The story of Lt. William Johnson, pilot of crashed Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 'Spare Parts'. April 13th 1944.
The story of Lt. William Johnson, pilot of crashed Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 'Spare Parts'. April 13th 1944. At the junction of the A2070 near the village of Hamstreet , Romney Marsh, Kent, stands a modest memorial commemorating the crash of a Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress and the death of its pilot, Lt William H Johnson. The US Stars and Stripes flag flies permanently at the site, which is visited by many people and looked after by a small group of locals. As with many other crash locations in the UK, each has its own unique story; this one began in the summer of 1943 at Harvard Air Base, Nebraska. Lieutenant Johnson graduated from Washburn High School and joined the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) in August 1942. He formed Crew 57 in Nebraska during July 1943 and had been taking every opportunity to fly in B-17s whenever he could find a willing co-pilot, regulations dictating that the aircraft needed to have at least two crew members on board for each flight. The airme