Army Air Force Station no: 167 Awakens.

On July 24, 1943 the American base at Ridgewell, England, awakened at dawn. The base was the home of the 381st Bomb Group of the 8th Army Air Force. 

Officers and men woke up at around 06.00 hr. in their sleeping-quarters, barracks called "Nissen-huts". The barracks looked like giant water-pipes, dug halfway into the ground. Thirty-two men shared one hut, while the officers only had to sleep sixteen in theirs. Everybody knew that this day there was a mission, but only a few knew where to. As always speculations started over today´s destination. They all wanted an easy target, a "milk-run", but they also knew the dangers and difficulties if a target in the German Ruhr-area was to be the place to go. This was the 11th mission for the 381st BG. The 8th AF had been in England for about thirteen months, but the 381st only a couple of months. The crews that already had five or six missions credited to them, were considered veterans. The group had had its share of lost planes during the first missions, so everybody knew both the feeling of loosing friends as well as the joy of a successful mission.

Out by the runway, the ground-crews had started preparing the aircraft for the mission. 500-pound bombs were loaded into the bomb-bays, cartridge-belts were put into place and the engines were being started. In the canteen, the kitchen-staff prepared breakfast. The crews dressed in their flight-gear, some had electric-heated suits to prevent them from freezing in the cold airstreams that always came through open hatches and gun-windows. Fliers prepared in different ways. Someone polished a medallion, another pocketed a picture of his family or girlfriend, many smoked and everyone went to the bathroom. Breakfast was served in the mess-hall, and those who had stomachs for it ate as much as possible. Afterwards the officers rushed to the mornings briefing.

Briefing Before a Mission.
The room where the briefing was held was much the same as the mess-hall. There was a small podium at one end and the officers sat in folding-chairs in neat rows just like kids in a school-auditorium. They had pens and paper ready to take down important information regarding today´s mission. The Commanding Officer of the 381st BG was Colonel Joseph Nazarro. He entered the podium and greeted the men: 

"Gentlemen, today we have an important mission. The target is Norway!"

The fliers made remarks in low voices, as the Colonel continued to give them the facts for this mission. Maps were shown and high-altitude photos of the target. The information given to the officers this morning was that the group would fly into the area of Oslo, the Capital of Norway, to bomb a factory held and maintained by the German occupants. Nine bombgroups would fly this mission, 180 airplanes in all. Simultaneously two other raids would be conducted by other groups, making the total number of planes going to Norway 309. The protective anti-aircraft installations, also called FLAK, in the area were estimated to be few. Flight-time was to be four hours one-way, or 1100 km (Apr. 700 miles), to this day the longest mission for the group. After this somewhat overwhelming information, the fliers were sent on their ways. They left the building to go out to the aircraft, to meet with their crews.

The Georgia Rebel
Aircraft no. 42-3217 was a Boeing B-17 F "Flying Fortress". It had the code-letters MS-T and the nickname "Georgia Rebel". She (with a name a plane was always a she) probably got the name from the fact that her pilot was from Georgia. He was a southerner and wanted the name of the plane to connect with his background. She was a very slim and nearly shark-like airplane with her pointed nose and streamlined shape. Many consider this to be one of the most beautiful airplanes ever built. She was dark-green with a light-gray under-surface and had the markings of the USAAF with a white star on dark-blue surface. Her lettercodes and number were painted in gray and yellow respectively. On the upper-half of the tail sat the letter "L" in a white triangle, the identification-mark of the 381st BG.

The Georgia Rebel was an airplane with chastity in the sense that she did not sport a picture of a lightly dressed girl, as did so many others. She did however, have five red bombs painted on the nose, signifying that she was ready for her sixth mission. Pilot of the aircraft was 1st Lieutenant Osce Vernon Jones, 27. At this time he was one of the most experienced pilots in the group. Navigator was 2nd Lieutenant Arthur Lawrence Guertin, also a veteran. Others making up the crew were a flight-engineer/gunner, a radio-operator and four ordinary gunners. Two replacement-members flew this day. The bombardier, 2nd Lieutenant Charles Wesley Nevius, 24, and the co-pilot, 1st Lieutenant George Burnett McIntosh, 22. The later was the operations-officer of the 535th Squadron and as such he occasionally filled an empty seat when needed. McIntosh had been in the first "model-crew" of the 535th Squadron when the group was being put together in Pyote, TX.

When everything was checked and everyone had readied their battle-stations, there was an order to start the engines. One after another the planes taxied out towards the runway. Like two rows of waddling geese the planes slowly made their way to the start of the runway, turned around and took off with twenty-five seconds between them.

Take-off was one of the most critical moments of a flight. Heavily loaded with bombs and fuel, the planes were as heavy as they ever would be. The slightest mistake could end in catastrophe. Everything went well this day and the formation climbed through the clouds on its way to the rally-point off the coast of England.

