Boeing Flying Fortress B-17F 42-3134

Flying Fortress: Arenig Fawr
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Memorial Detail: compare this with this photo of the one on the Old Town Hall. Is this the same memorial stone?

Boeing Flying Fortress B-17F 42-3134

Flying Fortress: Arenig Fawr
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Formerly molten aluminium from the crash scar at the summit of Arenig Fawr

Location: SH 82649 36942

Boeing Flying Fortress B-17E 41-9098

Fortress: Craig Berwyn
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Here's where the Flying Fortress actually crashed, 670m away from the High Ground Wrecks/Doylerush coordinates, and in a different valley altogether. See then next post for our proof.

Location: SJ 07933 33521

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Boeing Flying Fortress B-17E 41-9098

Fortress: Craig Berwyn
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Site proving scraps from the scar left when this Fortress crashed: perspex, a buckle, electrical components and various unidentifiable scraps of aluminium and steel.

Boeing Flying Fortress B-17F 42-3134 Memorial: Bala

Fortress B-17F 42-3134 Memorial: Bala
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

Those who fixed the commemorative plaque to the crew of the Fortress crashed on Arenig Fawr on the Old Town Hall in Bala may not have foreseen its conversion into a Chinese restaurant.

The hoardings unfortunately stopped us seeing if the plaque is still there.

We visited this as a convenient stop-off 50 yards from a cafe where I had an excellent fry-up.

The days' main targets were another Fortress with some controversy as to its identity, and a Lancaster (NE132) which was supposed to be easy to find by virtue of being in quite big bits.

Got the Fortress but not the Lanc. We now understand (from MattZX) that we missed the Lancaster because the High Ground Wrecks coordinates are unusually inaccurate at the site.

Nice walking though, for once dryer and sunnier in Wales than in Derbyshire.

As ever, we'll be back with more info to find the ones we missed on the first pass.

Location: SH 92615 35974

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Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 44-6005 coded XK-D or 44-8639?

Fortress: Craig Cwm-Llwyd
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

This unusual stainless steel plaque is reportedly affixed to the wall at the point where an engine rolling down the hill from the crash of a Flying Fortress demolished it.

A number of enthusiast's books gave this site as that of Fortress 44-6005, but we understand that most people now think this is where 44-8639 crashed. (Or is it the other way round?)

The plaque seems to keep out of the controversy over the plane's identity by not giving the aircraft a number.

Location:SH 64343 12395

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 44-6005 coded XK-D or 44-8639?

Fortress: Craig Cwm-Llwyd
Originally uploaded by wreckhunter

A home-made memorial and scatter of formerly molten aluminium at the crash site. It seems this plea might have come too late, there's nothing there now longer than around 150mm.

We think the memorial was made by Matt Rimmer, a local champion of wreck site preservation, who was responsible for clearing up the mystery of which aircraft crashed here, in the opinion of Edward Doylerush amongst others.

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Boeing RB-29A Superfortress 44-61999

B29-Shelf Moor
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This item, 1/4 mile distant from the commonly visited wreck of "Overexposed", and described by some as an "engine casing", has eluded us a few times in the past. We finally got it today.

The B-29 rebuilder who gave us the photo in the post above thinks that it is a gun well, possibly the upper four gun turret, matching the ring assembly below this post. As the comment below shows, others think differently.

We heard this was here as a result of an abandoned effort at large-scale souvenir hunting.

Location:SK 09373 94622

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Boeing RB-29A Superfortress 44-61999

B29-Shelf Moor
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

This gun ring is part of the computer-controlled gun system from the Superfortress wrecked at Shelf Stones. For a complete original assembly see two posts above. We found it a full half-mile from the main wreck site.

Ours still has its original paint and part serial numbers. Under the black paint is green similar to that on the complete assembly above. The outer edge of the ring is studded with alternating parts marked with a General Electric logo, and "ASSEMBLY 8091147G "and "ASSEMBLY 80911610T".

Location:SK 09385 94461

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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 42-31322

B17:Sheffield
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig2

A Flying Fortress, nicknamed "Mi Amigo" crashed in Endcliffe Park, Sheffield in 1944. This memorial was erected at the crash site.

Second of the day for us yesterday.

Location: SK 32870 85919

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Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 43-38944

B17 Wreck Site
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig
First of five today around the Roaches: B17 Flying Fortress wreck at

Location: SJ 99546 67796

More information is here

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress 43-38944

B17 Memorial
Originally uploaded by seansonofbig

Memorial to the B17 wreck at SJ 99442 67762.

More information is here

Boeing RB-29A (F-13A) Superfortress 44-61999

Went back to the Superfortress at Shelf Stones yesterday, for the sake of completeness. The moors were officially closed due to extreme fire risk, but neither of us were smokers, and it seemed everyone else was ignoring the advice too...
















The memorial at the top right of this pic (behind the radial engine) is at:

Location: SK 09042 94892.

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Boeing B-17G-65 Fortress 43-37667

USAAF Flying Fortress wreckage:

Location: SE 07093 09535

WARNING-THIS IS IN A RIFLE RANGE

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