Fateful Flight of the Lonesome Polecat I

I

Epilogue


The Lonesome Polecat II (B-17F 42-30255) was part of the 95th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, at Horham, England during World War II. It flew 21 dangerous missions over Europe from June to its final mission to Bremen, Germany on 16 December 1943. It carried a crew of 10 men, three of which were killed and missing in action on that date. The other seven were all wounded and captured by the Nazis and imprisoned until April 1945. An investigation began in February 2000 that uncovered the amazing story of this mission and what happened to the three MIA crew. The publication of the Fateful Flight of the Lonesome Polecat II (ISBN: 0-595-32588-2) (authored by Michael I. Darter along with four surviving crew) by iUniverse Press in 2004 included all information to that date. Since then there have been several additional important discoveries that add much to the knowledge of the mission and sacrifice of the crew. These are provided in this Epilogue, dated September 2008. This is a living story and no doubt more will be added as time brings with it new discoveries.



Tide Records for Wadden Sea. The Dutch Waterworks Bureau located the tide elevation record on the Wadden Sea for 16 December 1943. The record shows that indeed and unfortunately, the water level of the Wadden Sea was just receding from its high tide at the time of the splash down of S/Sgt. Eugene F. Darter at 14:04 hours (or 2:04 PM). Thus, he landed just as the water current was going outward. This situation agrees with 17 year old Cornelius Ellen’s account of “high tide” and the airman up to his neck in water. This depth is the same today at high tide at the location where Sgt. Darter landed. Mr. Ellen reported that after the airman splashed down he was carried out further into the sea by the wind pulling on his “half moon” parachute. With the tide receding at that time, it would have carried his body out further into the deeper channels of the Wadden Sea.


These channels are at least 1-2 km out further into the sea as can be seen in the photo of this area at low tide. His body may have become lodged in one of these deeper channels and become covered over with sand and never surfaced again. On the other hand, it is hard to imagine that Darter did not pull his Mae West chord and inflate his life jacket which would have floated his body and thus it would have been very difficult to submerge his remains for days or longer. Thus, although this finding proves the outgoing tide would have carried his remains out further into deeper parts of the Wadden Sea, it does not explain what happened to his body. It has been reported that there was no fishing allowed in this area so the remains would not have been picked up by a fishing boat and buried near a Wadden Sea port. Another possibility is that they were carried out into the Wadden Sea channel and then from there out into the North Sea through either the north or south channel. More research is needed to analyze these possibilities. It is noted that none of the available documented remains that landed on Texel shores during and after this date could have been Sgt. Darter. None of the remains that were buried in the War Cemetery on Texel were even close to 16 Dec 43.




Aerial photo of Texel Island surrounded by the North Sea on left and Wadden Sea on right showing the bottom of the Wadden Sea during low tide. The beginning of the arrow shows where Darter sadly landed at high tide just 300 meters off the dike. At high tide all of this area is filled with North Sea water. The tide was going out and carried his remains out into the deeper channels as indicated by the arrow tip.






German Fighter Aircraft Sighting of Lonesome Polecat II Crash. A document entitled O. K. L. Fighter Claims, Reich and Western Front, 1943, included the following two claims by German pilots for 16 December 1943 (Film C. 2031/Il Anerk: Nr.10 and 11):



The importance of this is as follows:



Painting of Lonesome Polecat II, Mecham Field, Experimental Aircraft Hanger, Fort Worth, Texas. Russ Brainhart, a former 95th BG airman, told M. Darter at the 2004 reunion that there was a mural of the Lonesome Polecat II in Ft. Worth, Texas. This surprising news was investigated and indeed, to our utter amazement, there indeed was a painted mural of a B17 with the names of the last crew of the Lonesome Polecat II when it crashed. Further investigation revealed that a man named Bruce Fuhr was close friends with crewmate Charlie Schreiner after the war where they worked together in Burbank, CA. Bruce was later transferred to Ft. Worth and invited Charlie and his wife Vikki to a party in Ft. Worth. Bruce painted the mural of a B17 with a “skunk” nose art (not knowing the difference between a skunk and polecat). Bruce had been told by Charlie about the LP II and what happened on the Bremen mission. Bruce thought the Lonesome Polecat was a skunk which it is not. This impressive mural is located at Meacham Field, north of Ft. Worth, called the Vintage Flying Museum (505 NW 38th Street, Hanger 33S, Ft. Worth, Texas). A photo of the crew and their names are now attached to the mural. This is a large museum also with a working B-17G named Chuckie. The web site is: www.vintageflyingmuseum.org.




