During World War II, a B-17E bomber crashed in one of the most remote locations on Earth—a swamp on the north coast of Papua New Guinea.
Following Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the bomber was sent to Australia for the first long-range U.S. bombing mission in the South Pacific.
During its raid against Rabaul, the main island base of Japanese military and naval activity, the B-17E suffered damage from enemy gunfire, and loss of fuel caused the pilot to crash-land the plane. The crew miraculously survived and after a harrowing six-week escape to safety, they returned to combat. For the next 64 years, the bomber slept beneath water and tall grass until a collector of World War II aircraft salvaged it through a treacherous recovery effort in 2006.
The bomber was given the nickname “Swamp Ghost,” and is one of only four B-17E bombers ever recovered.
The “Swamp Ghost” will be restored, possibly to flying condition, and will be displayed at an aviation history museum in honor of America’s veterans.
To celebrate the return of the “Swamp Ghost” to the U.S., John Tallichet, whose late father David Tallichet initiated the recovery efforts in the ’80s, will host an event with surviving relatives of the bomber’s crew.
The event will be held at the Long Beach Harbor in Calif. on June 11. It will include a reception, P-51D Mustang/P-40 Warhawk formation flyover, and the unveiling of the remarkably intact “Swamp Ghost” front fuselage recovered from the Papua New Guinea swamp.
For more information about the Swamp Ghost, visit aeroarchaeology.com.
If you would like to learn more about the B-17 bomber, you can read the article “The Flight of the Sentimental Journey” here.
