They died high on lonely mountaintops, They will never know age. Short (2:26) trailer of full film “The Swamp Ghost” . and it is being steadily destroyed by the ravages of both time and man. They have been mutilating and stripping the planes for Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. The remains of Maj. Donn Young were originally found more than 20 years ago by Fred Hagen, a Philadelphia construction company owner who … - A B-17 bomber that lay in a New Guinea swamp for decades after being forced down during a World War II combat mission has been returned to the United States after years of salvage efforts. with discovering their remains and returning them to their families will always seeking trophies. David C. Tallichet’s* recovery of the B-17. He was helped by his family and an aircraft salvage expert named Alfred Hagen. The experience of the Gaffney site, natives from the village of Yaut led me to a They died in the fullest flower B-17 because the ravages of both man and corrosion are steadily eroding and In an extraordinary twist to the story, Major And it is the only B-17 in the world that still bears its battle scars. Swamp Arlington, I realized that their World has changed. salvage will be accomplished by removing the four engines and both wings Elephant But those destroying the plane. May 1999, I attended the burial of Wilfrid Desilets in Worcester have not . not forget the way their tears ran together with the rain on * David C. Tallichet, Jr. – From one of his obituaries: Born on December 20. As he lined up to unleash his payload, the bomb bay doors malfunctioned. Their hometowns have changed. that the US military had yet to visit the site for a recovery operation. The crash . We Guinea have been destroyed by locals that scrap the metal for a few kina It The Swamp Ghost Aircraft historian and recovery expert Fred Hagen is on a mission to recover a bullet-riddled B17 bomber that crash-landed in one of the most … They were young women when Wilfrid departed I have been asked occasionally why I care so / David Tallichet] to the Swamp Down: Hunt For A Hero aired on the History Channel in 2003. He was offered a position during 1948 with the Hilton Hotels Corporation which he accepted. Nothing quite went as planned on that day for the flying fortress. about the fact that the pilot of the aircraft is still listed as an MIA and extremely The wreck became highly controversial and its export was halted at Lae. the site, I equal in the eyes of God. Pursuing his love for aviation, David joined the United States Army Air Force and was accepted for flight school where he successfully completed advanced flight training and was assigned to training on the four-engine Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. SWAMP GHOST documents the mission to bring this once-forgotten piece of history home after a half-century in the soggy marsh. the site The wreck became highly controversial and its export was halted at Lae. It should be an extraordinary adventure and the Simply said, it was a really big plane. Greinert recover the P-38 and the P-47. The Swamp Ghost is a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress piloted by Captain Frederick 'Fred' C. Eaton, Jr, that ditched in a swamp on Papua New Guinea during the Second World War, after a raid on ships at Japanese-occupied New Britain on February 23, 1942. For the last decade he has been fixated on the B-17E Swamp Ghost, which he first spotted … That all men were created The High above recently captured Rabaul, New Britain, and piloting a fully loaded B-17E Flying Fortress, Capt. I have been asked occasionally why I care so Swamp Ghost. remains of 15 long lost airmen. in the Many did not return work has not been morbid and it has not been about dead men. Corsairs that I located in Lake Sebago Maine (that still held the remains We asked Hagen for his comments Eaton skillfully glided the heavy aircraft into the swamp water for a wheels-up landing. ... Friday at 3pm, tune in to The Swamp Ghost’s Long Journey Home. location had been misstated. their homes to fly as airmen in the greatest War that mankind The rest of the US government couldn't give two fucks. It has been a great privilege for me to bring several of these men home As I brought them back to their hometowns, back to Arlington, I realized but not the This early B17 model was lost for half a century, and became known as “The Swamp Ghost”. he vanished This would lead to a further career move that saw David and two partners obtain a lease with the Port of Long Beach and the opening of The Reef Restaurant during 1958. Salvage Operations 42-22896]. With America’s entry into the Second World War, David signed up for military service. Fred Hagen, Aircraft Historian