They trained for war with the B-17s and moved to Framlingham, England in July 1943.\u00a0 They began combat operations on August 12, 1943 and continued through to the end of the war.<\/p>\n
In September 1944, the group went up against targets in Dusseldorf, Germany.\u00a0 Twelve aircraft of the group were flying in formation when flak struck one of the airplanes amidships.\u00a0 The exploding bombs of the payload destroyed nine airplanes in the formation.\u00a0 Of the remaining three aircraft, only one made it home to Framlingham.\u00a0 That ship was the Liberty Belle<\/em>.<\/p>\n The owner of the aircraft that crashed yesterday was Don Brooks.\u00a0 His father served with the 390th Bomb Group during the war.\u00a0 Brooks, in a tribute to his father, discovered this particular airplane and purchased it in 1990.\u00a0 He then created the Liberty Foundation, an organization dedicated to preserving and displaying the airplane.<\/p>\n B-17G "Liberty Belle" \/ via Wikipedia, Mark Strawn<\/p><\/div>\n On December 8, 2004 after 14 years of dedicated hard work by many paid and volunteer workers, the airplane flew for the first time after a $3.5 million restoration.\u00a0 Following the initial test flights, the airplane joined other vintage aircraft in touring the country.<\/p>\n Besides touring the United States, the Liberty Foundation flew the airplane to several airshows in Canada. \u00a0In addition to rounds in the United States and Canada, the Liberty Belle<\/em> also made a transatlantic crossing to visit England.\u00a0<\/p>\n This particular airplane, SN 44-85734, never saw combat and had a unique journey from the times of the war to its last landing in the Illinois cornfield.\u00a0 In 1947, the government sold the airplane for scrap, but before destruction, Pratt & Whitney purchased the airplane for use as a test bed for their emerging turbine engines.\u00a0 After Pratt & Whitney completed their testing, they donated the airplane to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic Association.\u00a0 While there, the airplane substantially damaged by a tornado in 1979.<\/p>\n During the restoration process, Liberty Belle<\/em> became operational by cannibalizing another Flying Fortress.\u00a0 Tom Reilly\u2019s company in Kissimmee Florida, the Flying Tigers Warbird Restoration Museum, performed most of the work.<\/p>\n Monday morning the airplane was to takeoff from Aurora Municipal Airport in Sugar Grove, Illinois.\u00a0 The aircraft and crew were bound for new destinations in Indiana.\u00a0 Shortly after takeoff, an engine fire developed in engine number one, the outboard engine on the left wing.<\/p>\n Another aircraft participating in the tour advised the bomber pilot of the fire and to \u201cget it on the ground now!\u201d \u00a0That is exactly what the crew did.\u00a0 They lowered the landing gear and landed the airplane in a harvested cornfield.<\/p>\n After the landing, everyone got out of the airplane.\u00a0 The number one engine continued to burn and the fire spread.\u00a0 Eventually, the fire reached the high-octane gasoline in the fuel cells.<\/p>\n Monday afternoon, Don Brooks reflected on the loss of the airplane.\u00a0 He, like many, feels as though the crash of the airplane was a loss of a national treasure.<\/p>\n Indeed, it is.<\/p>\n -30-<\/p>\n \u00a9 2011 J.\u00a0 Clark<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Monday, June 13, 2011, will remain a sad day for the warbird community.\u00a0 A vintage warrior made her final landing in a cornfield near Chicago.\u00a0 After the landing, all seven aboard the airplane were able to make good their escapes, … Continue reading ![\"\"](\"https:\/\/joeclarksblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/liberty_belle_b-17g.jpg\" "\\"Liberty_Belle_B-17G\\"")
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