Posted By helmut on April 02, 2006 at 06:46:44:
8 may 1945. A B-17 with passengers onboard, at very low level riding down the Rhine river valley north of KOBLENZ, collided with obstacle and crashed, no survivors
A native then a 12-years old boy, who had been an eye witness, published his report in the excellent BENDORF town website under
http://www.bendorf-geschichte.de/bdf-0159.htm,
in German of course..
In brief: As the RR bridge crossing the Rhine between ENGERS and URMITZ had been destroyed in March 1945 when US forces were about to seize it, US signal troops later drew their cables across the river in a bundle of cables, suspending from high pylons on either side of the river, one at KALTENENGERS on the left side of the river and ENGERS on the right side, with the cables sagging down to approx. 15-20 meters/50-70 ft above the water.
May 8, the VE-Day for the victorious Allies, saw several B-17s flying down the Rhine valley at low altitudes, from mid-morning into the middle afternoon.
Around the 1600, a bomber crew probably flying lower than most others, tried to evade the cables too late, and hit them with the right wing. The bundle of cables was cut, but the plane visibly caught heavy damage to its right wing and both right powerplants, obviously got out of control, and crashed into the remains of the bridge some 600 meters/700 yards down the river from where the plane had hit the cables. There were no survivors. The Germans, whom the US troops kept away from the crash site, later learnt from Americans that 24 persons, the crew of ten plus 14 passengers, had perished.
Who could tell the identity of the plane, the base from where it had departed on this joyride mission, and official number of losses?