Flight Journal
B-17 Flying Fortress Special Issue
July 2004

Swamp Ghost - B-17E Gravesite in the New Guinea wetlands
by Justin Taylan

The raid on Rabaul was disappointing. Four of the five B-17s on the raid had been hit and B-17E 41-2446 was stricken from the inventory when its crew had to belly it into a swamp in New Guinea as it ran out of fuel. For 60 years, it remained where it landed. Occasionally visited by the curious and scavengers, this time it was visited by Justin Taylan and his camera. See this glorious ghost from the past as it lives out its final days as the most complete B-17 wreck known to exist.