There is a place on the island known as "Mastermyr." It is a bog west of Hemse where significant medieval artifacts have been found. This is the spot where the Liberty Lady pilot Charles W. Smith and the copilot Merle P. Brown chose to bring...
Our wilting B-17 Liberty Lady is flying over the island of Gotland, a Swedish province. Remember that the crew had no idea where they were and suspected that they were still flying over enemy territory. As waist gunner Don Courson remembers, when they came...
Lasse Svensson, a little boy who lived in the tiny village of Hemse on the island of Gotland, heard the noise of a plane flying low. Because his Dad owned a photoshop in Hemse, there was always a camera nearby, and it was always loaded...
In an effort to hide from the furious enemy fighter planes, our wounded Liberty Lady slipped into a cover of clouds....
The pilot knew they could never make it back to England. It was impossible for the wounded fortress to stay in the formation, and as a straggler, it would be an easy target for enemy fighters. In order to hide, Smithy quickly flew the Liberty...
This would be Herman's 12th mission, the Liberty Lady's 13th. The last mission for each. In an old notebook filled with his writings, I found a few pages that Herman had written about this morning, typed and on yellowed onion skin paper. My guess is that...
The weather in Europe during these winter months was hard to predict and dangerous. In an ideal situation, the crews needed to safely take off, fly deep into Germany, see the target, and return home. It was never ideal....
It is mind boggling to imagine how the 8th Air Force was able to communicate to each base the complex plans for the combat missions ...
I have reached a point in my research where I need to study and delve more extensively. On Friday I spent an incredible day at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum in Savannah, GA. ...
The target for the Liberty Lady was dreaded Schweinfurt, the major ball bearing factory center. Now that the bombers had fighter escorts flying into Germany the orders were ...