Colorado's Lost B-17: A Terrible Tragedy



An example of a B-17

 This is a story of bad weather and bad luck. While it doesn't happen in the middle of a battle or around important people, the result is the same as it would've been if it had; the lives of the crew of a Boeing B-17 were lost, and very few people even know it happened.

It was a routine combat training mission on February 26, 1944. A B-17 was being flown from Clovis Army Air Base, New Mexico to Denver, Colorado, and back again. On this flight, the crew made it to Denver safely. However, about fifteen minutes into their return journey, ground control lost radio contact. While we may never know what really happened on that day, the most plausible theory based on the evidence gathered is that due to the overcast and snowy conditions around the Palmer Divide area, and perhaps a faulty altimeter, the plane ended up crashing into the side of a hill in Pike National Forest, killing the crew.



A piece of an engine as it looks today

 The wreck site wasn't found until May 22, 1945, over a year after the fact. the recovery teams were not able to recover all the wreckage, and to this day there are many identifiable pieces of the plane still there: four engine cowlings, landing gear struts, and a plethora of shredded and melted aluminum. However, the real heart of this story is not that the plane still exists pounded into the side of a hill, but the crew who were killed for nothing.

 It is important, therefore, that their names be remembered, as with any terrible tragedy, no matter how big or small: Second Lieutenant Joseph J. Beeson, pilot; Second Lieutenant Harry B. Davis, copilot; Second Lieutenant Harry L. Barry, navigator; Captain Fred Gentry, flight engineer; Second Lieutenant Jack T. Laird, bombardier; Corporals Ralph C. Judah, Glenn L. Stutsman, James F. Perry, James R. Young, and Joseph J. Fendrick, gunners. May their names and their loss never be forgotten.