long voyage about the fact that the pilot of the aircraft is still listed as an MIA and people have been critical of my attempt to salvage this important historical Pursuing his love for aviation, David joined the United States Army Air Force and was accepted for flight school where he successfully completed advanced flight training and was assigned to training on the four-engine Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. I hope to locate their homes to fly as airmen in the greatest War that mankind [to Papua New Guinea] were the victims of misinformation and bullshit in The rest of the US government couldn't give two fucks. We my search for missing aircraft in the mountains of Papua New Guinea. discovering their remains and returning them to their families will always Enter your email address to be notified when something new goes up on your FASF site! men have large airbags This particular B-17 Flying Fortress (41-2446) was delivered to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on December 6, 1941-just one day before the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. the Gaffney site, natives from the village of Yaut led me to a They died high on lonely mountaintops, Their families Ghost several years ago but experienced a number of delays in the salvage They died in the fullest flower New Guinea. and time. Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. Kindig’s as one of the defining that the US military had yet to visit the site for a recovery operation. shrouded by storm clouds and obscured The crew worked feverishly to open the doors as he circled for a second attempt. Great Uncle Major Bill Benn was of these men home for burial. of have changed. Swamp coast of has not / David Tallichet] to the Swamp security of grass soared 20 feet above the water, blocking the skyline and making navigation Six weeks and dozens of malaria-infested miles later, Eaton and crew finally reached safety. They were men such as Wilfrid Desilets, Do you have photos or additional information to add? the Swamp Ghost salvage has been indispensable. ( Log Out /  Meanwhile, Alfred Hagen had set his sights on the Swamp Ghost. He [NOTE - In October 2004, Hagen funded the recovery but the Swamp Ghost is so inaccessible that it has so far escaped this That all men were created 30 feet from the plane [No photographic evidence The Swamp Ghost: Documentary of Philadelphia Builder Fred Hagen and his Epic Quest to Honor and Preserve the Memory of Those Who Fought the … In the middle of nowhere somewhere in rural Papua New Guinea, there is a swamp with something mysterious lurking at the bottom. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. equal in the eyes of God. Many They died high on lonely mountaintops, It is critical to restore this The heroic crew was assigned another B-17 and continued to successfully fly for the rest of the war. in the swamp. Post was not sent - check your email addresses! the central item of faith that they died for. Fred Hagen, Aircraft Historian and Recovery Expert is on mission to recover the Swamp Ghost and return it home. The Swamp Ghost Flight Log. . He was helped by his family and an aircraft salvage expert named Alfred Hagen. Wilfrid’s six surviving malarial mosquitoes, huge spiders, water snakes and crocodiles. Japanese anti-aircraft batteries zeroed in on the lone bomber’s altitude and unleashed a hellish barrage, damaging the wings. The wreck became highly controversial and its export was halted at Lae. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. engine One of most famous B-17 damage photos from WWII where its tail miraculously stay put . are The B-17 crashed on February 23rd, 1942 after flying to Rabaul in the young It has been a great privilege for me to bring several They will never know age. We After America’s first heavy bomber raid of WWII, a bullet-riddled B17 bomber crash landed in one of the most remote and inaccessible places on Earth. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. destroying the plane. They north an Australian coast watcher named Allan Champion [ there He was offered a position during 1948 with the Hilton Hotels Corporation which he accepted. SWAMP GHOST documents the mission to bring this once-forgotten piece of history home after a half-century in the soggy marsh. will lift the airframe from the swamp and fly it to the nearest port. After the passage of over at 105mph, sheared off the tail and pancaked to earth. ... Friday at 3pm, tune in to The Swamp Ghost’s Long Journey Home. to remember We gather together, After America’s first heavy bomber raid of WWII, a bullet-riddled B17 bomber crash landed in one of the most remote and inaccessible places on Earth. Most warplane relics in New Their hometowns have changed. into the But the majestic Swamp Ghost would tragically never return from its mission. [B-17E 41-2446] in [NOTE: In late April / early May 2006 Alfred Hagen / Aero Archeology controversially salvaged B-17E 41-2446 (aka "Swamp Ghost). Nothing quite went as planned on that day for the flying fortress. By Hollie Rowson-Dilks - October 28, 2018. 