03 May Felix M. Hardison
Lt. Col Felix M. Hardison, Stockholm 1944
Lt. Col. Felix M. Hardison arrived in Stockholm in February of 1944 as the Military Air Attaché. An agreement was reached with the Royal Swedish Air Force whereby all repairs and maintenance of interned aircraft would be made under the supervision of American personnel. Lt. Col. Hardison’s office was also responsible for the wellbeing of the American internees.
Hardison’s background was that of a highly respected B-17 bomber pilot with the 19th Bombardment Group of the 5th Air Force.
Herman worked under Lt. Col. Hardison and traveled to the crash sites when American aircrews had to land in Sweden. He would orient them and direct them to their next destination … on to the internee camps which had been set up.
Because of the extensive travel involved, Herman was given extra diplomatic protection by the Senior Consul at the American Legation so that he could travel all over Sweden.
As always, I am posting this in the hopes that someone will read it and have additional information to add, in particular about Lt. Col. Hardison’s activities with the American internees in Sweden.
Claude T. Hardison, Jr.
Posted at 19:50h, 03 MayWhat is the background on LtC. Hardison? Where is he from? Would like to see if we are related. Thanks
Pat
Posted at 06:55h, 04 MayFelix Hardison died on 3-Jun-83, and his home of record: Springfield, Missouri. My information comes from this site where it describes why he received the Distinguished Service Cross for action during World War II. Click here.
If you discover anything additional, please let me know. THANKS, Pat
David W. Hendricks
Posted at 17:34h, 14 MayPatricia: I’ll be interested in your book; its easy to get hooked on WWII. I was age 10 when it started and remember enough to have events in perspective.
I got to your site by a google search of Felix M. Hardison. He was my uncle and I was trying to find his birth date, which I think was 1912 and the year that he graduated from the University of Idaho. I knew him through irregular contact when he occasionally made overnight stops in Sacramento and San Francisco, and later.
Here’s a web reference on his assignment in Stockholm that I picked up from the web, c. 2006: How interned U.S. Army Air Force B-17s came to help Sweden in World War II. BY MIKE LOMBARDI (michael.j.lombardi@boeing.com). It was on the Boing web site. I have the article which is a few paragraphs in case it is too long to paste. For your reference, a book on his year in the South Pacific was The Suzy-Q, written by Pricilla Hardison, 1943.
David
February 2006
Volume 04, Issue 9
Historical Perspective
How interned U.S. Army Air Force B-17s came to help Sweden in World War II
BY MIKE LOMBARDI
March 6, 1944: As part of the campaign to pave the way for the allied invasion of Europe, the U.S. Army Air Force made its long-anticipated strike on Berlin. It was the first massive daylight raid on the capital of Hitler’s Reich; as was predicted, the Luftwaffe rose up in force, resulting in heavy losses for both sides.
One of the planes that did not return was a U.S. Air Force Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress named A Good Ship & Happy Ship. After being hit by antiaircraft fire and dropping out of formation, the crew realized that their lone damaged B-17 would not have a chance of making it back to England. Their only hope was to turn north and make for neutral Sweden.
It was the last mission for A Good Ship & Happy Ship, but it would not be its final flight.
During the war Sweden maintained strict neutrality. That declaration allowed the nation to become a refuge for the crews of damaged aircraft from both sides, including more than 1,400 Americans.
By the rules of Sweden’s neutrality, the planes and their crews were interned. Early in the war this was not a problem as Allied and German personnel were generally returned on a one-for-one basis. But as the war progressed, a far greater number of Allied planes and crews ended up in Sweden, and they were forced to remain there.
Along with this growing population of Allied airmen that could not be repatriated, Sweden had another problem. Swedish airline ABA (AB Aerotransport) had lost two of its five DC-3s to Luftwaffe fighters while flying the dangerous route between Sweden and Scotland. The airline needed to replace those lost planes, preferably with long-range planes that could fly the safer route over northern Norway.
ABA President Carl Foreman and U.S. Air Attaché Col. Felix Hardison worked out a solution to both problems. They negotiated the delivery of nine of the already interned B-17s to the Swedish government, in exchange for the release of interned American airmen.
Of the nine B-17s, seven were converted into 14-seat airliners by Swedish automobile and aircraft manufacturer Saab. The company advertised the conversion program using the biblical quote, “From swords into plowshares,” signifying conversion of the former warbirds to peaceful use.
The converted bombers were officially designated “Felixes” in honor of the U.S. Air Attaché, and were delivered to the forerunners of today’s SAS (Scandinavian Airline System). Five went to Swedish airlines ABA and SILA (Swedish Intercontinental Airlines), and two were sold to DDL (Danish Airlines). The Felixes served the airlines until 1948, when the last was retired.
One of these converted bombers was the former A Good Ship & Happy Ship, whose crew was able to guide the damaged plane to a safe landing in Sweden. Saab delivered the plane to ABA/SILA on May 6, 1944, and it was given the new name “Tom.” Tragically, after 1,117 hours of service, the plane and its crew of six were lost on Dec. 4, 1945.
In December, on the 60th anniversary of that accident, representatives from Boeing, Saab, SAS and the U.S. Embassy, along with family members of the crew, returned to the crash site to place a memorial plaque honoring the crew. Representing Boeing was Jan Narlinge, acting regional president, Northern and Western Europe.
“The ceremony was attended by children and some grandchildren of all of the crew. I felt that this visit to the crash site gave them comfort and opened the door to their heritage,” Narlinge said. “The memorial was also a reminder that the U.S.-provided Boeing B-17s were essential in the early stages of SAS.”
The memorial brought to light once more this obscure episode of World War II. Sweden gave a new career to seven Boeing bombers while providing refuge to thousands of Allied airmen who otherwise might have perished in the North Sea while trying to make their way back to England.
michael.j.lombardi@boeing.com
Contact Us | Site Map| Site Terms | Privacy | Copyright
Joy
Posted at 11:20h, 17 MayConverted bombers named “Felixes”… wonderful! My dad and no doubt many others had his papers signed by Felix Hardison while in Sweden. I had not known he was from Springfield Missouri. Since my Dad was from Salem, Missouri, it makes me wonder if there was ever any further contact after the war.
Janet smith
Posted at 18:26h, 27 DecemberFelix and Priscilla Hardison were neighbors in Gardenridge, Texas. He never talked about his military career, but others did, revealing him to be an outstanding man. There was a book about his plane the “Suzy Q” which was named after his wife. Her middle name was Suzanne, I believe. The book was in the public library in New Braunfels, Texas at that time (in the 80’s) .
Pat DiGeorge
Posted at 19:07h, 27 DecemberJanet, thank you for your comment! I love that you knew them personally. Thanks for checking in!
Mark Van Rosendael
Posted at 20:20h, 27 Junehttps://www.expressnews.com/militarycity/article/Obit-woman-who-traveled-the-world-had-B-17-10876996.php
Priscilla was my girlfriend’s Grandma….Just thought I’d send the link above for your reference….
Pat DiGeorge
Posted at 07:58h, 28 JuneThank you, Mark. I couldn’t read your link (not a subscriber) but I found the obituary of Priscilla, Felix Hardison’s wife of many years. What a life she lived!