Lonesome Polecat II Mural painted by Bruce Fuhr (friend of crew member Charlie Schreiner), Vintage Flying Museum, Meacham Field, Ft. Worth, Texas. Note the informational board attached to the mural prepared by Sonya Darter, niece of MIA crewmember Eugene F. Darter.



Information on the Lonesome Polecat II from John Miller. Lt. John Miller was one of the early pilots of the 95th BG and the LP II and had a very harrowing mission over Bremen, Germany on 13 November 1943 just four weeks prior to the 16 December 1943 mission. John was located in Madison, Wisconsin and interviewed by M. Darter. He well remembered the LP II and this mission (but did not remember the nose art). This mission was extremely harrowing as described below from a newspaper article provided by John Miller.


Fortress “Lonesome Polecat II” Torn to Shreds, Two Members of Crew dead, Make it Home. The LP II floundered helplessly behind a formation of heavy bombers raiding Bremen Sunday, with one of her engines knocked out, her entire tail section in shreds, and bearing gaping holes from nose to stern. A flock of ME 109s dived in for the kill, pumping 20-mmm shells into the stricken bomber like rain beating on a tin roof. Two crew members already were dead, and one wounded. It looked like curtains for ”Lonesome” and her crew—but she got home by a ruse. In desperation, pilot Capt. John Miller, 23 of Madison, Wis., broke off violent evasive action and threw the Fortress into a long steep dive featured by deliberate, wobbly gliding turns to the right and left, simulating a bomber heading for a crash. For 15,000 ft “Lonesome” fluttered down like a leaf from a tree. The Jerries, probably sobered by the loss of three fighters to “Lonesome’s” gunners, apparently believed the Fortress was crashing, and abandoned the chase. But the ship floundered to the protection of low-handing clouds and then struggled home across the North sea at 1,500 ft, bucking a headwind which at times reached 80 mph.


Tears welled in the eyes of some of the eight surviving members as they told how the little tail gunner whose identity was as well as that of the dead waist gunner must remain undisclosed until their families are notified, died with both hands still gripping his gun handles, his head slumped over the gunsight, and still kneeling on one knee in battle position. They told of the waist gunner also killed instantly when a cannon shell hit him in the abdomen as he was firing at an oncoming fighter. He scorned wearing a flak suit, protesting that the protective armor was too heavy. He’d be alive today if he had worn it, a buddy said. Flak knocked out the number three engine as “Lonesome” started her bomb run. Oil from it spurted back against the bomber freezing in the 50 below zero temperature. The Fortress was knocked out of formation and 15 to 20 enemy fighters swarmed in, attacking from all sides. Sgt Robert J. Cupp, 24, of Uniontown, PA acting bombardier, could not release the explosives because of battle damage, and after a hard struggle the pilot salvoed them with emergency mechanism as he tried desperately to retain his position in the formation. The gunners were pouring it on the fighters. The tail gunner bagged one which exploded 100 yards away. “I got him! I got him” he excitedly over the interphone. That was the last the crew heard from him. That German fighter was the kid’s sixth. He had already won the distinguished flying cross for destroying five.


After the ship landed (at Horham, England), one engineering officer took one look at the battered “Lonesome,” and said he had never seen a bomber shot up so badly. Some holes in it were two ft. in diameter. Miller has been recommended for silver star awards.


