ABOUT 19 SEPTEMBER 1942
CRASH OF A B-17 FLYING FORTRESS
AT COEN RIVER

visits since 23 July 2004

B17-E Flying Fortress

RAAF Catalina A24-2, carried out a search for a missing B-17 Flying Fortress, from the 93rd Bomb Squadron of the 19th Bomb Group, from 19 to 20 September 1942. The B-17 was based at Mareeba airfield in tropical north Queensland. The Catalina finally located the aircraft at the Coen River on the Gulf of Carpentaria. The Catalina landed and picked up four survivors. Another four crew members of the downed Flying Fortress had wandered into the bush. The Catalina flew the first four survivors back to Cairns. The next day they flew to Weipa Mission to check if the other four might have arrived at the Mission.

As they had not been seen, nine black trackers were taken by the Catalina to the crash site. The missing four were spotted on a mud flat, and the Catalina landed to collect them. By the time they had recovered the survivors, the tide had gone out leaving the Catalina high and dry. Once the tide came back in they took off for Cairns with the final four survivors.

Greg Gardner is currently trying to obtain a letter of thankyou from the US Army (as such matters were transferred to them when the USAF was created) for the search and rescue of the crew for his next door neighbour, Jack Bertram Brammell, the co-pilot of the Catalina. Jack has never received any recognition for the part he played in this rescue. Jack was the one who spotted the crashed aircraft, "a black streak in the ground", and then he saw the parachutes on the ground etc. The rest is history. 

Jack Bertram Brammell was the co-plot with Mick Seymour in a Catalina that was accidentally shot down near Havannah Harbour near Efate, by a US Navy - Wildcat. The red roundel was subsequently removed from all RAAF aircraft - to stop the yanks for mistaking it as a Japanese marking.  

Another B-17 Crash 25 miles NW of Weipa on 18 Sep 1942
(or is it the same crash?)

Can anyone help me with the date for the crash of the B-17 Flying Fortress,
the Serial No. and Nickname for the B-17 and the names of the crew?

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I'd like to thank Greg Gardner who contacted me on 23 July 2004 to tell me that his 92 year old neighbour is Jack Bertram Brammell, the co-pilot of the Catalina who rescued the crew of the B-17 Flying Fortress.

REFERENCE BOOKS:-

"Catalina Squadrons - First and Furthest"
"Recounting the Operations of RAAF Catalinas"
"May 1941 to March 1943"
By Jack Riddell

Can anyone help me with more information on this crash?

Heaps of WW2 books available at Amazon.com

"Australia @ War"

This page first produced 16 August 1999

This page last updated 23 July 2004