Marauder 41-17790 sits forlornly on a beach on the Dutch island of Noord Beveland, surrounded by admiring Germans.[1]
41-17790 was a Martin B-26B Marauder[N 1]
History
Assigned to the 319th Bomb Group, 437th Bomb Squadron, 41-17790 was captured by the Germans at Noord Beveland, Netherlands on 3 October 1942, after crash landing on a beach,[2] having been lured to a Dutch island following spurious German radio signals while the pilot, 2nd Lieutenant Clarence Wall, was trying to land somewhere safely on its remaining engine during its delivery flight from Iceland to Scotland. After its bizarre capture, the Marauder was evaluated by the Luftwaffe, and then displayed at an air show in Germany.[1]
It's subsequent fate is unknown.
![41-17790 in Luftwaffe markings.[1]](/wiki/File:41-17790_in_German_markings.jpg "41-17790 in German markings.jpg (150 KB)")
41-17790 in Luftwaffe markings.[1]
An RAF ground crew inspects 41-17790, which has the Nazi markings it wore for nearly two and a half years. The bright yellow fuselage band and tail flashes can still be seen (though barely visible on orthographic film), but the swastika has been blanked out by a censor in this photo. We can also see the paint circle where the old USAAF star roundel was painted over–just to the right of the airman.