Sheridan in Grant County, Arkansas — The American South (West South Central)
American Legion B-17 Veterans Memorial
Photographed By Thomas Smith, July 4, 2023
1. American Legion B-17 Veterans Memorial
2nd. Lt. George H. Davis
Dubuque. Ia. Pilot
2nd. Lt. Robt. V. Turchetto
Nutley, N. J. Co-Pilot
T/Sgt Peter K. Ikanovich
Bisbee, Ariz.
S/Sgt Arthur N. Potter
Sutton, Mass.
2nd Lt. Philip E. Niewolak
Dunkirk, N.Y., Bombdr.
2nd. Lt. Leo E. Dolan
St. Louis, Mo. Nav.
T/Sgt. Dewitt H. Tyler
Porterville, Calif.
S/Sgt. David E. Secorski
Detroit, Mich.
S/Sgt. Kenneth D. Cain
Hobbs, N.M.
At this place these nine U.S. Army flyers from Smoky Hill Army Air Field, Salina, Kansas while in the performance of duty to their country, went down with their flying fortress and were killed at 4 P.M. March 12, 1943.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them.
Erected 2015 by Rotary Club - American Legion, Young Bussiness Men's Association of Sheridan, Arkansas.
Topics and series. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • War, World II. In addition, it is included in the Rotary International series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 12, 1943.
Location. 34° 22.817′ N, 92° 26.42′ W. Marker is in Sheridan, Arkansas, in Grant County. Memorial
this page online
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 14 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Unknown Soldiers (here, next to this marker); American Legion B-17 Veterans Memorial Park (here, next to this marker); Unknown Soldiers CSA (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grant County War Memorial (approx. 5.6 miles away); Clash at Whitten's Mill (approx. 7.8 miles away); Refugee Children / Supplies Destroyed (approx. 11.2 miles away); Bauxite, Arkansas (approx. 12.7 miles away); Battle of Jenkins' Ferry (approx. 13.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sheridan.
More about this memorial. The memorial is located in American Legion B-17 Veterans Memorial Park.
Also see . . . B-17 Flying Fortress Explosion of 1943 (Encyclopedia of Arkansas).
Overview: On March 12, 1943, the nine-man crew of a B-17F Flying Fortress perished after one of the plane’s engines caught fire and exploded mid-air during a flight from Smoky Hill Air Field in Salina, Kansas, to Morrison Field in West Palm Beach, Florida. The plane crashed in a wooded area five miles northwest of Sheridan (Grant County)...(Submitted on July 23, 2023.)
On the possible causes of the crash: A military investigation into the crash placed a majority of the blame on Davis and the thunderstorm. However,service records of the plane indicate that it had significant mechanical issues. Engines one and three had been replaced weeks earlier, and had only seventeen hours of flight time. Engines two and four were scheduled to be replaced March 13, a day after the Flying Fortress was scheduled to land in West Palm Beach. Moreover, the plane was designated as “condemned” before its last flight by the U.S. Army because of its history of mechanical problems and the poor condition of engines two and four. It is unclear if crew members knew their plane was declared condemned, but several of the crew members had conversations with family members weeks before the crash expressing their fears that a mechanical or structural flaw in the plane would lead to their deaths.Photographed By Thomas Smith, July 4, 20232. American Legion B-17 Veterans Memorial
Credits. This page was last revised on July 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 18, 2023, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. This page has been viewed 93 times since then and 21 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 18, 2023, by Thomas Smith of Waterloo, Ill. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
