Historical information
This B17 "Pickelpuss" [A/C 42-30063 LD - 418th Squadron
- 100th Bomb Group - 8th Air Force] was shot down on 17 August 1943.
M. Ernest Warsaw inaugurated the memorial on 26 May 2006 at the age of
84 years old, he was the navigator as crew member and the sole survivor
today.
The inauguration was organised by the Remember
Museum 39-45 located at Thimister-Clermont with the municipality
of Plombières
and the cultural centre of Thimister-Clermont.
Honor platoon was 1st US Infantry Division - 4th Cav. Reg. -1st Sq.
The main message of the allocution was the following: "Freedom
is not free, may we never forget...".
The airplane was named for Dorothy, wife of the pilot, Capt. Robert Knox
as he nicknamed her "Pickelpuss". On August 17, 1943, the 481th
squadron was
the lead for the 100th Bomb Group which was assigned to bomb the Messerschmitt
factory at Regensburg, Germany. The aircraft was assigned to "coffin corner",
which was the last and the lowest location in the formation. The mission
plan was that after the bomb run, the group was to continue east and land
in Africa. However, in route to Regensburg they were attacked by a squadron
of ME 109's. One of the German fighters took one of the engines on Pickelpuss.
The plane couldn't keep up with the group anymore and the crew decided
to turn around and fly back to their base at Thorpe Abbots in England.
After about 15 minutes of flying, they were intercepted by another squadron
of ME 109's who managed to set the bomber on fire. Shortly thereafter the
plane blew up. Only four of the crew survived and spent almost two years
as prisoners of war at POW camps in Germany. The six victims were temporary
buried at Eupen, then at Henri-Chapelle and finally repatriated to the
United States, except for the pilot Robert Knox who is resting forever
at the Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery.
Another source of information mentions that ME 110's shot down the Pickelpuss
and not ME 109's:
Thorpe Abbotts airfield was was built during 1942-early 1943 by John
Laing and Sons as the main contractors. It was intended for use by
the RAF as
a satellite airfield to Horham but the rapid buildup of the 8th Air
Force resulted in both airfields being handed over to the Americans.
The construction
work was barely finished when the 100th BG arrived on 9 June 1943 and the
first mission was flown on 25 June. Three B-17s and 30 men failed to return.
Few Could have imagined that much worse was to follow.
On 17 August 1943, a deep penetration was made into Germany, well beyond
escort fighter range. The plan involved the 1st BW attacking, Schweinfurt
while Col. Curtis E. LeMay led the 4th BW to Regensburg. To minimize attacks
from enemy fighters, the 100th - and the rest of LeMay's B-17s - would
fly on to North Africa after hitting the target. The 1st BW, meanwhile,
would fly a parallel course to Schweinfurt to further confuse the enemy
defenses at ind return to England after the raid. Four P-47 groups were
scheduled to escort the Regensburg force but only one group rendezroused
with the bombers as scheduled.
The overburdened Thunderbolts could not possibly hope to protect all
seven groups in the 4th BW. The long, straggling formation stretched
for 15 miles
and the Fortresses in the 100th BG at the rear Of the formation were
left unprotected. Fw 190s of JG1 and JG26 began their attacks 30 kilometers
east of Brussels. The 100th was attacked Continuously by German fighters
and they lost nine Fortresses. One of them was "Picklepuss",
flown by Capt. Robert Knox. As Knox approached the target, other crews
reported that the
Fort's landing gear was lowered as sign of surrender and the German
fighters held their fire. However, as the fighters flew alongside,
the gunners
on Picklepuss opened fire on the enemy fighters. This prompted a further
attack
by the German fighters and Picklepuss went down (Hpon. Von Bonin, Kommander
II, and leading a vic of three Bf 110s is credited with the destruction
of Picklepuss, which crashed with the loss of six of the crew). This
incident is reputed to have so angered, the Lufwaffe that thereafter
the 100th BCG
was singled out "for special attention" by Lufwaffe Gruppes.
The story spread and the 100th BG became known throughout the 8th AF
as the "Bloody Hundredth." In September the "hard-luck" group
became a part of the "unlucky" 13th Combat Wing.
On 8 October, the 100th BG lost seven B-17s and 72 men on the mission to
Bremen Salvo Sal.
Worst of all, the 100th BG had lost twelve
bombers. This brought its total losses to 19 in three days. New crews
replaced those lost and were subjected to the usual hahazing process..
A new crew
arriving at Thorpe Abbotts heard shoutof "fresh meat" and "meat
on the tahle" coming from the combat barracks.
The corpse of only one crew member of "Pickelpuss" was found
near the present USAAF memorial.
Location information
The B17 USAAF Memorial
is located in Montzen, route de Liège (on national N3 road) in Belgium.
