HUMANITARIAN MISSION - United States Army Air Force B-17G 43-38911 "Bull Session"
Location of the crash site and credible location of missing Airmen
A search began in 2017 with goals of establishing the wreck site/sites for the aircraft USAAF, B-17 43-38911, “Bull Session”. This aircraft shot down on 14 January 1945 as it entered the West Luxembourg border area. It belonged to the 91st Bomber Group, 323rd Bomber Squadron of Bassingborn UK, AAF Station- 121. The 323rd was on a mission to Koln Germany to bomb a bridge and rail yards. Testament based on the only living witness, bombardier, Lt. James E. Buescher states that the aircraft took flak direct in mid-ship instantly exploding and descended until hitting the ground.
The bombardier James D. Buescher was thrown clear. He managed to open his chute and was soon captured, later being liberated in April 1945.
The Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) indicates this aircraft crashed to the ground in the vicinity 50, 02’05.23 N, 6.10’28.13” E. The MACR also claims the aircraft suffered a direct hit in the nose, peeling it from the front back to bulkhead #6. This is disputed by the bombardier and is justified, if it was a direct frontal nose hit he would not have been pushed through the nose and survived the fall.
There are several different theories on what exactly happened to the aircraft and the location it crashed at, none as yet is correct. Two crew members, remain to this day missing. The ultimate goal is to discover the wreck site, verify the site, and try to discover any evidence of the remains of the two missing airmen. Recovery will be carried out by the US government.
The search of Bull Session began 4 years ago in a dense 4.5 square kilometer forest area of a combination of pine, oak, beech, and birch trees, inhabited by loads of deer, both large and small varieties, raccoons, wild boar, fox, badgers, wild cats, and other small animals. The search began on what very little to be known at the time about its crash location. Information only based on a couple of photos and local accounts after the war while salvaging pieces of the plane from the forest. The recovered remains of the Pilot, Co-Pilot, and Navigator were found near and in the area in 1945/46. In summer 2017, 70% of the forest had been searched, as much of the 4.5 square km area as possible, only turning up a few small aluminum pieces and a half dozen rivets. Once the primary location/s of wreckage found, a focused search for the two MIA would pursue.