The Target.
The target this day was the nitrate- and aluminiumplant at Heröya, Apr. 60 miles (100 km) southeast of Oslo. The Heröya-plant had been built by the Norwegian oil-company Norsk Hydro, but had been taken over by the German occupants. The plant was situated on an island just by the small town of Porsgrunn. Just across the fjord outside Porsgrunn was the Swedish town of Strömstad.

The first position the navigators had to find was 58 10 N. and 08 50 E. That is in the middle of the Skagerack, the strait between Norway and Denmark. German fighters were stationed in both countries, and as a precaution the formation descended to low altitude for the flight towards the target. Time was now 12.00 hrs. GMT, and at the initiation-point, the formation again climbed to high altitude for the bomb-run.

The attack is reported as successful. Only 13 out of 180 aircraft fail to drop their bombs. Later intelligence-reports show that all primary targets have been hit and destroyed. Only three or four airmen are injured during the attack. There are claims of downed enemy aircraft, Fw 190´s and Me 109´s. No American aircraft is shot-down. The Georgia Rebel however, flying as lead-plane for the 535th Squadron is hit by FLAK over the target. One engine is badly damaged by splinters from a nearby exploding shell and the propeller is feathered. One of the cables to the magneto-ignition has been cut. A B-17 manages well on three engines, so the crew sets course for the return trip to England.

Mission Aborted.
After having flown only a short while on the return-path to England, something that will change the outcome of this mission occurs. Yet another of Georgia Rebel´s engines starts to fail. The engine sounds as it may have been hit by FLAK and the idle purring sound is replaced by coughing and spitting. The Pilot, Lt. Jones, will have to make a quick decision about what will be done. He discusses the new problem with his crew. Flying on two engines, the aircraft will not be able to keep up with the rest of the formation. Nearly four hours over the North Sea all alone is not an encouraging thought. The plane would be a "sitting duck" to any attacking German fighter. The alternative to make an emergency-landing in Norway or Denmark is not such a good idea either. On the other hand they have neutral Sweden just an hours flight away.

The decision to try and "limp" to Sweden is made. No American aircraft has yet tried this, but it seems to be the best alternative. In the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR), no: 132, a nearby aircraft reports that both inboard engines of the Georgia Rebel are stopped and fuel is leaking through a hole in one of the wings. The time is 14.18 hrs. and the position 57 20 N. and 07 30 E. just south of Norway.

Arrival in Sweden.
The last hour of this mission is now underway. The flight to Sweden is relatively undramatic. Flying so close to Norway and later passing over enemy territory makes everybody afraid to be placed under attack from German fighters. Over the Oslo-bay (Oslofjorden) items of classified nature are thrown overboard. Parts of the bomb-sight and maps goes "down-the-hatch", but the Swedes will later find documents forgotten by Nevius and Guertin.

The aircraft passes over the southernmost part of Norway as the country borders with Sweden and passes over Fredriksstad and Sarpsborg without being fired upon. The maps are not that detailed to allow the crew to determine exactly when Swedish airspace is entered, but according to speed and heading an educated guess can be made. The crewmembers worry about being short on fuel and start to look for a suitable place to make an emergency landing.

The western parts of the Swedish county of Värmland are covered with vast forests. The terrain is very hilly and rocky with big pines and firs. When the Georgia Rebel reaches the railroad going north-south between the towns of Arvika and Årjäng, the pilots head north along the railroad-tracks. They keep at low level, 600 feet (200 metres). In the village Blomskog just outside Årjäng, farmers are busy bringing in the harvest. The pilots cannot dare to land there because of the haystacks in the field. 20 miles (30 km) further north they find a long field just by the tracks. The big aircraft passes over the field, makes a long westbound turn and comes in for landing from the south.

The crewmembers have carefully studied the ground before the decision to touch down there is made. Now they prepare for a crash-landing. The exact conditions of the field are unknown, but it looks OK. The pilot decides to belly-land as a wheels-down landing could be dangerous if the field is not flat enough. The crewmembers from the aft part of the aircraft gather in the radio-compartment, sitting on the floor, bracing themselves before touch-down.

The plane comes down over the treetops with a roar. At least half the length of the field is covered before the plane touches the ground. They suddenly see that small pinetrees grow all over the field. They snap like matches as the big aircraft plows down on them. The speed slows very fast , because this is a bog, not an ordinary field and the wet and saggy ground stops the plane effectively. The ball-turret plows a furrow in the ground and eventually the plane makes halt. Less than a yard from one of the wings is what looks like a utility-pole. The crew realizes that had the aircraft tumbled the pole, the high-current line could have fallen over it. Photos taken at the crash-site shows however, that the pole held telephone-wires.

The forward hatch is towards the ground, so exit is made through the waist-door. The summer of `43 had been relatively dry, and the bog is quite easy to walk on, although wet and saggy. The crewmembers file out of the plane, relieved the landing has gone well. Soon they are joined by a young man from a nearby farm. He speaks English, and they learn that they are in Sweden.

