Salvage of B-24H s/n 42-7638 "Big Banner"

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Last Friday I spotted some remains of USAAF B-24H 42-7638 “Big Banner”.

"Big Banner" cashed in the IJsselmeer lake in The Netherlands in December 1943. Four aircrew were buried by the Dutch during WW2, three of which had jumped from the B24 with their parachutes before it crashed into the lake. When it was recovered in 1975 when part of the IJsselmeer was impoldered, the remains of five aircrew were found inside the B-24 wreck. Only the copilot 2Lt. Charles E. Taylor survived; he visited the excavation back in 1975.

Despite being largely complete, only a few parts of Big Banner’s wreckage remain today. This engine is on display at the Batavia Land museum in Lelystad. It is a 14-cylinder Pratt & Whitney R-1830-43 Twin Wasp 1200 hp radial engine.

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Read more details about the crash and the fate of the crew here: https://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/148.html

"File 148. 1943-12-22/22 B-24 H 42-7638 Miller Lake IJsselmeer south

Returned from Münster high above the clouds. Two engines damaged by the Münster-Flak, lost speed and altitude. Near the south-eastern coastline of Lake IJsselmeer (Old Zuyder Sea), the other a/c in the formation witnessed aircraft '638' gliding down under the clouds, out of further view. Pilot gave order to jump, 3 men bailed out (drowned). Eventually the B-24 belly landed, unseen, in the icecold lake. Weather conditions were bad. Co-pilot Charles Taylor was picked up by a German boat by coincidence, only survivor. Wreck recovered 1975 with 4 MIA on board. In the final clearing of the wreckage, the 5th MIA was found."

"The crew of 42-7638 is commemorated by a permanent exhibition in The National Museum of the US Airforce in Dayton, Ohio. Here are parts that were recovered in 1975 on display, including the 1942-style USAAF marking on the wing. Nice touch are the planks around the glass display (as the construction pit around the wreck in 1975)."

[Hanno Spoelstra]

Moving documentary of the recovery of crashed aircraft and the MIA aircrew. This has been ongoing work since decades, in an effort to recover the remains of aircrew. The Netherlands airspace was used by Allied air forces to fly into Germany on their bombing runs. Thousands of aircraft were shot down over Dutch territory, many of which are still logged in the soggy soil and water ways.

"SOME OF OUR AIRMEN ARE NO LONGER MISSING": https://youtu.be/gTpAXE4WIJM?t=168
A film from 1981 - about the finding of crashed allied aircraft, RAF and United States of World War II in the reclaimed land of Holland near Schiphol Airport, music by Mahler - comes with 1980s adverts too. I have never seen this film shown anywhere else. It's a haunting moody documentary. thanks to ITV."

[Hanno Spoelstra]

"A moved Charles Taylor visiting the recovery in 1975."

"Copilot Charlie Taylor (left) sees his plane again after 32 years. Next to him salvage officer Zwanenburg, 1975."

That was an emotional affair for him, because after 32 years he saw his plane again. And he knew at that moment that his mates were still in it. He hasn't seen them. The wreck had not dried up. We had to build an entire sand dam and a large excavation pit to extract the remains of five men. And then we pulled the box to shore with the help of tanks. But he has been with us when we were busy emptying that cockpit a bit. He didn't see any remains himself, I didn't want that. All he said was, "Oh boy, oh boy." I think he was aware of the fact that his mates still had to be in it.

Also see https://www.flevolandsgeheugen.nl/pa...landing-on-the to read part of Charles Taylor's recollection of the crash.


Source: https://www.zzairwar.nl/dossiers/148.html and https://www.flevolandsgeheugen.nl/pa...oland.-deel-14

[Dan Martel]

Excellent, Hanno. Just excellent.

Dan.