Accident Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress 42-29538,

ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 97685

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Date:	Tuesday 29 February 1944
Time:	00:13
Type:	Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress
Owner/operator:	488th BGp USAAF
Registration:	42-29538
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 10
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	6 miles NE of Hillsboro AAF, Florida - United States of America
Phase:	Approach
Nature:	Training
Departure airport:	MacDill Field, Tampa, Florida
Destination airport:	MacDill Field, Tampa, Florida

Narrative:
The B-17F 42-29538 of 843rd BS, 488th BG took off at 2100 hrs on 28 February 1944 from MacDill Field, Tampa, Florida, on a local instrument flight and bombing mission with ten men aboard. After take-off the airplane climbed to 22,000 feet. At 2330 hrs, the MacDill Field control tower radioed the subject airplane and advised the pilot to return to the local area, and to stay tuned to the tower frequency. The airplane let down to an unknown altitude and flew around locally.

At this time, the pilot, 2nd Lt Donald G Barber, contacted the ball turret gunner, Sgt Tom E Norman and asked him if he would like to get some stick time. Norman had logged over 500 hours of flying time in small civilian airplanes and after putting his bombs on safe, went forward and replaced the engineer, S/Sgt Larice L Boyle, who was then sitting in the pilot's seat. 2nd Lt John F Ligon, Jr., the co-pilot, at that time, was sitting in his own seat. In a minute or two, Lt Barber came forward and replaced the co-pilot in his seat. At his request, Sgt Norman made several turns in the airplane. Then Barber told him to head for MacDill Field and start letting down.

This was done in the direction of a group of lights then thought bu the crew to be MacDill Field. At 1,000 feet, Lt Barber took over the controls and put the wheels down. Some little trouble was experienced determining as to wether or not the left wheel was down, during which time both Sgt Norman and Lt Barber were looking out the left window. At this point, Lt Barber had Sgt Norman change positions with him, taking the pilot's seat. At this point, no more lights were visible and the altimeter was dropping past 800 feet slowly.

Within one or two minutes after Lt Barber resumed his station, the bomber hit something and shortly thereafter contacted the ground. Fore broke out immediately and Sgt Norman go out through the pilot's window, extinguishing the flames on his clothes by rolling in the sand. He was the only survivor of the crash, that occured at 0013 hrs on the 29th six miles northeast of Hillsborough Army Air Field, Tampa, Florida.

The wreckage was not foind until daylight hours. Investigation of the wreckage and surrounding terrain indicated that the bomber cut a path through trees while in a bank to the left. The B-17 cartwheeled into the terrain, broke up and burst into flames. Wreckage was scattered from south to north over a semi-wooded area for a distance of 520 yards.

Investigators speculated that the pilot had mistaken Hillsborough Army Air Field for MacDill Field. The acknowledged the value of having a crewmember with flying experience on board during combat missions, but it was tolerated to let such crewmembers to occasionally fly in the co-pilot's seat only, and only during ideal daylight conditions.

Crew:
2nd Lt Donald G Barber (pilot, 19 years old) KIFA
2nd Lt John Fulton Ligon, Jr. (co-pilot, 25 years old) KIFA
F/O William P Alsabrock, Jr. (navigator, 21 years old) KIFA
2nd Lt Aethur P. O'Connor, Jr. (bombardier, 27 years old) KIFA
S/Sgt Larice Lavell Boyle (flight engineer, 23 years old) KIFA
Sgt Ernest Leopold Palm (assistant engineer, 24 years old) KIFA
Sgt Lawrence R Siers (radio operator, 21 years old) KIFA
Pfc Twyman W Harper (assistant radio operator, 22 years old) KIFA
Sgt Tom E Norman (ball turret gunner) survived, seriously injured
Sgt Roy D Stroh (tail gunner, 25 years old) KIFA

One of the new aboard, Sgt Ernest Leopold Palm, was born on 23 June 1919 in Germany of Jewish parentage. As a victim of nazism, he left Germany in 1937 and went to Paoli, Indiana, and worked for his cousin, Sol Strauss, who operates the Paoli Dry Goods Company. His family followed him to this country. They came to Louisville, Kentucky. His father, Henry Palm, his stepmother, his brother and two sisters settled at 1113 Logan where they established a broom and mop factory, "H. Palm & Sons," a small scale replica of the business in Germany the Palms were forced to abandon.

In early 1942 he tried to enlist in the Army but was rejected because he was a German alien. Charles Strull, Realty Building, chairman of the Kentucky Refugee Committee, has kept in touch with the young man since he came to Kentucky and helped him to achieve his ambition to get into the Army. Palm wrote letters pleading for a chance to repay the United States for giving haven to him and his family driven from their homeland by the Nazis.

"I hope, dear general, that you will reconsider my case and that you will permit me to be inducted into the United States Army," Palm wrote to the commanding general of the Fifth Corps Area, Columbus, Ohio, in July, 1942. In the letter begging that "I should be permitted to do my share toward the defense of the United States," he outlined his background.
"I have been loyal and faithful to my adoped country and although I am a native of Germany I am no longer a citizen or subject of germany because the German Government has deprived me of any citizenship and I have been stateless," he wrote.

He described himself as "the happiest man in the U. S. Army" when he was finally accepted as the first German alien to be inducted in the Fifth Army Corps. Before Palm's induction there apparently was a rule prohibiting the induction of German aliens in the Fifth corps Area. It was no more valid after that.

Palm wrote jubilant letters to Strull about his course of instruction in the Air Forces. He got medals for marksmanship. In one letter he said: "As anxious as I was, you will understand how proud I am to be a citizen of the United States. I sure appreciate to be a citizen and I am trying to live up to the responsibilities which it brings with it."

Sources:

Revision history:

Date/time Contributor Updates

04-Mar-2016 07:20 Laurent Rizzotti Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]

27-Jan-2021 16:26 Anon. Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
04-Mar-2016 07:20	Laurent Rizzotti	Updated [Time, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
27-Jan-2021 16:26	Anon.	Updated [Operator, Location, Operator]

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