On April 18th 1944 a B-17 Bomber crashed in the Porcupine Mountains.
The bomber on a training mission left Sioux City Iowa in route to Marquette Michigan.
West of Marquette an engine caught fire and they were ordered to head to Duluth Minnesota for repairs. They did not make it to Duluth, the crew bailed out over the Porcupine Mountains, and the plane crashed just south of Lake of the Clouds. The men all survived and walked out to Silver City Michigan. The Propeller of the plane is on display at what is now a gift shop in Silver City. The shop was a bar back when the crew walked into Silver City in 1944. The bar owner at the time got the propeller as a great souvenir. I do not understand why they did not try to land in Marquette, as Duluth is quite a long distance from their location where the engine caught fire. It is quite a story and a great bit of history. The men who survived the war returned for a reunion in 1991. Sadly, the pilot was shot down over France and died. The rest of the crew was hidden by the French underground and a few spent the war in a German prison camp. When you think about what these young people did for their country, it is quite astounding. Young men during WWII had responsibilities that young people cannot even fathom today. War today is something most young men only see on a PlayStation game. With the exception of a few in Iraq. The numbers of young people who gave their lives in WWII is shocking if you study it.
The bomber on a training mission left Sioux City Iowa in route to Marquette Michigan.
West of Marquette an engine caught fire and they were ordered to head to Duluth Minnesota for repairs. They did not make it to Duluth, the crew bailed out over the Porcupine Mountains, and the plane crashed just south of Lake of the Clouds. The men all survived and walked out to Silver City Michigan. The Propeller of the plane is on display at what is now a gift shop in Silver City. The shop was a bar back when the crew walked into Silver City in 1944. The bar owner at the time got the propeller as a great souvenir. I do not understand why they did not try to land in Marquette, as Duluth is quite a long distance from their location where the engine caught fire. It is quite a story and a great bit of history. The men who survived the war returned for a reunion in 1991. Sadly, the pilot was shot down over France and died. The rest of the crew was hidden by the French underground and a few spent the war in a German prison camp. When you think about what these young people did for their country, it is quite astounding. Young men during WWII had responsibilities that young people cannot even fathom today. War today is something most young men only see on a PlayStation game. With the exception of a few in Iraq. The numbers of young people who gave their lives in WWII is shocking if you study it.
2 comments:
www.porcupinemountainsb17.com
Very nice story. Well done. I wandered upon the crash site several years ago without knowing the story. Kinda freaked me out, until we stopped to report it to the rangers. They filled us in.
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