USAAF
5th AF
19th BG
30th BS
Pilot Lt. Paul D. Lindsay
Tail Gunner Sgt. Vernon O. Elder
Crew Houston Rice (KIA)
Crashed July 13, 1942
Aircraft History
Based at Cloncurry, this bomber staged through Horn Island for a bombing mission against Lae. Two minutes after the takeoff and crash of B-17E 41-2636 around 2:30am, this bomber also crashed into the mud flats near shore.
Wreckage
Remains of this bomber still remain on the shore, with only its propeller blades above water at high tide. At low tide, the rest of the wreck is visible.
Relatives
Ken Elder (son of Vernon Elder)
"My father Sgt. Vernon O. Elder was the tail gunner Lindsay’s crew."
References
Horn Island page 197-198
Thanks to Ken Elder for additional information.
B-17
