[pointedeflèche]

Hi,

Here is some additional information in regard to the B-17 that belly-landed on the boundary between the Belgian villages named Sint-Agatha-Rode (Rhode-Sainte-Agathe) and Pécrot.

The aircraft was a silver B-17G (Natural Metal Finish).
According to a witness, it were definitely two white swans. They were painted in a row next to one another and in a classical manner - as if afloat on the water, with typical curbing S-like necks.
Because of the fact that these two white swans were painted directly beneath a row of 43 or 45 black bombs, my witness always assumed they represented two special kind of missions, flown by the crew - missions or targets for which the swan was used as a symbol. The swans weren’t very big in size.

In constrast to what I previously mentioned, one airman didn’t parachute, but simply jumped out of the plane when it hadn’t fully halted yet. The airman vacated the B-17 at the moment that only a few feet of air separated the plane from the ground or during the moment it glided across the pasture.

According to the same witness the incident occurred somewhere after the Battle of the Bulge. In the month of January, February or even March 1945 (Some say it was already laying in that pasture on Sunday, February 18th 1945, so it must have happened somewhere in January or February 1945).

Does anyone have an idea whether swans were used in certain Bomb Groups or Bomb Squadrons to depict some special mission, target, victory or whatever? Were there any Bomb Groups or Bomb Squadrons with an affinity for swans?

Regards,
Dirk