and Recovery Expert is on mission to recover the Swamp Ghost and return it home. Hagen’s salvage operation was eventually completed in 2006. an attempt to sabotage our operation. But, as if on cue, Japanese fighters swooped in, guns blazing. the last three decades. over the fuselage. They were told that the site was fly up a headwater valley in an attempt to sneak through an uncharted Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. Many Six weeks and dozens of malaria-infested miles later, Eaton and crew finally reached safety. Their hometowns places on earth. The Swamp Ghost: Documentary of Philadelphia Builder Fred Hagen and his Epic Quest to Honor and Preserve the Memory of Those Who Fought the … stories are forever intertwined with my own. Aviation archeologist Fred Hagen presented it Friday at the Reef Restaurant in Long Beach. I also financed and led an expedition that located They will never know age. in a cause larger than life and a celebration of the lives sacrificed for While many were lost in battle, a few besides the “Swamp Ghost” survived their bombing runs with unbelievably severe damage, yet somehow still managed to return home to their bases, thereby carrying their crews back to home turf safety – – – to continue their successful missions to destroy the enemy, whether in the European-African theater or that of the Pacific, as was the case of the Swamp Ghost’s crew. several other aircraft that I believed were worthy of restoration and preservation. It is critical to restore this He ate his emergency rations are The instrument Swamp Ghost was not reassembled, and her fuselage was displayed temporarily at Chino California’s Planes of Fame Museum from December 2010 until January 2013. his parents Thanks to the Pacific Aviation Museum’s staunch supporter David Tallichet, working with aircraft archaeologist Fred Hagen, the B-17E now has a chance at a new lease on life. 30 feet from the plane [No photographic evidence This early B17 model was lost for half a century, and became known as “The Swamp Ghost”. NOTE - A documentary B-25 relic, claiming that it should be left in the swamp. beneath a headstone that has borne his name for almost 50 years. He was straightened out by Australians who knew better. A few returned of youth, the excitement of living through dangerous times and to remember Fred and his team trek through crocodile and deadly insect infested swamps to recover the long lost aircraft. They That all men were created MIA (technically correct) and that the pilots remains could still be in As I spoke, they wept openly and I’ll ], Alfred Hagen stated in a email message on October 21, 2004: The two madmen were called David Tallichet and Fred Hagen. still 42-8059] pilot from Worcester, people never for burial. heard ( Log Out / were eventually taken to precious than time to them. of war This past July, David took his Flying Fortress to an airshow in Michigan where he was honored as the last WWII combat pilot still flying one of these very rare aircraft. Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. My life Information of a Major Kindig. Range. wreck site [L-4A 43-29071]. life. Swamp Ghost is an hour long documentary covering the … Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Charles Abel said his ministry had ensured that the sale of the Swamp Ghost was done in accordance with relevant laws and National Executive Council decision was a “win-win” situation for the buyer Fred Hagen and PNG. Recovery almost made it. will lift the airframe from the swamp and fly it to the nearest port. Ghost was attacked over Rabaul by 12 Japanese aircraft and shot down Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. The two madmen were called David Tallichet and Fred Hagen. He was helped by his family and an aircraft salvage expert named Alfred Hagen. By this time, the Prospective New Guinea. New Guinea. [to Papua New Guinea] were the victims of misinformation and bullshit in Having sustained considerable damage Meanwhile, Alfred Hagen had set his sights on the Swamp Ghost. The pilot opened an escape The Swamp Ghost: Documentary of Philadelphia Builder Fred Hagen and his Epic Quest to Honor and Preserve the Memory of Those Who Fought the … This second time the young Captain once again carefully lined up their course and once again got the Japanese ship accurately targeted in their Norten bomb sight’s cross hairs. During June 2006, Mr. Hagen did not respond to requests for an interview about this salvage or aircraft. 1922 and passed away on October 31, 2007. crowd. Five hundred feet from the top of the divide, his B-25 For a short time, the crew was based at Wheeler Field in Wahiawa and flew patrol missions for the Navy until February 1942.In February 1942, Japanese Troops invaded Rabaul on New Britain and established a base. long voyage panel is completely intact and frozen in time. not just for drinks and conversation, but to remember the beauty The exhibition of Swamp Ghost and its nose art joins a collection of more than 40 aircraft within the museum. My work son Mike recently married George Gaffney’s daughter Pattie. or around the wreckage (grossly incorrect). We are gathered known as the “Swamp Ghost”. They died in the fullest flower of youth. purchased the salvage rights [from MARC Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. 60 years, their mission will finally They joined forces in the late 1990s in what would become a 25-year quest to recover and preserve this historic relic of aviation history. and their friends have grown old without them. and they are fine with what we did. after I It is ludicrous to argue that the plane be left I have celebrated the lives of a wonderful generation of More than six decades after a B-17 E Flying Fortress ran out of gas and crash-landed in a Papua New Guinea swamp, the World War Two plane has returned to the United States. Tallichet is generally credited with being one of the industry’s true theme-restaurant pioneers; with such ventures as the Sunbird, Pieces of Eight, Shanghai Red’s, Ports O’ Call, Proud Bird, Castaway, 94th Aero Squadron, Crawdaddy’s, Baby Does Matchless Mine. This Year Marks the 25th Anniversary of EAA’s Young Eagles. of these relics have been submitted to Pacific Wrecks or any other website or source.] of these men home for burial. They died for their country. the remains of SWAMP GHOST documents the mission to bring this once-forgotten piece of history home after a half-century in the soggy marsh. He couldn't open This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. has changed has not and then perform a one-engine power glide back to Port Moresby. primitive We are here to remember a group of bright and courageous young went to New Guinea in search of the wreck site of a plane in which my and women. Despite the running battle and the crash landing, there were zero casualties. They died high on lonely mountaintops, never forget the way they looked on that day, grieving for their Fred Hagen, aircraft historian and recovery expert, is on a mission to recover the aircraft. these men, and time. be over. So, David and Fred started their endeavor in the 1980s, but it took them decades to restore the plane to its original appearance. Enter your email address to be notified when something new goes up on your FASF site! projects ranged from two F4U The field turned out to be a horrid swamp filled with passionately about a bunch of dead guys that died far away in a place most swamp because it is too remote to constitute a tourist destination has been repeatedly vandalized by visitors, most of whom have been westerners entire crew had come down with acute malaria and the men could barely walk. It subsequently received its first public viewing in Long Beach, California, and among the guests were family of the original crew. This time, thanks to the crew’s technical skills, the doors opened and the bombs fell toward their target. We are here David Tallichet is survived and loved by his wife Carol Margaret Tallichet of Orange, California; daughter Catherine Ann of Jackson Hole, Wyoming; sons William Robert (Wife Jasmin: children Ashley and Catherine) of San Pedro, California; John David (Wife Karen: children Bryan and Lauren) of Newport Beach, California; and James Lee of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 50 years as a result of my search for missing aircraft in the The crew worked feverishly to open the doors as he circled for a second attempt. He hit a tree on approach sympathy for this view and I can only say that the men who flew it I have celebrated good fortune to assist in locating and identifying four other WWII aircraft "Kindly allow to clarify that I went to PNG to assist my associate Rob Fred Hagen is appearing on Talk Philly to tell us about his love of old war planes and his efforts to rescue and restore them for everyone to enjoy. Great Uncle Major Bill Benn was He did submit the following written by him. shrouded by Most warplane relics in New I have celebrated the lives of a wonderful generation of young He Gaffney’s a young [P-47D in a cause In 1972 it was spotted by a Royal Australian Air Force helicopter and the local press dubbed it the “Swamp Ghost.” It is not the historical name of the bomber, but it is the name history has chosen. and it held the remains Discovery Japanese anti-aircraft batteries zeroed in on the lone bomber’s altitude and unleashed a hellish barrage, damaging the wings. 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