Amerikansk bombetogt mod Poznan og Rostock 24. februar 1944

Amerikanske flystyrt

Den 24. februar 1944 deltog 304 amerikanske fly i et planlagt bombetogt mod olieraffinaderier i Poznan, men pga. skydække omdirigeredes 263 af flyene i stedet mod det sekundære mål Rostock.

24. feb. 1944 Østersøen ved Warnemünde

Stars & Stripes 2nd Edition (42-31349)

Boeing B-17G

385th Bomb Gr./550th Bomb Sq.

Great Ashfield i Suffolk

M Rostock

✝ 10 (heraf 7 savnet)

En strandvasker fundet den 14. oktober 1944 på Østersødiget ved Dannemarre Høje på Lolland viste sig at være flyets haleskytte Raymond F. Malmfelt, som i første omgang begravedes på findestedet af værnemagten, hvor der den 18. april 1945 rejstes en mindesten. Liget blev i 1948 fjernet og genbegravet på den amerikanske krigskirkegård ved Liège i Belgien, men er senere flyttet til USA.

24. feb. 1944 Øster Højst ved Løgumkloster

OE-Z 'Just Elmers Tune' (42-31561)

Boeing B-17G-BO

95th Bomb Gr./335 Bomb Sq.

Horham i Suffolk

M (Poznan) & Rostock

♥ 8 (✝ 2)

Et Boeing B-17 bombefly med 10 ombord lettet fra Horham i Suffolk mod Poznan, blev pga. dårlig sigt omdirigeret til Rostock, hvor det ramtes af flak og på vej ind over Sønderjylland i sin formation yderligere angrebet og alvorligt ramt flere gange af tyske jagerfly, så 7 besætningsmedlemmer sprang ud med faldskærm og de 3 resterende nødlandede på en mark nord for Tinggårdsvej mellem Løgumkloster og Øster Højst, hvor flyet udbrændte med den allerede afdøde navigatør Clifford Sahner ombord.

Flyets topskytte George Pechacek fandtes omkring 0,5 km fra flyvraget omkommet med sin faldskærm, som ikke var fuldt udfoldet.

I flyet havde forinden udspillet sig et drama der udbrød brand i en motor og navigatøren døde dræbt og piloten var ramt i højre lunge, hvorfor .I flyet havde copiloten Steve A. Kish, der var ramt i sit højre ben, overtaget styringen

Tail Gunner S/Sgt Edwin W. Hays and Right waist gunner S/Sgt Norman M. Carnie landed near Alslevkro. They looked somehow battered and were taken care of by Farmer Anton Lund who called for a ambulance to pick them up. After having been examined by Doctor Højholdt they were driven to the hospital in Løgumkloster. Next Doctor Hølholdt picked Skoug and Left waist gunner S/Sgt Leamon E. McCulloch up in Alslev where they had landed and took them to the hospital. McCulloch suffered from a broken leg, probably to be due to a bad landing. Top turret gunner T/Sgt George F. Pechaceh was found dead 400-500 metres from the wreck of the aircraft his parachute not deployed. Ball turret gunner S/Sgt Robert J. Joyse and Radio operator T/Sgt Lester W. Seelig landed close to each other and stated walking away from the landing place. They spent the night in a haystack and were the next morning spotted by some labourer in a truck. These drove them to the police station in Tinglev. Next they were taken to the police station in Tønder where the Wehrmacht picked them up. After seven flyers had left the B 17 by parachute Kish landed the aircraft between Vester Højst and Draved at 16:15 hours.

After landing Kish carried Costales out of the burning wreck and they were by ambulance taken to Løgumkloster hospital. At the hospital a German Unteroffizier declared that the wounded should be taken to the hospital in Tønder in German lazaret cars without receiving treatment in Løgumkloster. Naturally the doctors complained and at 20:00 hours a Unteroffizier from Tønder and it was arranged that two flyers were driven to the hospital in Tønder by a Danish ambulance and two would drive with the Unteroffizier in his car. The flyers were later sent to the Lazaret in Schleswig and from there to prisoner of war camps.

After treatment Costales was sent to Stalag Luft I Barth while Kish after three month in hospital was sent to Stalag Luft III Sagan. Joyse went to Stalag Luft IV Gross Tychow and then to Stalag Luft I Barth. Carnie was sent to Stalag Luft IV Gross Tychow while Hays was sent to Stalag Luft VI Heydekrug and on to Stalag Luft IV Gross Tychow. Then on a march which would take him to Stalag Luft I Barths where he was liberated bu Russian troops. Where Skoug, Seelig and McCulooch was sent is not clear.

Sahner and Pechacek was laid to rest in Aabenraa cemetery on 2/3 1944. Their remains were disinterred in May 1948 and were evacuated to the American cemetery at Neuville en Condron in Belgium by the US military. Pechacek still rest in Neuvill while Sahner rest in USA.

The aircraft that shot “Just Elmers Tune” down was a Bf 109G piloted by Leutnant Günther Sinnecker of JG 302. He had to belly land the Bf 109G near Bredbro due to bullet holes in the oil tank.

Der rejstes en mindesten ved Øster Højst forsamlingshus.

Tyske flyulykker

24. feb. 1944 Bredebro

Messerschmitt Bf 109G

JG 302

♥ 1

Et enkeltsædet Messerschmitt Bf 109 jagerfly med pilot Günther Sinnecker deltog i nedskydningen af det amerikanske Boeing B-17 bombefly, som styrtede ned ved Øster Højst, men ramtes selv med skudhuller i oliekøleren og var tvunget til kl. 16.30 at nødlande på en mark tilhørende landmand Anders Friis i Nørre Vollum nord for Bredebro .

Trods mavelanding var piloten uskadt og blev af dansk politi bedt om at vogte flyet indtil værnemagten ankom. Lokalt blev han rigeligt beværtet med god mad og drikke og kørtes i en privatbil til den tyske grænse, hvor han afhentedes af en bil fra Slesvig.