Copilot 2nd Lt. Oscar C. Sampson and Bombardier 2nd Lt. John H. Garcia of the 8th Airforce, 92th Bomb Group, 407th Squadron, B-17G, Serial No. 42 -97203, emergency landing in Altenrhein on April 24, 1944, nose section demolished.
Sampson and Garcia were among the first American internees to escape from Switzerland and return to their home base in England. The incident that led to their early escape was the theft of the Nazi plaque, which was mounted in a clearly visible position on the front of the German consulate. The theft was the culmination of a series of pranks that American officers played on the Germans. The first major incident was the firing of homemade fireworks and rockets at the German Consulate on July 4, 1944, to celebrate American Independence Day. However, the most famous incident between the Americans and the resident Germans was the theft of Nazi insignia on the facade of the German Consulate building on Sunday, August 6, 1944, by Sampson and Garcia.
Photo: Garcia (left) and Sampson (right) sitting in Front of the Palace Hotel under house arrest.
Source: Swiss - Internees Assoc.
