Poland
powiat policki
gmina Dobra (Szczecińska)
B-17 Flying Fortress Memorial at Lake Stolsko
Poland
powiat policki
gmina Dobra (Szczecińska)
B-17 Flying Fortress Memorial at Lake Stolsko
Cycling Highlight
Recommended by 10 cyclists
Location: gmina Dobra (Szczecińska), powiat policki, Poland
A freshly unveiled commemorative plaque on the boulder. It commemorates the crash of the American B17 bomber, which from June 1944 rested on the bottom of Lake Stolsko.
The American B-17 bombers were called "Flying Fortresses". The machine, shot down near Szczecin (No. 44-6117), was then less than two months old. She left the Douglas factory in the city of Tulsa on May 6, 1944. A month later she was at the RAF base near London, and on June 21 she was already at the bottom of Lake Stolsko.
The destination of the last flight of the 44-6117 bomber was Berlin. Shortly after 9:00 a.m., the formation he was part of was attacked by fighters. Hit in the left wing and rear stabilizer, the plane began to fall. All crew members had jumped out of the burning machine. The most unlucky was Amos Frank Estrada, most likely hit by a fighter rifle as it was parachuting.
For several years after the war, the wing of the bomber protruded above the surface of the lake. Later, the machine plunged into the swampy silt. More intensive research on the wreckage and its history started in the 21st century. As a result, in 2019, relatives of Irvin Howard Lewis, one of the crew members, came to Stolec.
October 13, 2022
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