I am the owner of the B-17 Museum Utzenstorf, which is a case sui generis. It displays the history of foreign aircraft in Switzerland between 1939 and 1945, especially the story of US Army Airforce emergency landings and crashes during WWII. Among other things, it includes the B-17 emergency landing of Utzenstorf and the B-24 crashes in Bätterkinden and Jegenstorf. All correspondence and material from World War II that I have collected over the years is on display at my private B-17 Museum in Utzenstorf.
The first time I encountered Warbirds (restored aircraft from World War II) was in the 90s, when I travelled to England with a friend of mine. «Naturally, I was especially fascinated by the B-17, since I knew that one of them had carried out an emergency landing in Utzenstorf.»
When the local Utzenstorf historian Barbara Kummer invited American war veterans (Swiss internees) to the 50th anniversary of the B-17 Bomber emergency landing in Utzenstorf in 1993, I began talking to them. In doing so, I also got to know the president of the Swiss Internees Association, Robert (Bob) A. Long, who had survived an emergency landing in Dübendorf.
Swiss Internees Reunion in Switzerland 1993/1996/1998, visited the emergency landing sites and the places where they had been detained.
14.th October 1943, B-17 F-120-BO, Serial No. 42-30831, Nickname: Lazy Baby, 8th Air Force, 305th Group, 364th Squadron
Impressionen
A visit from various Swiss internees and veterans; we visited the emergency landing and crash sites with them, including the towns where they were interned.
Engine, propeller, gun-turret, parachute, radio frequency gauge, etc.
B-17G shot down on 24 April 1944, B-17 G-50-BO, serial no. 42-102446, nickname: Little Chub, 8th Air Force, 384th Bomb Group, 545th Squadron.
Various B-17 and B-24 wreckage – remains and salvaged parts from the Swiss Alps. Recovery of the B-17G wreckage at Greifensee.
Initiator and manager/organizer.
B-17F emergency landing at Utzenstorf, 17 August 1943, B-17 F-95-BO, serial no. 42-30315, nickname: Battle Queen, 8th Air Force, 390th Bomb Group, 569th Squadron.
Decision on the petition to the US Congress regarding prisoner-of-war status for Swiss internees; 2015: Award of the Prisoner-of-War Medal at the Pentagon, USA
Test flights accompanied by the Classic Formation, on the DC-3 and P-18
Pilot: Hugo Mathys, owner of all the aircraft in the Classic Formation.
Pilot: Philipp ‘Phile’ Müller, a former Swiss military pilot, is the expert in formation flying.
Pilot: Taigh Ramey, Maintenance & Restoration, from Vintage Aircraft.
C-47 ferry flight accompaniment, from England/Caen/Zuerich for the Convoy to Remember in 2016.
Der letzte Flug einer alten Lady
Visited with you the sites of emergency landings and crashes, and the places where their fathers, grandfathers, grandsons and so on were interned.
Invitation to the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the independence of the United States of America on July 4, 2026, extended by the U.S. Ambassador to the Swiss Confederation and the Principality of Liechtenstein, Callista L. Gingrich, and Speaker of the House of Representatives Newt Gingrich.
250 Years of the United States—The Eternal American Dream
Initiator, manager/organizor.
B-24H crash at Bätterkinden, 13 July 1944, B-24 H-20-FO, serial no. 42-94989, nickname: Battlin’ Baby, 8th Air Force, 448th Bomb Group, 713th Squadron.
B-24 Gedenkfeier Bätterkinden
B-17 F-120-BO, Serial No. 42-30831, Nickname: Lazy Baby, 8th Air Force, 305th Group, 364th Squadron Mission: Bombing of ball bearing plant in Schweinfurt, Germany
Lazy Baby
Movie 100 Years of Aviation in Switzerland, filmed at museum.
SRF marked the centenary of Swiss aviation (1910–2010) with a range of features and programmes; these can be viewed in the SRF archive under ‘100 Years of Flying’.
Flimed at museum.
Together with historians, war veterans, serving and former pilots and commanders, we set out in two short films to seek out eyewitnesses to that era. A journey through time, tracing the key developments and events that have shaped and defined the Luftwaffe. The focus is on the periods from 1914 to 1949 and from 1989 to 2014.
Movie Emergency Landing, filmed at museum.
