German Version

History

On the morning of November 15, 1944 a B-17G bomber (AAF Serial Number 42-97728), nicknamed ‘NONE’ of the 301st bomb group, 352nd squadron) crashed over the Austrian Alps. The aircraft and crew of 10 American airmen were returning to Lucera, Italy, following a successful bombing mission of Linz Tank Works, Austria.

The crew:

2nd Lt. William W. FLOOD

Sgt. Roy T. PATTERSON

Sgt. William J. O’BRIEN

Sgt. Thomas J. SPAGNOLO

While flying at 30,000 feet at 10:42 AM, the bomber’s radio operator - Staff Sgt. Robert Haglund - reported having engine problems. In his distress call, he claimed the severe weather had caused the no. 2 of the four engines to freeze up. It had begun to leak oil. A couple of minutes later he reported that yet another engine had quit working and the aircraft was in trouble. Suddenly the instruments were failing; the plane began spinning out of control. The crippled airplane spiraled into the Schöneck Mountain near Kleinsölk, Austria at 8,000 feet. That was the last anyone heard from them on that mission.

Later research noted that three of the ten crewmen managed to parachute from the plane. The other seven did not escape; they perished in the crash. Tragically, one of the seven crewmembers that died survived the crash for a short time. Injured before releasing himself from the plane, he had little or no chance to survive in this uninhabited area. He was found dead a short distance from the plane with a Bible in his hand. In the Bible was written: “Howard and Myriam – Christmas 1943.” Circa in the year 1990, a man from the community gave this Bible to two American students who visited the Kleinsoelk area, asking them to find and give the Bible back to his relatives. At this time no one knows what has happened to this Bible.

The three crewmen who parachuted from the aircraft before it crashed, landed in the Schoeneck Mountain area of Kleinsoelk (Kleinsoelk is located in the district of Liezen, federal state Styria in Austria) at an altitude of approximately 7200 feet. William W. Flood (bombardier) landed, but drowned in the Oberer Lanschitzsee mountain lake. This lake is on the other side of the Schoeneck Mountain. His body was retrieved in August of 1947.

Sgt. Roy T. Patterson (engineer) landed and was captured near a small village near Schladming (circa 20 km beeline from the crash). And,  2nd Lt. Harry P. Hillhouse, landed on a mountainside near Puzentalalm in the Kleinsoelk valley. Due to so much snow, he first stopped at an unoccupied farmhouse. On his way out of the valley the next day, Harry broke through the ice of the Schwarzensee (a lake in this area). He was able to get to the forest house in Schwarzensee where he got help from a hunter family. Harry was unable to communicate with this family and so he drew his crash experience on a postcard. The German Gestapo later captured Harry.

After some evasive action, the two surviving men eventually became prisoners of war (POW’s) and were sent to two separate Nazi POW camps until they were freed at the end of the war. In April 1945 Harry Hillhouse was liberated and returned to the USA. He passed away in the year 1992.

After the war, the English Army found these airmen on the mountaintop near their crashed aircraft on July 27, 1945. Their remains were identified as radio operator Staff Sgt. Robert Haglund; pilot 2nd Lt. Albert Mitchko; co-pilot 1st Lt. Phillip Bullock; radio navigator 1st Lt. Benjamin Cantwell; waist gunner Staff Sgt. Mark Imlay; waist gunner Sgt. William J. O’Brien and tail gunner Sgt. Thomas Spagnolo. Most men were taken to the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France for interment. The Lorraine American Cemetery is the burial site for more than 10,000 American soldiers killed during WWII. William Flood, later found in 1947, was buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery Neupre in Belgium. Following the war the relatives of Bullock and Spagnolo, then buried in St. Avold, asked to have the remains of these two servicemen be flown back the U.S. for permanent interment in private cemeteries in the state of New York.

During and after the war, the crash site could only be reached on foot because of snow. The items taken from the site were what people needed or could carry for their own use or recycling. These items all were valuable raw materials (e.g. Aluminium), especially since times were hard and difficult for these people. They were very poor and struggling for survival.  After people took what they needed, the crash site was forgotten.

The rescue of the aircraft

Since 1945 the ruins of the aircraft lay silently unclaimed on the mountaintop. For many years the people had no interest in this plane. In 2002, Ernst Daum, the Mayor of Kleinsoelk, and Gotthard Wibmer, Chairman for the Kleinsoelk Veterans, decided to organize a rescue team to recover this wreck. On September 06th 2002 the wreck was pulled from up from the mountain area by Helicopter.

Initiator of the project mayor Ernst Daum

The construction of the memorial

After some research, Mr. Daum and Mr. Wibmer discovered that there were eight killed crewmembers associated with this wreck. In 2003 it was decided that a memorial be build near the crash site in memory of the crewmembers. Herbert Grundner built this memorial, with assistance from Fritz Klein, Johann Perner and Bernhard Stuecklschweiger. The memorial was built crafting the Propeller-hub and a turbocharger of this aircraft into the side of the mountain.

The research to relatives

Ernst Daum found it very difficult to find details of this crash when he initiated this project. Determined, he continued to work hard to find information. Then unexpectedly on November 2006 Ernst Daum died at the young age of 57. For a year the project was placed on hold. In the autumn of 2007 Manfred Brandner became interested in this project. The project was already started and Manfred felt strongly that someone should complete it. At first he contacted some persons, who were involved in this matter. There was Richard Pieber, a amateur aircraft historian who lives in Predlitz, Austria. He could bring in his expert knowledge and was very instrumental during the whole project including the dedication. Richard Pieber requests Jing Zhou to help. Jing Zhou (www.b17flyingfortress.de) is a Vietnamese aircraft historian who lives in germany, he started a forum by the USAir Force, with the header “contact to two crewmembers” in April 2003. During his research, Manfred Brandner found to his surprise an entry from Doug Hillhouse, son of Harry P. Hillhouse, by this forum. He informed Richard Pieber, who could make the first contact with Doug Hillhouse.

