Minot in Ward County, North Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

B-17 Bomber Crash Memorial

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 30, 2023

1. B-17 Bomber Crash Memorial

Inscription. On December 12, 1944, a B-17 Bomber on a training flight from the Army Air Base at Sioux City, Iowa, crashed while attempting an emergency landing at the Minot Airfield. Five of the crewmen perished in that tragic mishap. This memorial plaque is dedicated to the brave airmen killed and injured here at Minot and the world over during World War II, from 1941 to 1945.
Let us never forget their sacrifice.

CrewPilot Clifford Higgins Auburn, Neb.
Co-Pilot Koester Johnson Sioux Falls, SD.
Radio Operator Evor Everts Jr. E. St. Louis, Ill.
Gunner Philip Simonetti Brooklyn, NY.
Engineer Jack Campbell Chula Vista, Cal.
Survivor Bombadeer Chester Teich Chaska, Minn.
Survivor Navigator Charles Atkinson Jersey City, N.J.
Survivor Gunner Rudolph Eckstrom Middleton, Conn.
Survivor Gunner Jesse Stubblefield Springfield, Mass.

Dedicated December

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Click or scan to see
this page online

12, 2004

Erected 2004.

Topics. This historical marker and memorial is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Disasters • Patriots & Patriotism • War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is December 12, 1944.

Location. 48° 16.261′ N, 101° 17.391′ W. Marker is in Minot, North Dakota, in Ward County. It can be reached from 34th Avenue Northeast 0.2 miles east of North Broadway (U.S. 83), on the right when traveling east. The marker is located on the Dakota Territory Air Museum grounds, along the aircraft exhibit trail. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 34th Avenue Northeast, Minot ND 58703, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker and memorial is in North Dakota’s Bakken Oil Patch.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, August 30, 2023

2. B-17 Bomber Crash Memorial

this marker, measured as the crow flies: A-7D Corsair II (a few steps from this marker); Douglas C-47 Skytrain (within shouting distance of this marker); McDonnell Douglas F-15 "Eagle" (within shouting distance of this marker); Convair F-106 "Delta Dart" (within shouting distance of this marker); Lockheed T-33 "Shooting Star" (within shouting distance of this marker); 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (within shouting distance of this marker); Thanks to the United States Air Force (within shouting distance of this marker); June 22, 2011 (approx. 2.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Minot.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Dakota Territory Air Museum

Also see . . .
1. B-17 Minot Crash (Prairie Public NewsRoom). Excerpt:

12/12/2004: On this date in 1944, a four-engine B-17 bomber crashed three miles north of Minot. Al Erb said he saw the plane fly in low over his farm buildings, swing around with its right wing dipping lower, then watched it “sideslip” into his cornfield. Erb and his son, Ray, found five crew members dead and four others walking around
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in a daze. Ray took the injured survivors to the highway in his truck, and two passing motorists drove them to a Minot hospital.

(Submitted on February 12, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Dakota Territory Air Museum. Excerpt:

Founded in 1986, the Dakota Territory Air Museum has proudly evolved into a significant historical depository honoring the men, women and machines that have impacted the rich history of aviation.

(Submitted on February 12, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Credits. This page was last revised on February 12, 2024. It was originally submitted on February 11, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 537 times since then and 67 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on February 12, 2024, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.