Holy Grail of Military Aviation comes home 68 Years After Take-Off
June 13, 2010
Fallen B-17E Bomber ‘Swamp Ghost’ unveiled at ceremony honoring America’s war heroes.
Long Beach, CA — It’s a sacrifice Americans said they would never forget. And today, more than 68 years since a group of young U.S. servicemen in a B-17E Flying Fortress crash-landed in a primitive New Guinea swamp, a group of the air crew’s surviving relatives and supporters will welcome home the fallen aircraft to honor the heroes of World War II.
A formation flyover by a vintage P-51 Mustang and P-40 Warhawk above the Long Beach Harbor will launch a ceremony to unveil the recovered bomber, nicknamed Swamp Ghost and known by historians as the Holy Grail of military aviation.
Swamp Ghost emerged from beneath water and tall grass in the primitive New Guinea Swamp where it slept for 64 years. (Aero Archaeology)
