Nutmeg Connections to Famous B-17

The restored B-17 known as the Liberty Bellethat crashed and burned on June 13, 2011, in Oswego, Illinois, had a number of Connecticut connections. Built at the end of the war, this version of the Liberty Belle never saw combat action in World War II but was named after the more famous B-17 Liberty Belle, which flew 64 combat missions in the big war. The current version of the Liberty Belle – the one that recently crashed in Illinois – was almost scrapped as well, but Pratt and Whitney of East Hartford bought it from a mining company in Oklahoma for $2,700 in 1947 and flew it out of Rentschler Field in East Hartford.

Pratt mounted  a 5th engine  on the nose and flew it as a test plane through 1967. It then donated the plane to the Connecticut Aeronautical Historic Association, which had it on display at the Bradley Air Museum in Windsor Locks until the fuselage was severely damaged .

Aviation enthusiast Don Brooks oversaw the restoration of the Liberty Belle into flying condition. Brooks has a personal interest in keeping the “Belle” in service, as his dad, Elton Brooks, was the tailgunner in the original "Belle." It began flying again on December 8, 2004, decorated in the colors and insignia of the 390^th Bomber Group of the Eighth Air Force, until it crashed and burned on June 13^th in Illinois. It was a kind of flying museum.

Another area connection to the 390^th Bomber Group is a 1938 Manchester High School graduate, James V. Edmondson. Born July 18, 1919, in England, Jim Edmondson emigrated to the USA with his family in 1923. After studying carpentry and graduating from Manchester High, Jim joined the service in March 1941 – well before Pearl Harbor. His first 15 months in the Army were spent with an artillery unit. He then became an aviation cadet in July of 1942, getting his wings in July of ’43. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant. In March of 1944 (see photo), Jim was assigned to the 571st squadron of the 390th Bomber Group. (The Liberty Belle was in the 570th Squadron of the 390th.) Enroute to England for war duty in April of 1944, Jim flew his B-17 low over his wife Laura’s schoolhouse in Coventry, creating quite a stir (see photo). After re-fueling in Newfoundland, Jim’s plane made it to its base – Framlingham – in Suffolk. Framlingham was also the base for the originalLiberty Belle. 

Lt. James V. Edmondson’s first combat mission occurred on May 1, 1944, when he flew his plane on a bombing mission to Sarreguimines in extreme northeastern France on the border with Germany. Jim would pilot his B-17 on 35 missions to five different countries – France, Czecholslovakia, Germany, Poland, and Romania – through August 25, 1944. That he was able to fly 35 missions and survive is rather miraculous when one considers that the 8th Air Force lost over 4,000 four-engine bombers during the war; furthermore, over 26,000 men from the 8th perished in action and over 21,000 became POWS. (Note that these casualty figures do not include training and transport deaths, which were significant.) Jim’s 35th and final mission came on August 25, 1944 – a mission to Politz, a city in North Bohemia. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with four oak leaf clusters for his service.

About two weeks after Jim Edmondson finished his tour of duty, on September 9, 1944, the Liberty Belle flew a mission to Dusseldorf. While the squadron was flying in a tight formation, a German artillery shell pierced the bomb bay of a B-17, exploding the 1,000 lb. bombs onboard. The resulting series of explosions brought down six nearby Fortresses in the formation and damaged three others, including “Belle.” The Liberty Belle was the only damaged B-17 able to make it back to England. The “Belle” was repaired and returned to service. Its final mission came on February 14, 1945, when flak damaged the plane severely, killing two crewmembers. The plane still got the rest of the crew back to Flamingham, including Elton Brooks; however, its damage was so severe that it had to be scrapped.

Lt. Jim Edmondson later became ordained as a minister – one of three members of his B-17 crew to become ministers. He spent most of his ministry serving the people of Haddam in the First Congregational Church there from 1958-1978. This beloved Manchester High grad and war hero also served as interim minister at the Second Congregational Church in Coventry before his death. Jim Edmondson undoubtedly saw and probably flew many missions with the original Liberty Belle, as they were both stationed at Flamingham in Suffolk in the same bomber group. In March 2007, Jim’s son, John Edmondson – a friend and former colleague of mine – visited the 390th Bomber Group Museum in Tucson, Arizona, and was able to actually take a ride in the refurbished Liberty Belle (see photo). Unfortunately, Jim Edmondson did not live long enough to accompany his son on the Liberty Belle. Jim died on May 1, 2000, on the 56th anniversary to the day of his first combat mission in World War II.

Notes, Sources, and Links:

1.      To see a complete list of Jim Edmondson’s missions during WWII, click on this link: http://www.390th.org/resources/by-pilot-names-search/

2.      http://www.dm.af.mil/news/story.asp

3.      To read Rev. Edmondson’s obituary, click here: http://articles.courant.com/2000-05-03/news/0005022041_1_william-edmondson-richard-james-edmondson-wife/2

4.      390^th Bomber Group 50^th Commemorative History

5.      To see a series of close-up photos of the Liberty Belle, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYlZUXi1g5I&feature=fvsr

6. The 390th Bomber Group consisted of 4 squadrons: 568th, 569th, 570th, and 571st.

7. Click on the link below to go to the Liberty Foundation website and read about the recent crash in Illinois. It's an eye-opener. The chief pilot maintains that the plane was barely burning for a long time while on the ground. What kept firetrucks from dousing the fire and saving the plane were the wet cornfields from a recent rainstorm. It was deemed unsafe for the firetrucks to proceed through the mud, so it burned. The accounts in national newspapers sensationalized what really happened: http://www.libertyfoundation.org/index.html