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1944 Zegveld Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash

21 Feb 1944 · Zegveld, Netherlands

United States Army Air Forces Boeing B-17F-65-DL Flying Fortress · Shot down by German fighter aircraft after bombing mission over Braunschweig

From Horham Airfield, England to over Braunschweig, Germany; back to Horham Airfield, England

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Event

Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
Accident
Event fatalities
8 · all aircraft and ground
Ground fatalities
Unknown
Occupants
Unknown
Survivors
2
InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
Unknown
OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
Military

Boeing B-17F-65-DL Flying Fortress

Aircraft type
Boeing B-17
Category
Airplane · from aircraft type
RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
42-3462
Onboard fatalities
8
Route
From Horham Airfield, EnglandTo over Braunschweig, Germany; back to Horham Airfield, England

Approximate · Estimated position: Zegveld, the place the Wikipedia article names. Not the accident site.

From the Wikipedia article

The 1944 Zegveld Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash was a crash of the American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber San Antonio Rose near the village of Zegveld, Netherlands, on 21 February 1944, during World War II. The aircraft was returning from a bombing mission over Braunschweig, Germany, when it was attacked by German fighters and crashed in a field. Eight crew members died, and two survived as prisoners of war.

In Zegveld a memorial is placed near the crash location. In 2020 an exhibition about the crash has been held. Historian Jeroen van der Kamp spent seven years researching the incident and wrote a book about it and gave lectures about it.

Background

The B-17 San Antonio Rose was operated by the United States Army Air Forces and departed from Horham Airfield in England on the morning of 21 February 1944. The ten-man crew had trained together in Rapid City, South Dakota, and previously completed five successful missions over France and Germany.

Text from the Wikipedia article “1944 Zegveld Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash” (revision 1325084728, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article

Sources

Wikipedia article: 1944 Zegveld Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash
Article
1944 Zegveld Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash
Revision
1325084728 · 2025-12-01 · retrieved 2026-09-18
Wikidata
Q134836615
Licence
Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
Record
Wikipedia article "1944 Zegveld Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress crash" (page 80065836, revision 1325084728)
Date
Wikipedia infobox: date
Place and country
Wikipedia infobox: site
Map position
place the Wikipedia infobox site links (Wikidata coordinates)
Aircraft, operator and route
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
Operation
operator named as an armed force or military unit in the infobox
Fatalities
Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
Ground fatalities
not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
Summary
Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
  • Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.