West TN B-17 Crash Memorial Dedication Saturday

Wednesday marked the 75th anniversary of the B-17 crash near Palmersville, that claimed the lives of seven airmen during World War II.

According to KYTN, the B-17 aircraft, with 10 personnel aboard, left the Dyersburg Army Airbase with a destination of Gulfport, Mississippi. The plane was to join 10 other planes to form a squadron for combat in Germany.

September 5, 1943, was a day that saw cloudy and stormy weather in West Tennessee. The flight crew, without the help of modern day avionics and navigation systems, planned to follow the Mississippi River. However, because of the bad weather, the crew mistakenly followed the Obion River.

The crew attempted to take the plane above the storms, but the engines exploded after reaching 22,000 feet.

There were three survivors of the crash, but seven crewmen were lost when the plane crashed in an area north of Highway 190, near Palmersville, just south of the Graves County/Kentucky State line.

The monument that will honor the B-17 flight crew, will be dedicated Saturday afternoon at 4:00, at the crash site on East New Hope Church Road.

The memorial monument is a project of the America Legion Riders.