On the west side of the road, placed at the base of the village war memorial.

A grey, rectangular, granite stone inscribed in English text, incised in white lettering commemorating the airmen of B-17G 44-6137 and B-17G 44-6137 which collided over the small village of North Lopham near to RAF Snetterton Heath with the loss of all eighteen crew members. Printed on the top are the cross flags of America and the Union on either side. On the top center is an image of the B-17 aircraft.

The first aircraft, B-17G 44-6137 "The Abortion Queen", of the 337th Bomb Squadron was delivered from the factory to Tulsa Air Base on 12th May 1944; travelling on via Kearney Training base to Dow Field, Maine, on the 1st June 1944. It was initially assigned to the 452nd Bomb Group, where upon it was flown to RAF Deopham Green in Norfolk, England. After arriving at Deopham, it was immediately transferred to the 337th BS, 96th BG, and given the coding ‘AW – J’. The aircraft was subsequently flown on to RAF Snetterton Heath and operational status.

The second aircraft, B-17 43-38746, was initially delivered to Lincoln Air Base on 16th September 1944. It was also flown on to Dow Field but later in the September of that same year. Here the aircraft was assigned to the 338th BS, 96th BG, transported to Snetterton Heath, and given the coding ‘BX – J’. The aircraft arrived for active duty in the October of 1944.

On January 29, 1945, the two aircraft took off from their base at Snetterton Heath (Station 138) to attack the Bielefield Marshalling yards at Kassel as part of Mission 811.  As they were forming up to find their position in the flight, the disaster struck. The first aircraft flown by Second Lt. Alex Philipovitch,  flew across the path of the second aircraft flown by Second Lt. George Peretti. As a result Peretti’s port wing struck the B17 causing it to explode whilst his own was split in half. As a result of the collision, both aircraft plummeted to the ground killing all eighteen men on board.

Source of information and images: aviationtrails.wordpress.com

96TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP SNETTERTON HEATH

COMMEMORATING THE AMERICAN AIRMEN WHO DIED

WHEN TWO AIRCRAFT COLLIDED OVER THIS VILLAGE

29TH JANUARY 1945

Their names will live for evermore