Cotswold Archaeology has embarked on a highly sensitive and significant project to locate and recover a B-17 bomber that tragically crashed in East Anglia in 1944. Throughout June, specialists and volunteers came together to work at the remarkable site. The woodland, which is situated in East Anglia, is the final resting place of a WWII B-17 pilot, whose plane crashed in 1944 due to control failure.
Andy from Xtreme Metal Detecting UK had the privilege of being invited to assist in the search. He was joined by myself (Seb) and Neil, also from the Xtreme MD UK team, in this crucial recovery mission.
This is 1st Lt. John Fisher Jr, a US B-17 bomber pilot during WWII, whose remains the team were working to recover. Fisher was the first pilot killed in the top-secret ‘Operation Aphrodite’ — an effort to counter German V1 and V2 rocket launches and destroy submarine pens, using ageing bombers as flying bombs.
These ‘Aphrodite babies’ were stripped back, filled with highly-explosive Torpex, and flown toward their targets by just a pilot and co-pilot. Once on course, the crew planned to bail out, leaving a ‘mother’ plane to remotely guide the drone to its target.
Fisher, an experienced pilot at just 21, had a wife and an unborn baby back in Peekskill, New York. During this mission, a malfunction caused his plane to pitch, dive, and then stall. With little time to react, he pushed his co-pilot from the plane to safety, ultimately sacrificing himself. (Cotswold Archaeology, 2024)
The Defense POW / MIA Accounting Agency tasked Cotswold Archaeology with recovering the remains of John Fisher, who was declared MIA after his load of 22,000 lbs of Torpex exploded on impact. All surrounding soil had to be meticulously searched using sieves and metal detectors with the aim to recover plane ID numbers, personal effects, and any human remains. The ultimate goal was to return this young man home. Our friends from Xtreme MD UK team attended the site unknown to what we would be facing, however after a site induction by Sam, the lead archaeologist, we were well informed about the mission at hand.
Immediately after arriving at the site and passing the induction, we had the opportunity to see what had been found so far. The team’s hard work over the past couple of weeks prior to me arriving, gave volunteers and visitors to site to see already discovered parts of the engine, fragments of the wing and also pieces which still had visible part numbers and serial numbers.
Upon inspection, there was a large crater at the site of excavation (which we suspect to be the location of impact and explosion), the team took a special interest in this area. While they continued to remove the surface material in the crater, the surrounding area was gridded, by 10x10m squares. The neighbouring area had been covered by 80 years of vegetation and growth, all of which had to be cleared in order to get the best results possible from the detectors. We wanted to ensure the entire crash site was thoroughly covered to gather as much information as possible about the crash landing. Remarkably, there were still parts of the B-17 visible on the surface!
There was clear evidence of numerous aircraft parts, and once the surface pieces were removed and the excavation began, it became evident the task would be challenging. Andy was asked to use the XP Xtrem Hunter, a device he is well-acquainted with after many hours of testing on his own sites. He has a good understanding of the Xtrem Hunter’s functionality and specialist capabilities.
Andy entered the crater and within minutes located three separate large targets. He helped Sam and the team plot the precise locations of these targets, preparing them for recovery. This proved invaluable when using the digging equipment to further excavate the crater.
The XP Xtrem Hunter was spot on. The depth and size of these three targets were originally unknown, meaning the XP Xtrem Hunter was essential in the recovery process. The other detectors on site were unable to locate the various pieces due to their depth, but this is something the XP Xtrem Hunter excels at. It became clear that Andy’s experience with the XP Xtrem Hunter was critical in ensuring a quick, effective and accurate location of the missing pieces. As he walked over the crater for the first time, not only was he able to provide the locations and sizes, he was also able to provide an accurate estimated depth, proving invaluable assistance with the excavation process. As digging continued, it became evident that the XP Xtrem Hunters data was consistently accurate and reliable.
When locating the item, we had to be careful not to damage the target with the digging equipment, which meant we needed a way of finding out the height of the target whilst in situ. To do this, Andy reduced the overall sensitivity of the XP Xtrem Hunter, however increased the reactivity of the machine. This then allowed only the top of the target to be detected, giving an estimated depth of approx. 1.2M. With this information, the excavation crew knew how close they could get to the target without damaging it with machinery. From here, We swapped to hand excavation tools to get closer to the target, and when we were about 0.6m away, the team swapped to hand tools in order not to damage the item.
Below is the result of all the hard work! Sam Wilson and Roseanna Price from Cotswold Archaeology in the crater with part of the engine and the propeller, visible in situ and when removed carefully.
Another task of the excavation was to use traditional metal detectors, which included using the XP Deus 1, XP Deus 2 and loan Garrett machines which were on site. The goal was to conduct surveys of the surrounding area. As a result of this, we were equipped with green and red flags. The red flag indicated any piece of miscellaneous metal that was found in the 10 x 10 metre gridded area we were allocated. Our green flags signified an easily identifiable piece of the aircraft that needed care and attention when being removed from the ground. An example of this would be an identifiable part of the plane, with a manufacturer’s name or part serial number. With this, Rachel from Cotswold Archaeology followed us, obtaining grid references for each find using a handheld GPS.
Despite spending only one day on site with the team, it’s clear to me that everyone involved understands the gravity, significance and sincerity of the situation. This was proved by the professionalism of both the archaeological team and the volunteers involved throughout. Andy and Neil were particularly invaluable, leveraging their expert knowledge and equipment to accelerate and streamline the recovery process. This initial visit was executed extremely well, and I hope for a future opportunity to return, continue the search, and provide closure to the Fisher family.
To find out more information, please click the link here about the work which Cotswold Archaeology undertook, with the help of volunteers.