Flying Fortress Memorial

Memorial to the Flying Fortress ‘The Jocker’, which crashed on 13 April 1944 whilst returning from a mission over Germany.

Chased by German aircraft over Schweinfurt on 13 April 1944, an American B-17 was forced to turn back. Running out of fuel, it dropped its crew just across the Belgian border and, left to its own devices, crashed in a blaze of fire on the slopes of Crestelles Hill. The mangled body of Sergeant James H. Young was recovered from the charred wreckage and was immediately taken away by the occupier.

At the end of the war, the inhabitants of the village of Bérismenil honoured this airman by including his name on the war memorial alongside the many local civilian victims. In 1984, on the 40th anniversary, a memorial was erected a short distance away. Since then, every year in May, the American NATO contingent based in Geilenkirchen has made a tradition of coming here to celebrate Memorial Day.

Rates may vary.

Free of charge.

Timetables may vary.

Accessible all the time.