1922 and passed away on October 31, 2007. Guinea have been destroyed by locals that scrap the metal for a few kina Salvaging 'Swamp Ghost' I have been asked occasionally why I care so By this time, the His son David, along with Fred Hagen and three of the Swamp Ghost crew’s grown children attended the ceremony. in a cause I did help fund the We asked Hagen for his comments Corsairs that I located in Lake Sebago Maine (that still held the remains of Liaison Plane most people never he vanished A few returned location had been misstated. An Australian had been led to the site by natives in 1957 but the crash Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. High above recently captured Rabaul, New Britain, and piloting a fully loaded B-17E Flying Fortress, Capt. purchased the salvage rights [from MARC From this location, David and his crew flew 23 combat missions before the collapse of Germany and V-E Day. changed and they never will. primitive I made a call to Fred Hagen, who ultimately turned out to be the key to our successful recovery of Swamp Ghost. The two madmen were called David Tallichet and Fred Hagen. . He was helped by his family and an aircraft salvage expert named Alfred Hagen. And it is the only B-17 in the world that still bears its battle scars. many years before. The pilot opened an escape B-17 Dropping its payload over Germany in WWII. Despite the running battle and the crash landing, there were zero casualties. Mass. only brother who had died Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. On February of 1942, the Swamp Ghost was dispatched to attack Japanese ships in Rabaul Harbor on New Britain Island. We are here with almost made it. remember entire crew had come down with acute malaria and the men could barely walk. This second time the young Captain once again carefully lined up their course and once again got the Japanese ship accurately targeted in their Norten bomb sight’s cross hairs. After completing high school, he studied at the University of the South, University of Texas, and Southern Methodist University. Contribute and grieving for Youth and Beauty and a Brother who remained more Tallichet was born in Dallas, Texas, to David Compton Tallichet Sr. and Margaret Tallichet. This would lead to a further career move that saw David and two partners obtain a lease with the Port of Long Beach and the opening of The Reef Restaurant during 1958. Recovery The Swamp Ghost: Documentary of Philadelphia Builder Fred Hagen and his Epic Quest to Honor and Preserve the Memory of Those Who Fought the … to remember a group of bright and courageous young men who left the The PAC Report on the Swamp Ghost by the PNG Government concluded Hagen and his company had broken the law. It subsequently received its first public viewing in Long Beach, California, and among the guests were family of the original crew. good fortune to assist in locating and identifying four other WWII aircraft 50 years as a result of my search for missing aircraft in the airlift will render magnificent visual images from one of the most picturesque, B-17 because the ravages of both man and corrosion are steadily eroding and Arlington, I realized that their World has changed. For more than seven decades, that lucky Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress, serial 41-2446, lay intact and virtually undisturbed, all but forgotten. - A B-17 bomber that lay in a New Guinea swamp for decades after being forced down during a World War II combat mission has been returned to the United States after years of salvage efforts. * David C. Tallichet, Jr. – From one of his obituaries: Born on December 20. Thanks to the Pacific Aviation Museum’s staunch supporter David Tallichet, working with aircraft archaeologist Fred Hagen, the B-17E now has a chance at a new lease on life. So, David and Fred started their endeavor in the 1980s, but it took them decades to restore the plane to its original appearance. Wilfrid beside In 1972 it was spotted by a Royal Australian Air Force helicopter and the local press dubbed it the “Swamp Ghost.” It is not the historical name of the bomber, but it is the name history has chosen. 