B-17 with 2 swans, Belgium

[pointedeflèche]

Hello,

I’m trying to solve a B-17 belly landing, which occured only a few miles from were I live .

According to a witness, 2 swans (or swan-like birds) were painted on this B-17. Besides the 2 swans, the B-17 was decorated with a row(s) of 43 bombs (probably symbolizing the amount of missions it had flown).

The ship had made a perfect belly landing in the little village of Sint-Agatha-Rode (Rhode-Ste-Agathe), Belgium. Sint-Agatha-Rode is situated about 13 miles (20 kilometres) southeast of Brussels and about 6 miles (10 kilometer) west by northwest of the airfield Le Culot (airfield No. B.68 became A.89). Sint-Agatha-Rode (Rhode-Sainte-Agathe) was situated in liberated territory (Rhode-Ste-Agathe is probably the name the Allies used in maps and documents).

The belly landing was perfectly performed. The ship’s nose got damaged while sliding in a right angle across a road, which was situated on a slightly higher level. Once the B-17 had come to a halt on the other side of that road, her 9 crewmembers left the ship unhurt (the road connects the village of St.- Agatha-Rode with the village of Pécrot). According to hear say, one airman had parachuted just prior to the wheels-up landing. The ship came to a halt in a pasture not far from the river Dyle. Other major towns situated near Sint-Agatha-Rode are Leuven (Louvain) and Wavre.

Unfortunately the exact date is no longer known by the villagers of Sint-Agatha-Rode. The crash occured somewhere between September 1944 and the spring of 1945. So it’s much like searching for a needle in a haystack.

Is there anyone of you experts able to identify this B-17 by means of the clues mentioned above. I hope the swans are a valuable clue in revealing the identity of this aircraft.

Thanking you in advance for your kind help in this matter.
Regards,
Dirk