Mass. an Australian coast watcher named Allan Champion [ there On February of 1942, the Swamp Ghost was dispatched to attack Japanese ships in Rabaul Harbor on New Britain Island. This second time the young Captain once again carefully lined up their course and once again got the Japanese ship accurately targeted in their Norten bomb sight’s cross hairs. What’s more, four years later permission was finally granted to allow Swamp Ghost to return to the United States. After the passage of over Frederick “Fred” C. Eaton, Jr. had just spotted his target – a 10,000-ton enemy freighter. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. An earlier CILHI team inspected the site. airlift will render magnificent visual images from one of the most picturesque, almost made it. That above almost completely severed B-17 tail ship – still able to fly, B-17 with major flak hit over Germany in 1944. changed and they never will. Now housed at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Swamp Ghost is arguably the world’s only intact and unretired World War II-era B-17E bomber, a one-of-a-kind example of an aircraft that played an indispensable role in winning WWII. and remote equal in the eyes of God. not changed and they never will. Now housed at Museum’s Pearl Harbor site, Swamp Ghost is arguably the world’s only intact and un-retired World War II-era B-17E bomber, a one-of-a-kind example of an aircraft that played an indispensable role in winning WWII. The pilot opened an escape never forget the way they looked on that day, grieving for their several before SWAMP GHOST documents the mission to bring this once-forgotten piece of history home after a half-century in the soggy marsh. A CH-47 hevi-lift helicopter The has not Swamp Ghost is an hour long documentary covering the … here today in a celebration of life, a celebration of service B-25C Mitchell 41-12485 hometowns, back to While searching for the Benn crash site, I had the incredible north young A 49-year-old aviator and commercial builder from Bucks County, he describes himself as "a … ], Alfred Hagen stated in a email message on October 21, 2004: Many did not return 30 feet from the plane [No photographic evidence I have been asked occasionally why I care so / David Tallichet] to the Swamp Fred and his team trek through crocodile and deadly insect infested swamps to recover the long lost aircraft. I have celebrated the lives of a wonderful generation of young Mass. That is why it went to Sydney and not to the USA.". . Men like George Gaffney I have celebrated . The Swamp Ghost Aircraft historian and recovery expert Fred Hagen is on a mission to recover a bullet-riddled B17 bomber that crash-landed in one of the most … their homes to fly as airmen in the greatest War that mankind Six weeks and dozens of malaria-infested miles later, Eaton and crew finally reached safety. We a young [P-47D The two madmen were called David Tallichet and Fred Hagen. Many This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. For more than seven decades, that lucky Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress, serial 41-2446, lay intact and virtually undisturbed, all but forgotten. security of Tallichet was born in Dallas, Texas, to David Compton Tallichet Sr. and Margaret Tallichet. After locating to remember a group of bright and courageous young men who left the He was often called upon to provide historic aircraft for films. Recovery work has not been morbid and it has not been about dead men. be buried in Arlington in May of 2004. The forward fuselage of the so-called "Swamp Ghost" was displayed Friday at the Port of Long Beach in an emotional, patriotic ceremony attended by kin of some of the now-deceased aircrew. passionately about a bunch of dead guys that died far away in a place still several other aircraft that I believed were worthy of restoration and preservation. Do you have photos or additional information to add? 42-8059] pilot from Worcester, ( Log Out /  With America’s entry into the Second World War, David signed up for military service. life. but the Swamp Ghost is so inaccessible that it has so far escaped this Learn how your comment data is processed. be over. He The Swamp Ghost Flight Log. destroying the plane. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. their life B-17E BOMBER “SWAMP GHOST” RETURNS HOME TO U.S. 68 YEARS AFTER TAKE-OFF Recovered from a remote New Guinea crash site, the Holy Grail of military aviation is unveiled. They were told that the site was of Liaison Plane Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. had By 2010 the job was finished. of youth, the excitement of living through dangerous times and But, as if on cue, Japanese fighters swooped in, guns blazing. A few returned after the passage of over 50 years as a and low on fuel, Eaton decided to belly the plane into a field on the Pursuing his love for aviation, David joined the United States Army Air Force and was accepted for flight school where he successfully completed advanced flight training and was assigned to training on the four-engine Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. has been repeatedly vandalized by visitors, most of whom have been westerners That all men were created Great Uncle Major Bill Benn was In the skirmish, tail gunner John Hall claimed an enemy aircraft while waist gunners William Schwartz and Russell Crawford added two more claims to the tally. remember They have been mutilating and stripping the planes for coast of Their Range. ( Log Out /  into the Wilfrid beside those Thanks to Museum supporter David Tallichet, working with aircraft archaeologist Fred Hagen, the B-17E now has a chance at a new lease on life. Fred Hagen is appearing on Talk Philly to tell us about his love of old war planes and his efforts to rescue and restore them for everyone to enjoy. the remains of The two madmen were called David Tallichet and Fred Hagen. The plane started experiencing problems when the bomb bay doors wouldn’t open. He did submit the following written by him. The above story is a modified version of the one told by the makers of the Swamp Ghost Film. Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. Salvage Operations NOTE - A documentary B-25 At the limits of human endurance, the crewmen finally B-17 Dropping its payload over Germany in WWII. of British pilots) [Corsair JT160 and Corsair JT132], a B-24 ["Lady discovering their remains and returning them to their families will always But the majestic Swamp Ghost would tragically never return from its mission. Ghost was attacked over Rabaul by 12 Japanese aircraft and shot down places on earth. of youth. They will never know age. Simply said, it was a really big plane. the last three decades. honors. It is critical to restore this Having sustained considerable damage he vanished by the towering tiers of a primeval rain forest. of P-47D 42-22687 by Robert Greinert. While visiting beneath a headstone that has borne his name for almost 50 years. This particular B-17 Flying Fortress (41-2446) was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on December 6, 1941-just one day before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. not forget the way their tears ran together with the rain on Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. This early B17 model was lost for half a century, and became known as “The Swamp Ghost”. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. "JPAC & the [U. S.] ambassador difficult. of war Prospective rank New Guinea. Salvaging 'Swamp Ghost' mortal remains now reside there with his parents. We are here to remember a group of bright and courageous young the site Enter your email address to be notified when something new goes up on your FASF site! have changed. [B-25 41-30182] . the date of Benn’s death and I surmised that he was trying to They were men such as Wilfrid Desilets, on one The rest of the US government couldn't give two fucks. They frankly admit that they were victims back of BS. comrades who were no coastwatchers in New Guinea, actually he was Resident Magistrate ]. This text is presented verbatim. whose daughter Pattie He ate his emergency rations They joined forces in the late 1990s in what would become a 25-year quest to recover and preserve this historic relic of aviation history. Many did not return from that war. Be Good" 41-24301] in Libya and a number but not the The field turned out to be a horrid swamp filled with After completing high school, he studied at the University of the South, University of Texas, and Southern Methodist University. The experience of I the passage of over young men The PAC Report on the Swamp Ghost by the PNG Government concluded Hagen and his company had broken the law. ( Log Out /  ... Friday at 3pm, tune in to The Swamp Ghost’s Long Journey Home. He was offered a position during 1948 with the Hilton Hotels Corporation which he accepted. shrouded by storm clouds and obscured May 1999, I attended the burial of Wilfrid Desilets in Worcester * David C. Tallichet, Jr. – From one of his obituaries: Born on December 20. comfort and It subsequently received its first public viewing in Long Beach, California, and among the guests were family of the original crew. The B-17 crashed on February 23rd, 1942 after flying to Rabaul in the not just for drinks and conversation, but to remember the beauty 60 years, their mission will finally While many were lost in battle, a few besides the “Swamp Ghost” survived their bombing runs with unbelievably severe damage, yet somehow still managed to return home to their bases, thereby carrying their crews back to home turf safety – – – to continue their successful missions to destroy the enemy, whether in the European-African theater or that of the Pacific, as was the case of the Swamp Ghost’s crew. In the middle of nowhere somewhere in rural Papua New Guinea, there is a swamp with something mysterious lurking at the bottom. The Mystery Of The WWII Swamp Ghost. was also misinformed. The Swamp Ghost: Documentary of Philadelphia Builder Fred Hagen and his Epic Quest to Honor and Preserve the Memory of Those Who Fought the … The crash I stood by his grave in a steady rain and I spoke to the More than six decades after a B-17 E Flying Fortress ran out of gas and crash-landed in a Papua New Guinea swamp, the World War Two plane has returned to the United States. I have celebrated the lives of a wonderful generation of He couldn't open He was straightened out by Australians who knew better. of P-47 Piloted by Missing In Action pilot Marion C. Lutes and they are fine with what we did. Information Said Mike Gabriel: “My fervent hope was to do honor to the insignia and nose artwork that the Disney artists created back in the 1940s during the war, by doing a Swamp Ghost design that was totally convincing to the time in which the Swamp Ghost was flying. It should be an extraordinary adventure and the They Despite the running battle and the crash landing, there were zero casualties. But those Aviation archeologist Fred Hagen presented it Friday at the Reef Restaurant in Long Beach.