It was July 19, 1944, when a B-17 Flying Fortress headed out over East Anglia on its 67th mission, taking its aircrew on their 18th mission. For the aircraft – “Little Boy Blue” – and its crew, it would be their last flight, as it fell from the skies into a farmer’s field in Suffolk, England.

Eighty years to the day – July 19, 2024 – Airmen from the 100th Air Refueling Wing, Royal Air Force Mildenhall, attended a memorial ceremony next to the crash site near Bury St. Edmunds and laid a wreath in honor of the crew who perished that day, and their aircraft.

On that fateful day, Little Boy Blue joined others from the 560th Bomb Squadron and 388th Bomb Group – based at RAF Knettishall, Suffolk, England – to form up over East Anglia with other aircraft, as they prepared to bomb a ball-bearing factory and other industrial complexes in Schweinfurt, Germany.

The Flying Fortress was fueled up, had five 500-pound bombs in the bomb bay, along with thousands of rounds of 50-caliber machine gun ammunition, and was ready for war.

“Little Boy Blue was considered lucky, as this was her third crew. Two crews had each completed 25 missions with her, which was unheard of,” remarked Patrick V. Hagerty, son of Staff Sgt. Harold “Hal” V. Hagerty, right waist gunner on the aircraft during World War II, at the memorial service.

“Her crew was awoken very early in the morning,” he reflected. “She would fly with 1,200 other bombers that day. Each bomber had a 10-man crew – 12,000 men, not counting the fighter escorts, on their way to Schweinfurt, Germany – one can only imagine the sight.”

The hydraulically controlled system of the B-17 turbo-superchargers was known to be sensitive to changes in temperature and altitude. Notes by historian and author Ian McLachlan revealed that the effect on oil viscosity led to an imbalance in Little Boy Blue’s regulator settings. At 15,000 feet, the Number 3 engine began to malfunction. There was a significant loss of power, and the aircraft dropped behind its formation. Flight Officer Aaron Brinkoeter addressed the problems in giving his pilot enough boost, rectifying the issue and getting the bomber back to full power, ready to continue their mission.

Having fallen behind, it was overtaken by the next group of bombers, when a mid-air collision occurred.

“The propellers of another plane cut through the fuselage of Little Boy Blue, just adjacent to where my father was sitting,” said Patrick.

The plane managed to fly on a little further before the fuselage ripped in half.

“He said he heard the sound of metal grinding and felt the plywood floor explode into his face,” recalled Patrick. “Grabbing the canvas handle of his unattached parachute, he found himself tumbling in blue sky, all alone.”

Despite that, S/Sgt Hagerty was able to attach his parachute and pull the ripcord. The accident was at 15,000 feet – his parachute opened at 2,500 feet.

“Dad said he observed two other parachutes and realised one of them belonged to his tail gunner, Jim Bennett,” said Patrick.

Hal was aged 19 at the time. He survived the crash and was taken to a nearby medical facility, where a doctor was taking notes as he interviewed him.

“Without looking up, the doctor said, ‘Son, you can put the ripcord down now!’ because his hands were still clenched in that position, holding onto the ripcord,” said Patrick, as he suddenly produced a piece of the parachute that saved his father’s life, along with the ripcord handle, to show the audience at the ceremony.

In September 2023, more evidence from the crash site of the B-17 – including dog tags belonging to co-pilot Aaron Brinkoeter, who perished in the crash – was discovered in a farmer’s field near Bury St. Edmunds. Although not part of the 100th Bomb Group, the aircraft was from one of the many small Eighth Air Force bases scattered throughout Suffolk and Norfolk.

Working hand-in-hand with the U.S. Defense Prisoner of War/Missing in Action Accounting Agency, and the U.K. MoD Defence Infrastructure Organization, Cotswold Archaeology, and volunteers from a program known as “Operation Nightingale” worked on a recovery operation of the World War II B-17 bomber. Operation Nightingale is a program set up in 2011, using archaeology to assist the well-being and recovery of armed forces personnel and veterans through preservation of heritage. Also volunteering with the dig were U.S. Air Force and Army active-duty, reservist and retired personnel from U.S. Africa Command and U.S. European Command from Royal Air Force Molesworth.

As a result of their patience and meticulous attention to detail, the team located and identified aircraft wreckage and potential remains of the missing Airmen, helping bring closure to families of the crew.