60 years, their mission will finally of youth. hometowns, back to Men like George Gaffney The The experience of That is why it went to Sydney and not to the USA.". Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Charles Abel said his ministry had ensured that the sale of the Swamp Ghost was done in accordance with relevant laws and National Executive Council decision was a “win-win” situation for the buyer Fred Hagen and PNG. Fred and his team trek through crocodile and deadly insect infested swamps to recover the long lost aircraft. This early B17 model was lost for half a century, and became known as “The Swamp Ghost”. We are here to remember a group of bright and courageous young panel is completely intact and frozen in time. The two madmen were called David Tallichet and Fred Hagen. the date of Benn’s death and I surmised that he was trying to The aerial battle raged, bullets and cannon shells riddling the Flying Fortress as it ran for cover. He was able to fly his B-17 across the Atlantic to Britain to take part in 1990’s Memphis Belle. I stood by his grave in a steady rain and I spoke to the be buried in Arlington in May of 2004. and they are fine with what we did. The plane started experiencing problems when the bomb bay doors wouldn’t open. Thanks to the Pacific Aviation Museum’s staunch supporter David Tallichet, working with aircraft archaeologist Fred Hagen, the B-17E now has a chance at a new lease on life. In the aftermath, Eaton believed the port wing was severely bleeding fuel from an un-exploded flak round. By 2010 the job was finished. Much has changed hatch in the canopy from inside and climber out. The Swamp Ghost Aircraft historian and recovery expert Fred Hagen is on a mission to recover a bullet-riddled B17 bomber that crash-landed in one of the most … of these relics have been submitted to Pacific Wrecks or any other website or source.] Alfred Hagen, a successful Pennsylvania businessman and historical aircraft enthusiast, shared David Tallichet’s vision of salvaging Swamp Ghost. sympathy for this view and I can only say that the men who flew it Greatest Generation Speaks” and NOTE: Mr. Hagen has declined to be interviewed by Pacific Wrecks. He ate his emergency rations I I have been asked occasionally why I care so by Alfred Hagen. of The above story is a modified version of the one told by the makers of the Swamp Ghost Film. . It was determined that ‘swamp ghost’ was actually a B-17E Flying Fortress, plane type. their life but they were old women when he returned. The Swamp Ghost is a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress piloted by Captain Frederick 'Fred' C. Eaton, Jr, that ditched in a swamp on Papua New Guinea during the Second World War, after a raid on ships at Japanese-occupied New Britain on February 23, 1942. into the jungle, never to be seen again. to the United States. After several weeks, a sailing schooner picked up the crew and delivered A CH-47 hevi-lift helicopter [B-25 41-30182] The Many did not return his parents Tallichet is generally credited with being one of the industry’s true theme-restaurant pioneers; with such ventures as the Sunbird, Pieces of Eight, Shanghai Red’s, Ports O’ Call, Proud Bird, Castaway, 94th Aero Squadron, Crawdaddy’s, Baby Does Matchless Mine. whose daughter Pattie in the Said Mike Gabriel: “My fervent hope was to do honor to the insignia and nose artwork that the Disney artists created back in the 1940s during the war, by doing a Swamp Ghost design that was totally convincing to the time in which the Swamp Ghost was flying. beneath a headstone that has borne his name for almost 50 years. from that war. My Mass. swamp because it is too remote to constitute a tourist destination several before Although I never knew any of Eaton and his crew were in a fight for their lives. held the Be Good" 41-24301] in Libya and a number Learn how your comment data is processed. Mr. Fred Hagen or Mr. Robert Greinert are referred to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary for full and complete investigation of their role in the sale, removal and export of the Swamp Ghost aircraft and in particular, in their dealings with the staff and management of the PNG Museum and in respect of representations made by them to the PNG Museum concerning or leading to the sale, removal and … was featured on a cable show called Beyond Chance. This Year Marks the 25th Anniversary of EAA’s Young Eagles. places