Bomber Mountain is the crest of a ridge line within the

Bighorn Mountains The Bighorn Mountains ( cro, Basawaxaawúua, lit=our mountains or cro, Iisaxpúatahchee Isawaxaawúua, label=none, lit=bighorn sheep's mountains) are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a ...

of the

U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to the s ...

. It borders the south side of

Cloud Peak Cloud Peak is the highest peak within the Bighorn Mountains in the U.S. state of Wyoming. It rises to an elevation of and provides onlookers with dramatic views and vistas. The mountain can be climbed most easily from the western side, access ...

, the tallest peak in the range. It is about west of Buffalo. A military aviation accident that occurred upon the mountain in 1943 led to it being named Bomber Mountain in 1946. For more info see, "The Bomber Mountain Crash: A Wyoming Mystery" by Scott Madsen, Published and Copyrighted in September, 1990

Climate

1943 air accident

On 28 June 1943, a B-17F-55-DL Flying Fortress, serial number ''42-3399'', nicknamed "Scharazad", departed Pendleton Army Air Base in

Pendleton, Oregon Pendleton is a city and the county seat of Umatilla County, Oregon. The population was 17,107 at the time of the 2020 census, which includes approximately 1,600 people who are incarcerated at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution. Pendleton ...

destined for Grand Island, Nebraska. From there, the bomber would join the other members of the 383d Bomb Group and continue to England to participate in the ongoing World War II bombing campaigns. Around midnight, the captain radioed that their position was near

Powder River, Wyoming Powder River is a census-designated place (CDP) in Natrona County, Wyoming, United States. It is part of the Casper, Wyoming Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 30 in the 2020 census

. They were not heard from again. After they failed to arrive in Grand Island, the plane was declared missing and the Army mounted a search effort with no results. A second search was conducted the following year, concentrating on the

Wind River Mountains The Wind River Range (or "Winds" for short) is a mountain range of the Rocky Mountains in western Wyoming in the United States. The range runs roughly NW–SE for approximately . The Continental Divide follows the crest of the range and incl ...

Absaroka Mountains The Absaroka Range ( or ) is a sub- range of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. The range stretches about across the Montana–Wyoming border, and at its widest, forming the eastern boundary of Yellowstone National Park along Paradise Va ...

and

, but still no wreckage was spotted. On 12 August 1945, two cowboys spotted something shiny on a ridge line in the

area of the

Big Horn Mountains The Bighorn Mountains ( cro, Basawaxaawúua, lit=our mountains or cro, Iisaxpúatahchee Isawaxaawúua, label=none, lit=bighorn sheep's mountains) are a mountain range in northern Wyoming and southern Montana in the United States, forming a nort ...

. They discovered the wreckage and the deceased crew, and contacted authorities, who conducted an operation to recover the bodies of the crew and return them to their families. It was believed that during earlier search efforts, the paint color of the aircraft blended in closely with the mountain side, making the wreckage difficult to spot. After a few years, the paint wore off, and the shiny aluminum underneath made the plane more visible. No official cause for the crash was ever determined, but it is presumed that malfunctioning navigational equipment, and a moonless night combined with bad weather caused the pilot to not see the ridge until it was too late. After a petition by veterans groups in Wyoming, the previously unnamed ridge was christened Bomber Mountain on 22 August 1946 by the U.S. Forest Service. In honor of the crew members, a commemorative plaque was placed on the shores of Florence Lake, from the crash site. The crew included: * William R. Ronaghan (pilot) * Anthony J. Tilotta (co-pilot) * Leonard H. Phillips (navigator) * Charles H. Suppes (bombardier) * James A. Hinds (aircraft engineer) * Ferguson T. Bell, Jr. (radio operator) * Lee 'Vaughn' Miller (assistant aircraft engineer) * Charles E. Newburn, Jr (assistant radio operator) * Jake F. Penick (aircraft gunner) * Lewis M. Shepard (assistant aircraft gunner)

References

Above info taken from "The Bomber Mountain Crash: A Wyoming Mystery" by Scott Madsen, Published in September, 1990

External links

* * {{Mountains of Wyoming Mountains of Big Horn County, Wyoming Mountains of Johnson County, Wyoming Mountains of Wyoming History of Wyoming Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1943 1943 in Wyoming Accidents and incidents involving military aircraft Aviation accidents and incidents in Wyoming