Gerry275 Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 Went up to Debach control tower today for a jeep gathering. Chilly but dry. :cool2: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Marriott Posted September 30, 2012 Share Posted September 30, 2012 (edited) Yes a chilly but dry day for the final open Sunday of the year at Debach airfield. A very good turn out of jeeps, 22 I think was the final count. I took the Dodge up for the day, we went out on a fifteen mile road run around the airfield and surrounding villages. It had been planned to do the run on farm tracks, but due too the ground being wet it was changed to a road run. So after the run it was fire the BBQ up and get a few sausages on! My four year old son, William, deceided to go on a field walk near the control tower and sure enough after a few minutes shouted ' Daddy I have found a piece of an aircraft!' Sure enough he had found a fragment of stainless steel complete with blast damage and green paint! He was over the moon with his find, followed by a piece of main wheel tyre! He was very impressed when I told him which aircraft it probably came off and when it crashed! The aircraft was most likely 'Devils Own' a B-17G 43-38219 flown out of Debach by the 493rd BG 862nd squadron. This partiular aircraft was flown by Lt J. DeWitt on the mission to Giessen in Germany on 12th December 1944. Unfortunately the aircraft developed an engine fire over the channel that started to engulf the wing. DeWitt made the decision to return to base with a full bomb load and as he approached the airfield was at tree top level, just making the field. He electted to land on the grass adjacent to main runway north east of the tower. Two minutes after the last crewman left the aircraft the entire bomb load went up, spreading the aircraft over a very large area, hence todays finds. Here is a link to our website with further information and pictures of this crash. Check out the rest of our website, plenty to see and read! Edited September 30, 2012 by P Marriott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry275 Posted October 1, 2012 Author Share Posted October 1, 2012 Glad he also had a good day. Link http://www.493bgdebach.co.uk/tower.php Gerry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cedar Tree Posted October 1, 2012 Share Posted October 1, 2012 Had a great day at Debach, Thanks Richard for the road run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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