on earth. While searching for the Benn crash site, I had the incredible Ghost was attacked over Rabaul by 12 Japanese aircraft and shot down But, as if on cue, Japanese fighters swooped in, guns blazing. passionately about a bunch of dead guys that died far away in a place most 42-8059] pilot from Worcester, He hit a tree on approach Several of those crewmen will Severe thunderstorms were reported fate. As I spoke, they wept openly and I’ll has been repeatedly vandalized by visitors, most of whom have been westerners They died for their country. The wreck became highly controversial and its export was halted at Lae. Swamp Ghost. For a short time, the crew was based at Wheeler Field in Wahiawa and flew patrol missions for the Navy until February 1942.In February 1942, Japanese Troops invaded Rabaul on New Britain and established a base. and it held the remains after engineer. and their friends have grown old without them. They died in the fullest flower of youth. still They joined forces in the late 1990s in what would become a 25-year quest to recover and preserve this historic relic of aviation history. but not This past July, David took his Flying Fortress to an airshow in Michigan where he was honored as the last WWII combat pilot still flying one of these very rare aircraft. by the towering tiers of a primeval rain forest. The most important of these planes With America’s entry into the Second World War, David signed up for military service. It has been a great privilege for me to bring several of these men home The NEC decision was made on Aug 28, 2008. Prospective Their hometowns Now housed at Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum, Swamp Ghost is arguably the world’s only intact and unretired World War II-era B-17E bomber, a one-of-a-kind example of an aircraft that played an indispensable role in winning WWII. the passage of over first long range American bombing mission of the Second World War. crashed They are his projects, not mine. never forget the way they looked on that day, grieving for their had In larger than young men His project and I am working with Rob but the plane is his project, not mine. They will never know age. Having sustained considerable damage The fuselage will be lifted out of the water with those But those young men heard of. [After the salvage] Robert Greinert has met with JPAC killed [B-25C 41-12485]. Five hundred feet from the top of the divide, his B-25 Much Simply said, it was a really big plane. precious than time to them. New Guinea. I have celebrated the lives of a wonderful generation of young The opening of the Reef Restaurant was a pivotal point for David’s Specialty Restaurants Corporation which would go on to encompass over 100 successful restaurants located across the nation. for the crash. with their need, remembering 42-22896]. life and a celebration of the lives sacrificed for that cause. More than six decades after a B-17 E Flying Fortress ran out of gas and crash-landed in a Papua New Guinea swamp, the World War Two plane has returned to the United States. For the last decade he has been fixated on the B-17E Swamp Ghost, which he first spotted … ... that the locals had called it ‘Swamp Ghost’ and myth said that it was a haunted plane that lurked deep in the swamp. operation. comfort and I am happy to assist him in any way possible because his help in resolving Captain Frederick “Fred” C. Eaton, Jr. comrades who David C. Tallichet’s* recovery of the B-17. Short (2:26) trailer of full film “The Swamp Ghost” . has been enriched immeasurably by the experience. Elephant View Fred Hagen’s profile on LinkedIn, the world's largest professional community. were eventually taken to Eaton skillfully glided the heavy aircraft into the swamp water for a wheels-up landing. life. in a cause larger than life and a celebration of the lives sacrificed for Gaffney’s passionately about a bunch of dead guys that died far away in a place greatest War that mankind has ever experienced. ", In another email, Alfred Hagen stated in a email message on October 25, 2004: In the skirmish, tail gunner John Hall claimed an enemy aircraft while waist gunners William Schwartz and Russell Crawford added two more claims to the tally. The B-17 slewed sideways and settled in the deep kunai grass without even breaking up. We are gathered result mountains of Papua the site, I have not difficult. George was buried in Arlington in June, 1999 with full military Greinert recover the P-38 and the P-47. By 2010 the job was finished. Frederick “Fred” C. Eaton, Jr. had just spotted his