B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Hello ,
It seems that B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium on september 25 1944 during a mission to Ludwigshafen. The a:c belonged to the 95BG but it was flown that day with a crew from 96BG.
Does someone has some additional info on this forced landing.

Regards
Alain57

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Alain,

Is this the one? See https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-97599/

Groet,

Leendert

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Hi Leendert ,

indeed ttht's te one , another questin who died in this crew , it seems two ?

Keep it cool if possible
Regards
Alain57

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

The link Leendert gave lists two killed: Command Pilot Capt Jim McKnight and Bombardier: Chas Nielsen (2KIA-both chutes failed)

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Thanks for the info

Alain57

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Capt James Thomas McKnight
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...homas-mcknight

1st Lt Charles C. Nielsen
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/...les-c.-nielsen

The underlying query intent of Alain57 is not known.

Regarding Lt Charles C. Nielsen O-772706 his U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945 page is attached. Left hand cemetery code 6100 = Illinois, far right cemetery code 1240 = Henri-Chapelle Cemetery;Eupen, Belgium. so I think this is "our" Lt Nielsen. Have not checked on Capt McKnight yet but would not be surprised if he was initially interred at 1240 also.

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Please be advised the content in my post #6 may not be accurate. First some of this issue may in-part be related to Osborne's "bad" habit of abbreviating names and in some cases spelling them wrong and worse citing units in which they did not serve.

Specifically:
Original source: Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log (unedited):
"42-97599 “Delivered Denver 2/1/44; 1SAG Langley 23/1/44; Grenier 24/2/44; Assigned 335BS/95BG [OE-T] Horham 28/2/44; 20m, Missing in Action Ludwigshafen 25/9/44 with 96BG crew, Comp-Capt Jim McKnight, Bombardier: Chas Nielsen (2KIA-both chutes failed); p-Bill Chandler, Navigator: John Wey, mo-Howard Menadier, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jim McDowell, Radio Operator: Ken Stockman, Waist gunner: Carl Anderson, X-George Popelka (Flying Control Off.) (7 Returned to Duty); force landed in Tongeren area of Belgium; Salvaged 14/11/44.”

For example [Comp-Capt Jim McKnight] likely Capt James T McKnight appears to have flown 29 missions with the 390BG including the fatal 25 Sept 44 mission to Ludwigshafen http://www.390thspace.com/missions.p...t,%20James%20T

No connection found with the 96BG as claimed by Osborne.

The bombardier [Chas Nielsen] who I assumed was 1st Lt Charles C. Nielsen, was in fact Pfc Charles M Neilson (Bombardier/Togglier) also it seems serving with the 390BG http://www.390thspace.com/missions.p...n%2C+Charles+M

Also No connection found with the 96BG as claimed by Osborne.

Sadly (NOT found in the NARA enlistment database), also no findagrave record. So beyond being KIA he is also missing it seems from many record databases.

My first thought was to simply delete my earlier post but then it seemed an explanation was in order, so here we are.

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Hello ,

Thank you very much for this info.

Grts
Alain57

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

There seems to be so much conflicting data on this loss I asked my friend Dave Gansz to take a look. Author, (not advertising just a reference):
https://www.amazon.com/Boeing-B-17-P...%3ADavid+Gansz
https://www.amazon.com/Boeing-B-17-P...%3ADavid+Gansz

Dave found the pilot had served with the 96th BG, in roaster as William F Chandler (413th BS)

42-97599 appears to have been a PFF ship, so it seems it got shared between groups on various missions.

Now back to the beginning with the accounts attached from "Losses of the 8th & 9th", p. 394 (attached).

If this is an accurate account we are back to the bombardier being 1st Lt Charles C Nielsen, with the 390BG website data being in error. Sadly Nielsen, Charles C is not found in searching the 390BG database http://www.390thspace.com/search.php making it impossible to cite his service with this group from that source.

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Hello ,

Thanks once more

Alain57

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Scott and Alain57,

I think something is messed up in the 390th BG database. There is a way to see a bombardier Charles C Nielsen listed, with 18 missions listed, but it does not show, for example, the 9/25/44 mission. See this link:

http://www.390thspace.com/missions.p...%20Charles%20C

When you search just for the name "Nielsen" on their database you don't find Charles C Nielsen at all, yet he does appear in the mission list above.

You can also compare Nielsen's missions to McKnight's: http://www.390thspace.com/missions.p...t,%20James%20T

and see some matches on some of the dates and planes. I think perhaps that both men flew primarily pathfinder missions.

Another odd thing about Nielsen is that he is listed as a 2nd Lt on the postwar (1946?) Cook county casualty lists:

https://nara-media-001.s3.amazonaws....8/28-2751a.gif

but as a 1st Lt in the 1947 Chicago Tribune newspaper article cited in his find-a-grave posting:

https://www.newspapers.com/clip/22302819/

Perhaps there was a promotion in process at the time of his death?

I think one error on the 390th site is that they just put the "wrong" "Nielsen" on the 9/25/44 mission, but the inability of just finding Charles C Nielsen listed in the roster is another problem. I will try to contact the site.

Re: B-17 42-97599 forced landed in Belgium
 

Rolland, it is the "wrong" "Neilson, Charles M" the 390th site has listed for this mission. Also on this page I think it was my error, next to CREW PFC = Path Finder Crew?, not the rank Private First Class. That said, finding a Neilson, Charles M has proved impossible for me, not sure he exists.:

http://www.390thspace.com/missions.p...n%2C+Charles+M

Here is the IARC for 42-97599. The stop at the Langley, VA Mod center is an indication of a PFF ship.