B-17's that took a beating

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After bailing out landed in the woods near Nevsova (3 miles away from Slavicin) and stayed hanging on tree. Local people helped him to get down. He was wounded on his hand so the people called for the doctor from Slavicin. After he arrived he decided to drive Coogan to Slavicin as he wasn´t able to treat his wound without ambulance.
In Slavicin, after Coogan´s wound was treated, Germans captured him and he ended as POW in Stalag Luft IV.
He was a jew, so before or after he bailed out he removed his dog tag.
After he was captured he spent few days with another crew members in German military barracks in Slavicin. My friend Joe gave him one of his own 3 christian medals what probably helped to save Coogan´s life. If the Germans knew he´s a jew, they would execute him....
I´ve 4got- he was a flight engineer.
We belive he passed away in 90´s, have no picture of him.
 

got a nice letter from Bob Kirsch yesterday with interesting story. More on Monday...
 
Just to continue- Francis Flynn bailed out through the bomb bay. One of the 20 mm shells that exploded in the cockpit wounded him badly on his back.
He landed near the small village Petruvka, some 3 miles away from Slavicin and stood unconscious. Local people found him there. They saw also another parachute falling down so the ran this direction to find the friend of badly wounded American. They found him in the woods. He was hiding there as he didn´t know it the people are Germans or Czechs. This airmen turned to be my friend Joseph P. Owsianik. The people somehow told Joe that there´s his friend very close that needs a help so Joe gave up escape to the east and went with the people. When met Francis Flynn he asked the people for the stretcher. People brought the stretcher from the fire house: Joe loaded Flynn on the stretcher and with the help of the people they brought him to the fire house. There Joe opened the escape maps and asked the people for the location. At the same moment a German officer entered the room and yelled : Raus! Raus! (get out). All the people dissapeared and only Joe, Francis and the German soldiers stood there. Germans stripped Joe off and were trying to find out if he is a Jew. If so, the would execute him.
Then they gave some clothes back to Joe and escorted him to the jail in Slavicin. Francis Flynn was transported to the hospital in Brno where he was operated. Later he underwent several opearations in Germany before the WW2 was over.
Francis Flynn has visited Slavicin in 1994 with another crew members, since that there are no news about him.
Today I´ve found interesting information about him. It seems that he sent a letter to Gerge Bush with his experience from visit of Slavicin...
Biographical information: Francis Flynn Collection: Veterans History Project (American Folklife Center, Library of Congress)
Photoalbum,correspondence and even video interview Francis W. Flynn: Veterans History Project (Library of Congress

I´ve never sen that before!
 
Thanks for the posting. As you can probably tell by my login, Russell Meyrick was my great uncle (my paternal grandfather's brother). It is my goal to someday soon make it to Rudice for the memorial at the tree-maybe next year if the money is there. I would love to chat with you about those on my uncle's plane who are still with us. I would cherish the opportunity to talk with them.
 
holy Jesus! boy, Boeing sure knew how to build their aircraft strong!! and I thought the B-17 "Ye olde Pub" was torn up.
 

Hi Kelly!
just sent you PM. As I told you there I´m pretty excited and you made my day today! Should you attend the next year commemoration, that would be something amazing. So let´s keep in touch via e-mails...
Someone from your family was in touch with me 2 years ago (only 1 e-mail) and he thanked me for the pic of Meyrick. I have to find this e-mail and will send it to you.
 

Kelly,

2 days ago I sent you few e-mails, unfortunately (probably) to wrong e-mail address. I resent them all few minutes ago to the adress you´ve posted - kellylcharles@hotmail.com
Did you get them?
 
Fantastic story Roman. Thank you so much. My grandfather was a B-17 waist gunner with the 351st group, 8AF. I am also in awe at the amount of people present at the memorial. I think some of the European countries better appreciate these men than my own country. Sad but true.
 
Trebor, go one page back and you´ll get it all.
Kelly´s great uncle Russell was KIA on his mission on Aug 29,1944, few miles away from my born town. As every year, there will be an anniversary commemoration (65th) on the crash site.
Kelly found me this year and decided to come to visit us, also maybe with her grandpa, Russell´s brother.
Kelly works as a teacher so the date wasn´t the best for her so she asked me to move it 2 weeks earlier. Now she told me the date is O.K. for her.
So just a little explanation, if you´re interested in this particular B-17, start to read this thread from the page N°2.
 
KMeyrick said:
Roman!
WE ARE COMING ON THE 29th!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't change the date!

I emailed you
Click to expand...

Haven´t got better information this year!
Kelly, get your men ready for our beer /the only real Budweiser/ and home made slivovice /brandy from plumbs with 51% of alcohol/.
I´ll inform all my friends and mayors involved in this about your message!
THX again!

Roman
 
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