The Lonesome Polecat II B-17F (230-255) flew 22 combat missions over Europe in the summer and fall of 1943, most without fighter escorts, and was shot to pieces several times. She finally ran out of luck on 16 December 1943.





















Photo of Lt. John Miller (early pilot of Lonesome Polecat II)

from Madison, WI taken during the war.



Memorial for S/Sgt. Eugene F. Darter & Other Crew. On 4 May 2007, a memorial was held on Texel Island, Netherlands, for S/Sgt. Eugene F. Darter. Thirteen members of the Darter family traveled to Texel for the memorial. The Governor of Texel placed a plaque on the Lancaster World War II monument for airmen in honor of S/Sgt. Darter and two other crewmen for giving their lives and seven others for their distinguished service on 16 December 1943. Many attendees presented flowers at the memorial. Johan Graas of the North Holland World War II recovery presented a memorial to the entire crew.


Several of the attendees were eyewitnesses, who more than 60 years ago, had seen the badly damaged and stricken B-17 (Lonesome Polecat II) crash just off the Texel beach in the North Sea and some of the crew land either on the island or in S/Sgt. Darter’s case, in the Wadden Sea. This included Michelle Binsbergen and Cees Bonnie who saw and heard the LP II roar over their heads in the village of De Koog. It also included P. K. Stark who met wounded Sgt. Charles Schreiner coming out of the dunes under guard by Nazi soldiers. This also included Cornelius Ellen who saw badly wounded Sgt. Darter come through the clouds by parachute and was blown out into the Wadden Sea and after splashing down was then blown further out into the sea by the strong wind that picked up his parachute which he was unable to disconnect with only one arm. His remains have never been recovered. The memorial was a very special time for the Darter family and many others involved who had assisted in the investigation and discovery of these amazing things on this beautiful Dutch island of Texel, just off the coast of the Netherlands.



Darter family at memorial site, 4 May 2007, Texel, Netherlands.

Discovery of a Piece of B-17F Lonesome Polecat II on Beach. Before the 4 May 2007 memorial began, and beyond all belief, the Darter family was presented with a piece of the B-17 Lonesome Polecat II which had washed up on the shore of Texel near the location of the submerged aircraft just the week before the memorial. The piece was found by Mr. Paul Dekker of Texel and given to the World War II museum at the Texel airport. The story was carried by various newspapers in the Netherlands and in the United States (see The News-Gazette: “Message from beyond” by Paul Wood, 12 May 2007, Champaign, IL, USA). Also see www.lonesomepolecat.com memorial web site for the crew.
















Paul Dekker of Texel using metal detector to locate pieces of metal on beach near where Lonesome Polecat lies in the North Sea waters about 300 meters offshore.

Note objectives all over the beach in this area.



Discovery of Additional Pieces of B-17F Lonesome Polecat II on Beach in 2008. Another visit was made to Texel by M. Darter in May 2008. During this time he was able to meet Mr. Paul Dekker of Texel who had found the initial piece in May of 2007. He was informed that more pieces of the aircraft and 0.50 caliper shell casings dated 1943 made in Salt Lake City, Utah had been found by Mr. Dekker on the beach with a metal detector. Some research was done on the SLC ammunition plant and it was discovered that such a plant was indeed built in SLC, Utah specifically to produce 0.30 and 0.50 caliper (0.5 inch diameter) ammunition. The plant opened just prior to Pearl Harbor attack. A small portion thought to be part of the top turret also was found by Paul. What happened is truly amazing. The government has been pumping sand up on the beach at #19 marker area for years. A little over a year ago, they needed some of that sand down the beach at Paal 15 to 17. So they brought a large vacuum and sucked up some sand at #19, in the mean time, disturbing the LP II and sucking out loose parts and pieces. Now the plane was filled with shell casings from the crew shooting at Nazi attackers, so these were sucked up along with other pieces from the crash site. These were then blown out onto #15 to 17 beach area. In this area now, Paul finds a lot of metal pieces, and some from the LP II.