Australian Crash of a B-17C Flying Fortress at Bakers Creek/Mackay, Australia

Site Issues 2008 Archive Room
#1

Hi everyone,

I hope there are some Aussies here the forum who have heard of this B-17C Flying Fortress crash in Bakers Creek, Australia. I think the area is also called Mackay, Australia? I’m still a bit confused, since I’ve seen the crash referred to with both names. The plane was called “Miss E.M.F.” or “Miss Every Morning Fix It”. Here is the link to the article telling a bit about the crash that killed 40 Airmen. I believe 35 of those men were American and the crew were Australian, but I need to recheck my facts:

http://www.timesrecordnews.com/news/2008/jun/09/discovery-marks-65th-anniversary-airplane-crash/

It’s really amazing that most Americans know nothing about this crash. I’ve heard that the Australians know all about it. Just wanted to put it out there, since I like learning and sharing about previously unknown stories.

#2

Francesca,

In case you haven’t already found these sites
http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/ozcrashes/qld46.htm
http://www.skp.com.au/memorials2/pages/40106.htm

Mackay was well south of Townsville.

Townsville was, early in the war, the largest US airbase outside the contintental US. Its great strategic value was that bombers could fly from Townsville to the important Japanese naval base at Rabaul, bomb it, and land at Port Moresby in Papua for refuelling to return to Townsville. Or Morseby-Rabaul-Townsville. EDIT: The Japanese lacked the ability to do the same run.

I’m afraid I don’t know how Mackay fitted into that.

Google maps will show you where they were.

#3

Thanks for posting the links. I’ve read them, but forgot to post them.

#4

Also, forgot to add:

The Australians were amazing and wonderful. They knew that due to war time censorship, news of this crash would likely never make it home to America. These 40 American servicemen (turns out they were all American) would probably have been forgotten if not for the wonderful Australians who kept their memories alive. They honored them by erecting a memorial, long before anyone in the U.S. became widely aware of the crash. Thanks to the Bakers Creek Memorial Association, (both the Australian and U.S. branches), Congress has recently approved the proposal that a memorial be erected in Arlington National Cemetery for the Bakers Creek Memorial Crash victims. It’s been a long process, but looks like it will happen within a year. I volunteered to locate the 2 families out of 39 that they hadn’t been able to find yet. I found the cousin of one and she’s been in contact with the BCMA, and I’m close (I hope) to finding the last man’s family, Frederic C. Sweet. I think what the BCMA had been doing for all of these years, giving families closure and finally telling them what really happened to their relative, is just great!