Seeking photo of B-17 42-30280
Posted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:43 pm
I'm seeking any photos anyone might have out there of B-17 G 42-30280, assigned 482 BG - 812 BS Alconbury, England. This was a Pathfinder (PFF) radar ship lost 21 February 1944 on the Diepholz raid - a strike against a German airfield.
This B-17 was named "Crazy Horse" and fitted with H2X "Mickey" radar.
During this raid, "Crazy Horse" developed a series of mechanical issues and was subsequently attacked by enemy fighters near the German-Dutch border. Unable to return to England, the crew opted to bail out of the stricken aircraft. Pilot Ralph Holcombe was the only casualty of the 11-man crew.
The remains of this a/c were discovered in the summer of 1970 in Lake IJsselmeer, Netherlands, during a public works reclamation project in the area.
Here's a copy and paste link to a neat site containing more info: home.wxs.nl/~stijger/home.htm
Members of the Dutch Royal Air Force recovered several pieces of this aircraft including a propellor blade and hub, some of the radar equipment, and varied pieces of airframe. Several hundred pounds of "Crazy Horse" was crated by the Dutch military and sent back to the United States to McDonnell-Douglas, St. Louis, MO, to take part in a special diagnotic testing and evaluation program to test the effects of harsh exposure upon aerospace materials.
A testing and evaluations branch at MD had been studying pieces of WWII aircraft components salvaged from remote crash sites in different climate zones. Some of the test components came from the B-24 'Lady Be Good' out of the Libyan desert; B-17 'My Gal Sal' from a Greenland ice cap; a Navy F6F recovered from deep water off of San Diego; and B-24 pieces from a jungle in the Pacific. The varied bits and pieces from "Crazy Horse" were examined as well by engineers collecting data that would ultimately be used in designing ICBMs to ensure a better missle "silo life" over an extended period of time.
At the end of the testing and evaluation study, all recovered items were slated for disposal. A few items - most notably an engine from the LBG - were to be given to museums for display. The bulk of the "test" items, however, were deemed as nothing other than scrap and were to have been destroyed. Jim Walker, a historically minded McDonnell-Douglas engineer involved in the testing program decided instead to filter them directly to another "museum" - located in his suburban home's basement and garage. He kept them safe and sound until he passed away 30 years later.
I'm preparing a display of several of the larger pieces of "Crazy Horse" for a local museum. I do not have any photos to share of the airplane, crew, or of the Dutch recovery efforts, which would really round out this display. Can anyone help with a scan or two?
- Rob Kropp
Mesa, AZ
This B-17 was named "Crazy Horse" and fitted with H2X "Mickey" radar.
During this raid, "Crazy Horse" developed a series of mechanical issues and was subsequently attacked by enemy fighters near the German-Dutch border. Unable to return to England, the crew opted to bail out of the stricken aircraft. Pilot Ralph Holcombe was the only casualty of the 11-man crew.
The remains of this a/c were discovered in the summer of 1970 in Lake IJsselmeer, Netherlands, during a public works reclamation project in the area.
Here's a copy and paste link to a neat site containing more info: home.wxs.nl/~stijger/home.htm
Members of the Dutch Royal Air Force recovered several pieces of this aircraft including a propellor blade and hub, some of the radar equipment, and varied pieces of airframe. Several hundred pounds of "Crazy Horse" was crated by the Dutch military and sent back to the United States to McDonnell-Douglas, St. Louis, MO, to take part in a special diagnotic testing and evaluation program to test the effects of harsh exposure upon aerospace materials.
A testing and evaluations branch at MD had been studying pieces of WWII aircraft components salvaged from remote crash sites in different climate zones. Some of the test components came from the B-24 'Lady Be Good' out of the Libyan desert; B-17 'My Gal Sal' from a Greenland ice cap; a Navy F6F recovered from deep water off of San Diego; and B-24 pieces from a jungle in the Pacific. The varied bits and pieces from "Crazy Horse" were examined as well by engineers collecting data that would ultimately be used in designing ICBMs to ensure a better missle "silo life" over an extended period of time.
At the end of the testing and evaluation study, all recovered items were slated for disposal. A few items - most notably an engine from the LBG - were to be given to museums for display. The bulk of the "test" items, however, were deemed as nothing other than scrap and were to have been destroyed. Jim Walker, a historically minded McDonnell-Douglas engineer involved in the testing program decided instead to filter them directly to another "museum" - located in his suburban home's basement and garage. He kept them safe and sound until he passed away 30 years later.
I'm preparing a display of several of the larger pieces of "Crazy Horse" for a local museum. I do not have any photos to share of the airplane, crew, or of the Dutch recovery efforts, which would really round out this display. Can anyone help with a scan or two?
- Rob Kropp
Mesa, AZ