With new information, this project suddenly became very interesting and much larger in scope. Manfred decided he wanted to work on it. To him this was an opportunity to contact and let relatives know about the long awaited story of these crewmembers. Because of a strong dedicated team, a memorial was built for those servicemen who died in this area so far from home. It’s now a place for relatives and others to visit in remembrance of those men whose lives were lost in 1944.

Further research was now needed to find missing families of the crewmembers. First and foremost it was important to find and determine if Roy T. Patterson was still alive. Due to privacy regulations, we did not know if we would find him through government agencies. To our surprise we received a message through the American Embassy in Austria, an agency we contacted for support. The agency advised us to contact the organization called GI-Trace. Sally Vincent, an excellent resource, was very instrumental in locating the family of Roy T. Patterson. Later she was also able to locate all the families of these crewmembers.

View the MACR in original size

Manfred Brandner

Richard Pieber

Sally Vincent

The Dedication-Ceremony

After contacting the relatives of Harry P. Hillhouse and Robert G. Haglund, several family members immediately knew they would soon be visiting Austria to attend the dedication. The decision was made that the dedication-ceremony would be held on August 09th 2008. That day would also be considered a significant day for the Community of Kleinsoelk.

Initially the plan for the location of the dedication was to be at the memorial site. Upon arrival that day, rain water rushed from the mountaintops as if tears were falling from heaven. Too dangerous for people to climb the mountain, it was decided that the ceremony would now be held near the Putzentalalm.

The orchestra of Kleinsoelk started and the mayor Georg Stuecklschweiger welcomed all the guests, especially Doug Hillhouse, a son of Harry P. Hillhouse from Georgia, USA, and his wife Mariana; Marge Tetens, a sister of Robert G. Haglund from Minnesota, USA, along with 12 other relatives from USA and Germany. There was also Sally Vincent, her husband Robert and two friends from England. Richard McCleary, Lt Col, U.S. Air Force, Air Attaché in the republic of Austria representing the American Embassy. From the Austrian Army, Obstlt Unterdechler was in attendance, along with a Guard of Honour. Also in attendance were Peter Dicker, Vice President of the Veterans of Styria; DI Franz Laimer, Chairman of the Veterans of the District Liezen; LAbg. Karl Lackner, political representative; and Prince DI Jerome and Princess Livia Colloredo-Mannsfeld, the family land owners of the area around the lake Schwarzensee.

Manfred Brandner presented the WWII circumstances of the flight, the rescue of the wreck and building the memorial, and the research work to find the relatives. Pastor Johannes Glawogger provided a meditation and blessed the memorial plaque. While the orchestra played the choral “Nearer, My God, to Thee”, Vice President Peter Dicker and Lt Col Richard McCleary laid down a wreath for the never forgotten victims of the 2 world wars, especially those men of this flight.

Martin Grundner (Chairman of the Kleinsoelk Veterans), Manfred Brandner, Herbert Grundner

The Memorial with the Propeller-Hub and a Turbocharger

The memorial plaque

Mayor Georg Stuecklschweiger

Manfred Brandner and Eva Petrovic

Pastor Johannes Glawogger and Translator Wiebke Heider

Martin Grundner (Chairman of the Kleinsoelk Veterans) and Eva Petrovic

Peter Dicker, Vice President of the Veterans of Styria and Richard McCleary,
Lt Col, USAF, Air Attaché of the USA in Austria

Relatives of the crewmembers, Pastor Johannes Glawogger, Mayor Georg Stuecklschweiger, Veterans-Chairman Martin Grundner, Manfred Brandner,
Franz Schnepfleitner

Guard of Honour, Austrian army

Manfred Brandner, Franz Schnepfleitner, Doug and Mariana Hillhouse,
Andreas Giselbrecht, Richard Pieber

Family Boedigheimer at the gravesite from Robert G. Haglund in St. Avold, France

Marge Tetens, sister of Robert G. Haglund with daughter Diane

Doug and Mariana Hillhouse, Sally Vincent from England (Organisation GI-Trace) with her husband Robert and 2 friends

Richard McCleary, Lt Col, USAF, Air Attaché of the USA in Austria in the
original Willys Jeep from Richard Pieber

Petra Pieber, Franz Schnepfleitner, Manfred Brandner, Doug and Mariana Hillhouse, in the Breitlahnalm-area in front of the Mountain Schoeneck,
the arrow show’s the crash site

Doug Hillhouse with a part of his father’s parachute

Thank you!!

To everyone who did work on the rescue, the building of the memorial, the researching, the organization and realization of this dedication-ceremony, and all other persons involved a great “Thank you”!

Please submit your information to the Community of Kleinsoelk or directly to Manfred Brandner.

References:

Richard Pieber, Predlitz
Mag. Wolfgang Wittmann, Linz
Der Krieg aus der Luft; Kärnten und Steiermark 1941 – 1945;
Stefan Karner-Siegfried Beer, Weishaupt Verlag, ISBN 3-900310-38-6
MACR-Report 10081
Ernst Daum, Kleinsölk
Franz Schnepfleitner, Altirdning
Gebhard Franz Ladreiter, Kleinsölk
Herbert Grundner, Kleinsölk
Manfred Brandner, Kleinsölk
Richard Kutschera, die Fliegerangriffe auf Linz im zweiten Weltkrieg
Squadron/Signal Publications, Walk Around B-17 Flying Fortress, Number 16
Jeffrey L. Ethell, Air Command, Fighters and Bombers of World War 2