The B-17 Swamp Ghost – Found After 68 Years In the Jungle

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/whotube-2/b-17-swamp-ghost-hd-trailer.html?utm_source=revcontent&utm_medium=referral&utm_term=none

by Joris Nieuwint - Feb 4, 2016

On Feb. 23, 1942, a B-17E Flying Fortress bomber crashed in one of the most remote and wild places on Earth: the primitive Agaimbo swamp located on the island of Papua New Guinea.

The plane, piloted by young U.S. Army Air Corps Captain Fred Eaton, had flown a long, dangerous mission from Australia against the Japanese Fortress at Rabaul in New Britain. This was the first long-range Allied bombing mission of World War II following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor that included the U.S.

The crew survived their ordeal and, after a six-week trek to safety, returned to combat. Their B-17E, however, remained forgotten in the swamp until it was rediscovered in 1972 by an Australian Air Force crew.

In the mid-1980s, the late World War II pilot, restaurant industry pioneer and antique aircraft collector David Tallichet initiated efforts to recover and return the plane to U.S. soil. His dream was fulfilled in 2010 through the joint efforts of his family and aircraft salvage enthusiast Alfred Hagen.

FULL story at link. OS