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''My Gal Sal'' is a B-17E-BO Flying Fortress whose pilot was forced to land it on the
On 27 June 1942, B-17E serial number 41-9032 named ''My Gal Sal''—part of the 342d Bombardment Squadron of the 97th Bombardment Group—was one of 13 B-17s flying the Labrador-to-Greenland leg of a ferry flight to the
Photograph of ''My Gal Sal'' on Greenland's glacier ice
via defense.gov {{B-17 family Individual aircraft of World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland i ...
icecap during World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
. Many years later, it was recovered and returned to the United States to be restored. It is one of only four surviving B-17Es in existence.
History
On 27 June 1942, B-17E serial number 41-9032 named ''My Gal Sal''—part of the 342d Bombardment Squadron of the 97th Bombardment Group—was one of 13 B-17s flying the Labrador-to-Greenland leg of a ferry flight to the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
as part of Operation Bolero
Operation Bolero was the commonly used reference for the code name of the United States military troop buildup in the United Kingdom during World War II in preparation for the initial cross-channel invasion plan known as Operation Roundup, to be ...
, the military build-up in Europe. Inclement weather broke up the flight; five B-17s returned to Labrador, while the remainder continued on to Greenland. Over Greenland three of the aircraft were forced to land by the weather, including ''My Gal Sal''.
The airplane's propellers were damaged by the landing, which kept the engines from being run to generate power needed to use the radio. It took an entire day, but the crew cut off the tips of one of the propellers so that an engine could be run and they were able to make contact. The aircraft's crew camped in the B-17 for nine days until a rescue airplane could arrive. They had to hike the to a lake where the rescue airplane had been able to land.
The aircraft was abandoned, not to be seen again until a 1964 overflight by a USAF
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
reconnaissance aircraft. At that time, ''My Gal Sal'' appeared to be intact. Thirty-one years later, ''My Gal Sal'' was recovered from the ice, although high winds and the movement of ice over the 53 years since its abandonment had damaged the airframe, separating the tail section of fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
from the rest of the aircraft and causing additional damage throughout.
The plane was restored to a static configuration at Cincinnati-Blue Ash Airport (ICAO designation: KISZ) in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wi ...
, and is now part of the collection of the National World War II Museum
The National WWII Museum, formerly known as The National D-Day Museum, is a military history museum located in the Central Business District of New Orleans, Louisiana, U.S., on Andrew Higgins Drive between Camp Street and Magazine Street. The ...
in , Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...
.
See also
* ''Kee Bird
The ''Kee Bird'' was a United States Army Air Forces Boeing B-29 Superfortress, serial ''45-21768'', of the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron, that became marooned after making an emergency landing in northwest Greenland during a secret Cold War sp ...
'', a B-29 Superfortress
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress is an American four-engined propeller-driven heavy bomber, designed by Boeing and flown primarily by the United States during World War II and the Korean War. Named in allusion to its predecessor, the B-17 F ...
that made an emergency landing in northwest Greenland after running out of fuel in February 1947
* '' Glacier Girl'', a P-38 Lightning
The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single-seat, twin piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps by the Lockheed Corporation, the P-38 incorporated a distinctive tw ...
whose pilot was forced to land it on the Greenland icecap in July 1942
References
External links
Photograph of ''My Gal Sal'' on Greenland's glacier ice
via defense.gov {{B-17 family Individual aircraft of World War II Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress