Breakthrough discovery could finally solve lost WWII B-17 bomber mystery
For 82 years, the remains of a B-17 bomber and those aboard have been lying at the bottom of the icy Baltic sea. The aircraft and the identities of those who went down with the plane have been a mystery since the wreckage was discovered in 2001, but now researchers may have uncovered a key clue on a pair of surprisingly well preserved .50-caliber machine guns. (Picture: Ivan Dmitri/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images )
The Boeing B-17 bomber is one of history’s most recognisable aircrafts, also known as the Flying Fortress. It is renowned for its role in multiple campaigns across Germany, including the Dresden bombing in February 1945. It was created to avoid radar detection by flying long-range at altitudes as high as 35,600 feet, and since its cabin remained unpressurised throughout a flight, the aircraft’s 10-member crew were required to wear suits that could withstand the thin air and freezing temperatures. (Picture: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images).
This particular plane was first found in 2001, when a local diver reported their discovery of the wreckage to the US Defence POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA). Now, researchers from Texas A&M University began collaborating with the DPAA to pinpoint the bomber’s underwater location, with a goal to finally identify the plane and its crew. Using techniques such as side-scan sonar imaging and magnetometry metal detection, the team surveyed a 0.38-square-mile section of sea to locate the B-17’s exact position. Then they guided a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) to any anomalies flagged during the scans to separate geological formations from actual wreckage. (Picture: Jens Lindström and Piotr Bojakowski)
The ROV footage showed a half-buried section of airfoil, which convinced Texas A&M marine archaeologist Piotr Bojakowski and volunteers from the Nordic Maritime Group to dive down and investigate themselves. But the water’s condition only allowed for less than 10 feet of visibility. He said: ‘It’s an exciting process to see a crash site underwater. Even though it’s in ruins, you begin to visualize the entire aircraft with the engine and wings and fuel tanks. You slowly start piecing everything together in a way that makes sense and understand what happened.’ (Picture: Texas A&M College of Arts & Sciences)
During their dive, the team found amid the B-17 wreckage one piece of the puzzle that could finally identify its crew. It seems that the aircraft’s twin .50-caliber machine guns were ripped from the plane during the crash. Despite the damage, the guns have remained in good condition even after more than 80 years underwater. They were then raised to the surface for closer inspection, and cleaning allowed the team to read the machine guns’ serial numbers. (Picture: Jens Lindström)
Professor Katie Custer Bojakowski said: ‘On the aircraft wreckage, it’s really important to find the machine guns. They are a controlled item in the military and so are not only stamped with a serial number, but their location on any given aircraft was also tightly controlled throughout the war. As more archival research is done on the serial numbers, we’ll have a positive identification of the aircraft, and then a positive identification of the people who were known to be lost on the aircraft.’ (Picture: Texas A&M College of Arts & Sciences)
With more research the team is confident they will be able to ID the specific B-17 bomber, as well as its crew. Then they can contact any of their surviving descendants and complete a long incomplete chapter of history. Professor Bojakowski said: ‘There’s not one single individual or agency that can start and finish this entire investigative process and research. It takes a lot of individuals, a lot of science, a lot of experiences and a lot of people. As an R1 institution, we have the best facilities and students to continue investigating underwater sites and be part of a bigger scientific process.’ (Picture: Texas A&M College of Arts & Sciences) Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source
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