So close to the Norwegian border, these parts are literary crowded with border-troops. Very soon military personnel reach the crash-site and seal it off from the interested civilians that have gathered. The Swedes are informed that live ammunition is in the guns, but that there are no bombs on board. The military tries to confiscate filmrolls from the civilians, but some manage to hide their films. Curious Värmlanders mingle with the military personnel and the ten Americans who proudly show their big aircraft.

The crew is taken by car to a courthouse in nearby Långelanda, where they are given coffee and sandwiches. Soon they will be joined by Swedish Air Force Officers from the base F7 at Såtenäs.

A day later they are interviewed by Captain Löwkrantz from F7. Later they will be taken to the town of Falun for internment. Georgia Rebel is the first American bomber to crash in Sweden, but she will be followed by many, many more.

Fifty-five Years Later
This is the story of the mission to Heröya, Norway, that brought the first ten Americans to Sweden. In the fall of 1997 I happened to borrow a book from my local library. It was called "Kurirflyg", (Blockade Runners), and was written by Captain Lars Axel Nilsson (ret.) and Leif A. Sandberg. Captain Nilsson had been on the crews that flew Swedish courier-transports to Scotland during the war. The Swedes used among other types of aircraft, re-built B-17s in 1944 and later. Aircraft that had diverted to Sweden and been re-built for civilian transport flights.

In this book there was a picture of Georgia Rebel, the first USAAF bomber to divert to Sweden. I showed the picture to my father as I thought he might be interested. He is a retired historian and was born not far from Vännacka where the Georgia Rebel crashed. My father now told me an amazing story:

After a brief career in the Swedish Army he was hospitalized with Tuberculosis. In the bed next to him was a man from Vännacka. This man, Esaias Dahlin, told my father back in 1944 how he had witnessed the crash-landing of a big American bomber. This information made me very keen to further investigate the fate of the men from the Georgia Rebel.

The Research
I have been interested in WWII aviation-history since my childhood. It began with building plastic model-kits of aircraft and in the recent years has resulted in some articles and academic essays on the Strategic Bombings during the war. Having access to the Internet made my research much more easier. Soon I was in contact with some very nice people of the 381st Bomb Group Memorial Association. I got invaluable information from them about the records of the crew-members that were still on their rosters.

Through the help of a former P-47 Pilot named Rip Collins of Houston, TX, I got confirmation of where to find one of the crew-members, George McIntosh. At a scheduled time, I called Mr McIntosh on the phone and we spent the next thirty or forty-five minutes in pleasant conversation. Mr McIntosh has helped me very much with my research and during the first year we had many nice and interesting conversations.

Through Mr McIntosh and other helpful people I have learnt the following about the crew of the Georgia Rebel: The crew was interned in Falun at the guest house Humlebacken. 

• 1st Lt. Jones and 2nd Lt. McIntosh were repatriated late in 1943 and returned to the Ridgewell base on January 10th. 

• Charles Nevius, the Bombardier, was KIA late in the war. 

• Arthur Guertin, the Navigator, was KIA on April 28th, 1944, as his aircraft, The Georgia Rebel II was shot down over St:Avord, France. Pilot on this mission was Jones who ended up in a POW camp. 

• Major Osce Jones, (ret.), latest address is in Adel, GA, but he has not responded to letters from interested people. If he is still alive, he would be 82 years old. 

• George McIntosh continues to fly a total of fourteen missions. He is decorated with a DFC after piloting a damaged aircraft to safety. On March 20th, 1944 McIntosh has to crash in the Atlantic off the coast of France. His crew is saved by Germans and go to POW camps. George McIntosh is today 78 years old and lives in Texas.

• Joseph Nicatra died in 1979. His daughter from a second marriage and her husband have been in contact with me, and are members of this organization.

• Haugen died in Sept. 1986 in Hennepin, MA

I have found no records of what happened to the rest of the crew.

Walking on Historic Ground
During the summer of 1998 I contacted the old friend of my Father’s, Esaias Dahlin from Vännacka. We decided to meet at his house and just a couple of days before the 55-year anniversary of the crash, my Father and I drove to Vännacka. We visited the bog where the aircraft had crashed, and were amazed that signs from the crash were still visible. The locals showed me how the pines that had been snapped off by the huge plane's wings, still showed marks from this! With a bit of imagination I could still see the big furrow in the bog, made by the plane! I cut a branch from a small pine and sent it to Mr. McIntosh in Texas. It survived the trip, but did not survive the hot Texan weather.

One of the locals that went with us that day wrote a note to Mr. McIntosh:

"Dear Friends,
55 years ago my father and I saw your big aircraft coming over our heads. Two engines were not working. My father ran away - he was afraid you should land on our field, but you landed about 20 km from our house. Now we have visited that place again together with your friends from Uppsala."

This page last updated: 2000 11 23