land back at Glatton, earning the Silver Star as well as a Purple heart; (original SAL crash-landed on Greenland ice cap en route UK 27/6/42, and discovered buried under ice in October ’64); Salvaged. 12/11/44. MY GAL SAL.

Last updated: 25. May 2018

B-17 44-8032 Details

Plane 44-8032, piloted by Lt Paul W. Gilbert took a hit from flak over the target which knocked out two engines, the oxygen system, and the intercom. #4 engine was on fire. The engineer went to the rear of the plane to check on damage and while he was there the pilot signaled the alarm to bail out not knowing that the alarm bell had been knocked out. The pilot set the autopilot and bailed out with the Copilot, navigator and bombardier. The men in the rear of the plane did not hear the alarm and did no know that no one was flying the ship until the engineer went to back to the front of the ship. The engineer took control of the plane and he, together with the rest of the crew, decided to try to fly back to where they could bail out over friendly occupied terrority. With a flaming engine they succeeded and they bailed out over France. All were safe and the engineer, Sgt Dave Fultz, received the Silver Star for his heroic efforts. He also received the Purple Heart for injuries sustained during the flak attack.

Source: http://www.457thbombgroup.org/Fate/RLF110.HTML