(Document Source:) This is the ultimate and improved version of this archive by Willis ‘Sam’ S. Cole and Doc Snafu. This is not just a simple republishing. A series of articles laying out the true events behind the crash of the Gott & Metzger B-17G and the creation of my best seller book The Best Kept Secret Of World War Two published a couple of years ago and still available on Amazon. I think it is also interesting to let you know that I have published a second book, also available on Amazon under the title Why We Killed Patton because he had stated that he was going to quit the Army and then, he was going to destroy those bastards who were going to destroy him! In December 1945, when it became known that Gen George S. Patton had told his staff he was quitting the Army so he could speak freely and after the New Year 1946, he was going to tell the American public the truth about what those who were attempting to destroy him had done. He was positive, once that truth was known, he could live freely and it was their careers that would be destroyed. A series of day-by-day articles beginning on Nov 9, 2015, which was the 71st anniversary of the crash of the Lady Jeannette, B-17G, SN: 42-97904. I will describe the shooting down and the crash of two American bombers in France. One was the B-17G #42-97904 (Lady Jeannette), and the other, was B-24J SN:42-51226 (I Walk Alone) which was flying a top-secret night mission while attached to the 100th Group Royal Air Force. The B-24J also crashed in France, early on the morning of Nov 10, 1944, 138 miles from the crash site of the Lady Jeanette.
CREW MEMBERS #42-97904
2/Lt Joseph F. Harms (Bombardier)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Air Medal, Purple Heart
T/Sgt Russell W. Gustafson (Flight Engineer)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Air Medal, Purple Heart
1/Lt Daniel J. Gott (Pilot)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Medal of Honor, Air Medal, Purple Heart
2/Lt William E. Metzger Jr (Copilot)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Medal of Honor, Air Medal, Purple Heart
2/Lt John A. Harland (Navigator)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Air Medal, Purple Heart
T/Sgt Robert A. Dunlap (Radio Operator)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Air Medal + 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Purple Heart
S/Sgt James O. Fross (Belly Gunner)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Air Medal, Purple Heart
S/Sgt William R. Robbins (Gunner)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Air Medal
S/Sgt Herman B. Krimminger (Tail Gunner)
729th Bomber Squadron – 452nd Bomber Group
Eight Army Air Force (Heavy)
Air Medal, Purple Heart
The crew of the #42-97904, B-17G, Lady Jeannette arrived in England on D-Day (Jun 6, 1944). As a replacement crew, the men were assigned to the 452nd Bomb Group, 729th Bomber Squadron (Eight Air Force) until their last mission over Saarbrucken (Germany), then the crash in Hattonville (France), November 9, 1944. On November 9, 1944, the 452nd Bomber Group, was assigned a support mission ahead of Patton’s 3rd Army in the Army’s new push into Germany. The day’s targets were located along the German border in the area opposite the region of Metz–Thionville (France). One of their B-17G bombers was the Lady Jeannette, piloted by 1/Lt Donald J. Gott.
The 452nd Heavy Bombardment Group (USAAF)(45th Combat Wing) was activated on Jun 1, 1943, at Geiger Field (Washington). The group was immediately sorted into four squadrons: 728th Bomber Squadron, 729th Bomber Squadron, 730th Bomber Squadron, and 731st Bomber Squadron while the Cadre formation took place at Salt Lake City Army Base. During training, the troops would be sent to various locations, including Ephrata, Walla Walla, and Moses Lake (Washington); Rapid City (South Dakota); Lincoln (Nebraska) Grand Island (Nebraska); Sioux City (Iowa); Wilmington (North Carolina); Shaw Field (South Carolina); Oklahoma City (Oklahoma); Pendleton Field (Oregon); Redmond (Oregon); Peyote (Texas); and Great Falls (Montana). They would become one of twenty-four B-17 Heavy Bomber Groups in England.
On Jan 2, 1944, the 1st wave of the 452-BG’s troops embarked from Camp Shanks (New York), many on the RMS Queen Elizabeth liner, arriving in Scotland on January 8. The servicemen experienced cramped quarters, taking turns on deck, and eating meals twice a day. Many flight crews assigned to Station 142 started their journey in a B-17 via Newfoundland and Labrador. The troops spent a month getting used to the British weather, attended classes, and received tips on how to operate their ‘Stove Pipe’ heaters, and warm beer. Although the 452-BG arrived late in the war, it proved critical timing. On February 5, 1944, the 1st mission was flown, target Romilly (France).
After take-off from Deopharm Green (UK-AFB-15), the Group joined the mission stream and crossed the English Channel into France. Over the Channel, each of the gunners tested his weapon and the bomb bay doors were opened to verify if they were operating properly. Their bomb load that day was eight 500-pound bombs in the bomb bay and two 1000-pound bombs, one under each wing. As they approached the IP (Initial Point) of the Primary Target, the Group in front sheared off and went toward the IP of their Secondary Target, the marshaling yards at Saarbrücken (Germany), just across the German border. The mission plan varied little, except they would fly south toward the new target, drop their bombs, and circle around to the east to begin their flight back to base.
As they left their Secondary Target IP, they opened the bomb bay doors and went on automatic pilot under the control of the bombardier. Unable to change altitude or position, the crews felt most vulnerable as they approached the black clouds of exploding FLAK (Fliegerabwehrkanonen – Antiaircraft Artillery) in front of them. As they approached their Secondary Target, the pilots sat with their hands lightly on the controls as the controls moved automatically by the automatic pilot, ready to take over, if necessary. Each man, in his position, followed the routine of their previous missions, except for the co-pilot, 2/Lt William E. Metzger Jr, who was on his second mission with the Gott crew to obtain combat experience, and the bombardier, 2/Lt Harms, who also was on his 
second mission, as a fill-in for the normal Gott crew bombardier, who failed to report for the mission.
Each of the gunners scanned the sky for any approaching German fighter, however, their minds were on the bank of exploding German FLAK staining the sky ahead. In their previous 27 missions, the crew had never seen a single German fighter, however, at every target they had seen other B-17s going down and crashing due to FLAK. All they could do was hope that Lady Luck would be with them again. In another B-17, in the formation behind them, 2/Lt Collins, their normal copilot was flying with Lt Metzger’s normal crew, to give them a battle-experienced pilot during their first missions. Lt Collins was watching the Group approach the FLAK cloud and suddenly, he saw a FLAK burst on the right wing of the Lady Jeannette.