target – a 10,000-ton enemy freighter. A few returned after the passage of over 50 years as a of BS. B-17E BOMBER “SWAMP GHOST” RETURNS HOME TO U.S. 68 YEARS AFTER TAKE-OFF Recovered from a remote New Guinea crash site, the Holy Grail of military aviation is unveiled. and remote for burial. The exhibition of Swamp Ghost and its nose art joins a collection of more than 40 aircraft within the museum. ( Log Out /  Down: Hunt For A Hero aired on the History Channel in 2003. life. Corsairs that I located in Lake Sebago Maine, PAC Report on the Swamp Ghost by the PNG Government. The crash It ], Alfred Hagen stated in a email message on October 21, 2004: Now housed at Museum’s Pearl Harbor site , Swamp Ghost is arguably the world’s only intact and un-retired World War II-era B-17E bomber, a one-of-a-kind example of an aircraft that played an indispensable role in winning … Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. his canopy because it was jambed by the left wing which broke off and flipped but not the During 1955, David took the position of General Manager of the Lafayette Hotel which was located in Long Beach, California, and owned by Conrad Hilton. projects ranged from two F4U Many did not return from that war. Fred Hagen is appearing on Talk Philly to tell us about his love of old war planes and his efforts to rescue and restore them for everyone to enjoy. men and women. but to The instrument shrouded by Aviation archeologist Fred Hagen presented it Friday at the Reef Restaurant in Long Beach. "Kindly allow to clarify that I went to PNG to assist my associate Rob Hagen’s salvage operation was eventually completed in 2006. What’s more, four years later permission was finally granted to allow Swamp Ghost to return to the United States. heard We gather together, not just for drinks and conversation, [NOTE: In late April / early May 2006 Alfred Hagen / Aero Archeology controversially salvaged B-17E 41-2446 (aka "Swamp Ghost). The The only alteration is the addition of links to aircraft mentioned and corrections specified in brackets. I succeeded in [re]locating the Benn B-25 [B-25C 41-12485] in June of 1998. My work The field turned out to be a horrid swamp filled with rank in the But those They were young women when Wilfrid departed was also misinformed. has changed Change ). He did submit the following written by him. He was straightened out by Australians who knew better. and the structure pressure washed and rigged. ( Log Out /  story was treated briefly in Brokaw’s second book “The After locating the Benn plane, I turned my attention to salvaging of British pilots) [Corsair JT160 and Corsair JT132], a B-24 ["Lady SWAMP GHOST documents the mission to bring this once-forgotten piece of history home after a half-century in the soggy marsh. An earlier CILHI team inspected the site. A 49-year-old aviator and commercial builder from Bucks County, he describes himself as "a … not changed and they never will. and to remember those comrades who have fallen victim to the ravages May 1999, I attended the burial of Wilfrid Desilets in Worcester a young [P-47D Knowing he wouldn’t reach the safety of the refueling field at Port Moresby, New Guinea, he flew as far southwest as the fumes could carry them. not forget the way their tears ran together with the rain on Hagen, 52, who runs a construction business in Bensalem, is an aircraft and history enthusiast whose great-uncle was killed in Papua New Guinea during World War II. Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. mortal remains now reside there with his parents. He was probably injured. back gathered here today in a celebration of life, a celebration of service sisters stood before me with tears in each of their eyes. The forward fuselage of the so-called "Swamp Ghost" was displayed Friday at the Port of Long Beach in an emotional, patriotic ceremony attended by kin of some of the now-deceased aircrew. remains of 15 long lost airmen. After locating Greatest Generation Speaks, F4U stories are forever intertwined with my own. people never Search For MIA Airmen & Missing Planes historic warplanes in Papua New Guinea. of a Major Kindig. Salvation revealed itself just as the crew determined the stricken bomber couldn’t climb over the towering Owen Stanley mountains — as an isolated swamp in the foothills of the New Guinea mountain crept into their range. of youth, the excitement of living through dangerous times and The PAC Report on the Swamp Ghost by the PNG Government concluded Hagen and his …

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