The USAAF in Suffolk by Roy Brazier

Author:Roy Brazier [Brazier, Roy]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
ISBN: 9781781553466
Publisher: Fonthill Media
Published: 2017-05-30T04:00:00+00:00

Ken Rongstad and nine other members of the B-17 crews were killed soon after take-off on 19 November 1943.

The bombs being carried by the B-17 continued to explode during the fire, destroying Green Farm and killing crew members who survived the initial crash.

The morning after their rescue and return, they were sent out once again to Wilhelmshaven. This raid proved to be uneventful, and following their return they were rewarded with a trip to Blackpool for a rest period. A mission to Norway found the B-17 to be more susceptible to the cold at higher altitudes, with one of the crew suffering from frostbite to his hands on the return to base; this turned out to be lucky for that airman, as he was not with the crew on the mission to Gelsenkirchen, Germany, which brought about one of the worst crashes of one of the aircraft from Horham.

An incident occurred on 19 November 1943 when a pilot was taking-off; pilot Ken Rongstad got into trouble after only managing to lift off a few yards at the end of the runway. Turning to come back in, his plane stalled and the wing struck the ground—the aircraft came down in a ball of fire into a house. Those watching the take-off raced to the scene of the crash close to Green Farm, Redlingfield. A British fire engine was already on the scene, in addition to several jeeps from the airfield. One of the crew survived the initial crash, but lost his life as the bombs exploded and the thatched house caught fire. The firemen told the would-be rescuers that a fire in thatch could not be extinguished, so everyone rushed in to salvage what they could—furniture and other important belongings. Inside the house, Lt-Col. McKnight found a pregnant woman, holding a small child, aged two and a half, in her arms. After comforting her, they were quickly taken to the base hospital and then to her mother’s home in the village. Green Farm was directly underneath the flight path of Horham aircraft, and the occupants were quite used to the noises produced by the planes. However, they had not expected such a devastating accident to occur that cold winter morning; unfortunately, all of the crew members died, but no one else lost their lives.

The local blacksmith, Alfred Coe, was also a special constable; he was one of the first on the scene of the crash. He arrived just as the bombs exploded, blowing him off his bicycle as he arrived; however, he received a commendation for his actions on the day. His young son Eddie had been taking some milk to his cousin at Green Farm, describing the B-17 as ‘falling out of the sky’. Another worker on a different farm had trouble keeping control of her horses, as they tried to bolt each time there was an explosion. After the war, a memorial was erected to the tragic crew of the B-17.

Reporting one early morning for another day’s mission, the

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