43-38200
Crashes > of the USAAF
During the bombing raid on Wesseling, the B-17 G came under heavy fire from several anti-aircraft divisions.
It was hit between the first and second engine, caught fire immediately and went into a steep descent. At an altitude of about 15,000 feet, the aircraft exploded and crashed on the edge of the military training area in Porz-Wahn.
Several crew members were hurled out of the aircraft during the explosion, but only three were able to save themselves with parachutes and survive the catastrophe.
Six crew members paid for the mission with their lives and were buried in the cemetery of the Hoffnungthal POW camp, on the edge of the military training area.
above:
the crew of the B-17 G, 43-38200
Source:
303rdBG.com.
left:
The German Air Force's documents on the crash of the B-17 G
Source:
Federal Archives, RL5/1457 page 360