The second survivor was the tail gunner, Staff Sgt. (S/Sgt) James Matthew “Jim” Bennett, age 21 at the time.

“When the planes hit one another, the impact was so severe that Bennett, positioned at the tail, was thrown onto his guns and winded,” explained Richard Osgood MBE, senior archaeologist for the Ministry of Defence. “Realising the fuselage was gone, he attempted to use the escape hatch on his right, but it was jammed from the collision. Grabbing his parachute, he made his way to the tail wheel well.

“From information we’ve gleaned after researching maps, letters and eyewitnesses, it seems that the tail section retained some aerodynamic quality, slowing its descent, the senior archaeologist said, as he shared details of how the tail gunner managed to escape. “Bennett, who was only 21. Had no choice but to stand at the edge of the broken fuselage and jump. As he fell, he monitored the tail section above him, deciding when to deploy his parachute to avoid being caught by the descending wreckage. It’s incredible that he had the presence of mind to do that – acting so quickly when surely in shock and isolated from the rest of his crew.”

He added that while Bennett and Hagerty survived, the other eight men did not.

“The main part of the plane came down in a flat spin. We think it then impacted the ground flatly and created a now-ploughed-away crater,” he added, describing the crash. “The remaining bombs likely detonated from the heat of the fires and aviation fuel, even though they weren’t armed.”

The senior archaeologist explained that after landing, Bennett and Hagerty were taken to the crash site where they helped identify the bodies of their fellow crewmen. Unfortunately, Malaniak, Brinkoeter and Grey were never found.

“This is where archaeology plays a vital role. Modern forensic techniques allow us to identify remains through even small fragments, providing closure for families, and a full military burial,” said Osgood.

Thanks to research by Steven Honeywood, farmer and co-owner of the fields where Little Boy Blue crashed, family members from every crew member had been found, contacted and attended the ceremony to honor the crew.

“My father was born in Scotland and my grandfather fought in the First World War for Scotland, in a kilt!” said Frank McCluskey, nephew of John McCluskey, ball turret gunner on Little Boy Blue. “My Uncle John was the oldest son and born in America. He moved back to England when he joined the U.S. Army Air Forces, and was killed on his flight in 1944.

“Because he was the oldest boy in the family, it had a great effect on all of our lives. My father and all his brothers served in World War II; all were traumatized by my uncle’s death, so it’s been absolutely felt our whole lives,” recalled Frank. “We have many mementos of him around our house, such as his hat, and photos, and about six weeks ago someone on social media found me and said ‘Can you come to the ceremony?’ and here we are! It’s just been wonderful – there are no words. I’m just so thankful to everybody who has been involved in putting this together. I’ve been crying all day, but it’s a good emotion, thinking of what those boys did.”

While on site, a letter was found in some archives in which radio operator Ronald Grey’s mother and sister expressed to survivor Hal Hagerty that they wished for a memorial service on the site for Grey and his crewmates.

“That wish had remained unfulfilled, so landowner Stephen Honeywood and I committed to holding a commemorative memorial service on July 19 – the 80th anniversary of the crash – to honor these 10 brave Airmen and all the people so profoundly affected by the incident,” said Rosanna Price, Cotswold Archaeology engagement manager and archaeologist.

“The day was profoundly moving, reconnecting with the U.S. military, Operation Nightingale, Richard Osgood, and local volunteers, all of whom ensured the recovery’s success,” she remarked. “Having the opportunity to meet the aircrew’s families in person, and hearing Pat Hagerty recount how his father still gripped the ripcord of his parachute many hours after landing, will stay with us forever.”

The crew of Little Boy Blue were:

Lost:

Pilot – 2nd Lt. Walter Harry Malaniak, age 26

Co-pilot – Flight Officer Aaron Lewis Brinkoeter, age 24

Navigator – Flight Officer Leo D Ramos, age 22

Bombardier – 2nd Lt Amos Laddie “Bing” Force, age 30

Radio operator – T/Sgt Ronald Grey, age 27

Engineer – T/Sgt Norris Wilson Thomas, age 20

Ball turret gunner – S/Sgt John McCluskey, age 20

Left waist gunner: S/Sgt William W. Klemm Jr., age 22

Returned:

Right waist gunner: S/Sgt Harold Vincent “Hal” Hagerty, age 19

Tail gunner: S/Sgt James Matthew “Jim” Bennett, age 21