A plaque for courage and selflessness:
On the 75th anniversary of the ditching of a U.S. bomber, City President Karl Kobelt gave a speech to numerous guests - at the very spot where the pilot climbed ashore in 1944. The evening before, Oskar Rickenbacher gave the long-awaited lecture. In 1944, the people of Zug knew only too well that the Second World War was raging on the other side of the country's borders: the news kept bringing new horror stories of death and destruction, food stamps were being issued, green areas and football fields were being turned into potato fields as part of the so-called "Anbauschlacht", at night towns and villages had to be darkened, curtains drawn and blue lamps fitted to bicycles and cars. When it flashed across Zug's sky around noon on March 16, 1944, heralded by a loud roar, the people of Zug escaped with a fright. Fortunately, it was not an invasion, but an Allied bomber making an emergency landing. On Friday evening, Oskar Rickenbacher revealed more details about the emergency landing of the US Army Force B-17G bomber in the packed Archesaal in the Reformed Church Center Zug. Sher Larsen-Green, the daughter of crew member Sergeant Carl J. Larsen, was also present. Eggs were served for breakfast. The bomber took off from Great Ashfield, England. Ashfield was one of 126 airfields the British built for the U.S. Army Airforce between 1942 and 1943. In each case, the British took off at night, the Americans during the day. Day watch for the 550th Squadron, to which the bomber belonged, was at 3:30 in the morning. Breakfast included two eggs, bread, porridge, fruit juice and coffee, Rickenbacher recounted. At 6:30 a.m., the 220 or so bombers of the Third U.S. Division took off. The target of the bomber, which was then ditched in Zug, was the Messerschmitt aircraft factories and the airfield in Augsburg. The briefing specified 9 hours of flight time, including 5 hours over enemy territory and in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees at altitudes of up to 7000 meters. Before reaching the target, the bomber group was attacked by eight to ten German fighter planes. The Americans fired back from open hatches, which is why the crew wore electrically heated underwear. The attack resulted in major damage to the aircraft. After 30 minutes the bomber had to leave the formation because of this damage, turned towards Switzerland with destination Spain, but finally had to ditch in Lake Zug.
A plaque at the « Wöschhüsli » = Laundry cleaning House
March 16, 2019, 75 years later: City President Karl Kobelt inaugurates the brand new plaque commemorating the ditching of the US bomber in front of numerous guests and journalists at the very spot where pilot Robert W. Meyer came ashore (the other crew members had bailed out over Baar). It can be viewed at the Wöschhüsli in Zug's Unter-Altstadt. "The actions of the people of that time, and especially of the pilot, bear witness to courage, selflessness and a sense of responsibility, and this can still serve as a model for us today," said the city president. Initiator Oskar Rickenbacher was overwhelmed by the turnout and recapitulated the ditching. Christian Raschle, former city archivist, came up with numerous anecdotes. "When pilot Bob Meyer went ashore, after a brief greeting, the question arose as to how the locals communicated with the stranger, who by his appearance in uniform, flying gear and cigar and chewing gum illustrated the image of the tough Yankee familiar in this country." In all haste people were mobilized who were able to speak English. Rösli Bischof, a waitress's daughter, initially took over the translation. According to Sher Larsen Green, her father Sergeant Carl J. Larsen did not often report on the war. "Even though they were doing well in Switzerland, they were prisoners. They were 20-year-old boys who wanted most to go home," she said during the dedication. But he never said a negative word about Switzerland. Larsen escaped twice, the first time he was caught in Geneva. The second time he was successful and returned to Great Ashfield, the base of his bomber unit, and then to the United States.
Source: Luzerner Zeitung 18.03.2019
Geschichte Zugersee Bomber
