Original U.S. WWII B-17 42-3544 'Stars and Stripes' Recovered Bomb Switch on Period Mount with Provenance Note - Crashed January 5th, 1944

Item DescriptionOriginal Item. One-of-a-Kind. This is an outstanding artifact which was mounted onto a board for display during the period. This B-17 Flying Fortress bomb switch was recovered off of the B-17G 42-3544 'Stars and Stripes' which crashed shortly after takeoff from Great Ashfield at Brook Farm in Badwell Ash on January 5th, 1944. The plane crashed on farmland to the northwest of the Badwell Ash, off Langham Road near Brook Farm.It is probable that the pilot, Flying Officer William H Morris was aware that there was a problem with the aircraft and was trying to get back to Great Ashfield Airdrome. As a result of the crash, one bomb exploded and together with the impact of the crash, all the crew, bar one, was killed and debris from the plane was scattered over a large area. The plane was carrying 16 M31 300lb bombs.There were nine men on the 'Stars and Stripes' that day. The official crash report said that 'due to the sudden illness of one crew member just prior to take off, only nine men were aboard the aircraft at the time of the crash'. The nine members of the crew were:Pilot – Flying Officer William H MorrisCo-Pilot – 2nd Lt. Dennis J. ZiebarthNavigator – 2nd Lt. Richard S ProctorBombardier – 2nd Lt Robert M TotaroTop Turret Gunner T/Sgt Russell A StevensRadio Operator/Gunner – Sgt. Chester A Rober, JrBall Turret Gunner – S/Sgt Walter A StuebgenWaist Gunner – Sgt. Stanley LowitzTail Gunner – S/Sgt Burnell W HamiltonOnly S/Sgt Burnell W Hamilton, the Tail Gunner, survived.This bomb switch is mounted to a wooden board measuring 11 ¼ x 7 ¾' and has an attached note reading:B17 USAAF FORTRESSBOMB SWITCH FROM B-17, 42-3544 WHICH CRASHEDJUST AFTER TAKEN OFF ON JANUARY 5TH, 1944.THE BOMBER NAMED 'STARS AND STRIPES OF THE385TH B.G. CAME DOWN ON BROOK HOUSE FARM,BALDWELL ASH. STATION WAS GREAT ASHFIELD.An outstanding and macabre artifact, ready for further research and display.Shipping RestrictionsThis product is not available for international shipping.Payment OptionsNot eligible for payment with Paypal or AmazonLegal InformationTotally inert, cannot be converted to an explosive device, not available for export. This item is completely legal within the USA. International Military Antiques, Inc observes all Federal, State and Local laws. Everything for sale on ima-usa.com is completely legal to own, trade, transport and sell within the United States of America.All deactivated ordnance sold by IMA, Inc is engineered to be inoperable according to guidelines provided by the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATF).