B-17 Notlandung 9. September 1943 Magadino TI Schweiz
Kit: Academy 1:72, Decals Kora http://www.GDkits.com
The bomber of the 8th Air Force, 306th Bomb Group with the registration number RD-I and the nickname "Est Nulla Via in Via Virtuti" (no path is impassable for courage) landed in Magadino via Stuttgart after a mission. The machine was flown by 1LT Martin Andrews and his experienced crew. Navigator Charles G. Bowers remembers: The flight was under a bad sign, as the turret gunner had an accident on the way to the plane with his jeep. We came into anti-aircraft fire over the French coast. This and the German hunters became more intense the closer we got to the goal. Both inner motors were hit and we could no longer maintain the formation speed. Twenty minutes before the finish we had to leave the formation, we dropped the bombs over a large forest and hoped
not to harm civilians. Since I didn't have the right maps, I gave the pilot the approximate direction to Switzerland. Before we could cross the Alps, we had to throw all armament overboard.
The machine circled over the Italian-Swiss border and was looking for a landing site when Captain von Meiss returned from a training flight. When a mechanic from Meiss told about the circling bomber, the bomber mounted again and escorted the B-17 to Magadino. The crew were interned first in Magglingen and then in Adelboden. On September 15, 1945 the bomber returned to Burtonwood.
Event date: 9/6/1943 Magadino Canton TI
Event: Emergency landing B-17 Flying Fortress serial number 42-5841 Matriculation RD-I
Aircraft designation B-17 F-25-VE
Plane nickname Est Nulla Via in Via Virtuti (No path is impassable for courage)
8th Air Force, 306th Bomb Group, 423rd Squadron
Base: Thurleigh (GB)
Mission: Objective: bombing Stuttgart (D)
Return: 15.09.1945 return to Burtonwood (GB)
Very interesting story. Thank you for posting. What kit is the model? Any updates or anything you can tell us about the model?
https://www.flieger-hanspeter.ch/Notlandung-der-B_17-in-Magadino-Tessin-9-.-September-1943.htm Click and scroll down
Nice model and interesting story, Hans Peter.
Thanks for sharing.
Great model and story, Hans Peter!
Hi Hans @messerschmitt, nice model and interesting story, well researched. It would be very helpful if you could fill in the tags on your posting e.g. kit manufacturer, aircraft model and scale. The tags react with the A - Z search on iModeler meaning that anyone looking for articles about this kit would find it very easily. With no tags it will be virtually impossible to find. Thanks a lot.
Kit ist ein ACADEMY 1:72 , Decals sind von Kora http://www.GDkits.com
Very nice - those Swiss markings really stand out on the -17.
Nicely done!