A memory of a B-17 shot down...

[Betonov]

...over Slovenia (then occupied Yugoslavia).

A flying fortress was shot down over the village Andraž, upper Savinja valley on March 19th, 1944, killing 8 of the crew, while 2 were taken prisoner.

A memorial plaque was unveiled commemorating the killed and the war time and on-going cooperation between the US and Slovenia.
Present was ambasador Mussomeli, Slovene minister for defense Erjavec and veterans of the partisan resistance including some eyewitnesses.



(from left to right) eyewitnes Jože Berdnik, veteran Ferdinand Krk, ambasador Mussomeli and veteran Milan Razdevšek

it was March 19th, 1944, st Joseph day. A special day when even the Germans allowed celebrating. The bombers were usually escorted by fighters, but on that day they traveled alone on their way north. The first wave flew over without incident, but when the second wave arrived Messerchmits descended on them. A fierce battle lasted for 10 minutes when one of the bombers caught fire and it's tail broke off. The plane crashed a kilometer away from us and we started racing to the crash site

Said eyewitness Jože Berdnik. He later explained where most of the wreckage was found and that a German patrol was already there collecting the 2 survivors.

The 8 killed airmen were buried in the local cemetary, they were exhumed in 1946 and sent back to the US.



Konrad Brunšek, he documented the crash


The plaque