Until the premiere of the film *Notlandung* on 23 October 2015, the story of the ‘Wauwilermoos internment camp’ was largely unknown to the public. The film brought the particular circumstances and harrowing experiences of the internees to the attention of a wider audience through vivid imagery and interviews.
A deeper insight into the Wauwilermoos internment camp was provided by the book *The Black Hole Wauwilermoos*, which the US pilot Dan Culler – who had been imprisoned there – presented to the then Federal President Kaspar Villiger in 1995, before visiting the ‘place of horror’.
Director Daniel Wyss (Climage.ch, Lausanne) initiated the film ‘Notlandung’ following the presentation of medals on 30 April 2014 at the Pentagon (Washington) to surviving US war veterans. These former crew members of US bombers that had made emergency landings in Switzerland were interned in our country; some of them were sent to Wauwilermoos – mostly due to escape attempts.
Their stories, filmed in ‘Notlandung’, together with additional accounts from historians, in turn revealed a dark and little-known side of Switzerland during the Second World War.
Since the film’s premiere in 2015, information and photographs relating to the Wauwilermoos internment camp have been on display at the ‘Grenzstein gegen das Vergessen’ (Boundary Stone Against Forgetting), located in the immediate vicinity of the former barracks camp near what is now the Mösli shop. information and photographs relating to the Wauwilermoos internment camp have been on display since the film’s premiere in 2015.
Play "The General"
In 1944, Jegenstorf Castle becomes the command post of the general and his staff. But suddenly it is not only about military matters.
Historical advice of the Swiss theater and film actor Daniel Ludwig about the B-17 emergency landing in Utzenstorf, uniforms and equipment of the American bomber crews that were interned in Switzerland from 1943-1945.
Historical consulting for the Swiss open-air play The Singing Pilots – and a village is turned upside down.
The idea: Faustus Furrer
The last two performances made it clear that theatregoers respond well to a folksy narrative with a historical background and interesting events from the recent past. So it was only natural to focus on the internment of American officers and non-commissioned officers in Adelboden from 1943 to 1945. Adelboden recognised the potential that these foreign military personnel brought with them and made use of it: around 600 American officers and non-commissioned officers and around 700 British soldiers were billeted in the village at the foot of the Wildstrubel during the last three years of the war. At that time, Adelboden had several hotels, some of them very large, which stood empty due to the absence of foreign tourists and thus offered ideal accommodation.
President and Project Manager: Faustus Furrer
The author: Ueli Bichsel
The director: Mitja Staub
Simmental Zeitung
Danke
The RAF in Switzerland 1940-45, Roger Anthoine,Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
Roger Anthoine
Foreign aircraft in Eastern Switzerland 1939 - 1945 By Dani Egger, Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
Max Lagoda Rendezvous with history, B-24 memorial plaque inauguration Bätterkinden 12 July 2015. Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
This third, updated and extended documentation contains a detailed description of the events of the Foreign Aircraft in Switzerland from 1939 - 1945 and is a compendium for those interested in history. From T. Wilhelm, Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
Editorial Office Switzerland since 2016, Rolf Zaugg
They were members of the Swiss Air Force, US Army Air Force, Royal Air Force, French Air Force (Armée de l'Air), Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) In the period from 1939 -1945, then we would like to get to know you.
If you are a son or daughter, grandson or great-grandson of a member of the Swiss Air Force, US-Army Air Force, Royal Air Force, French Air Force (Armée de l'Air), Italian Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) who served in the period 1939 -1945, then we would like to get to know you.
Please contact us under : Info@b17museum.ch or 079 653 13 57
Many thanks
The Gau Tirol-Vorarlberg and the operation zone Alpsforeland, Thomas Albricht Institute for Contemporary History University of Innsbruck, Austria, Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
The B-25 from Arbedo by Christian & Manuela Gloor, Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
Yearbook of the municipality Maurmer 2010
In this book is among other things the story of the B-17 Little Chub contained which crashed on 24. April 1944 into the Lake Greifensee. Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
Stories of the men, the missions and the machines.
Including extensive coverage of the Ground Crews.
3nd Edition, By Ken Decker
Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
Where tradition and modernity meet. The Emmental, a diverse and varied landscape, shaped by the unpredictable Emme River and its tributaries, gives its name to the most famous cheese in the world, which is produced here on the lush alpine pastures...
Author: Bruno Lehmann, Photos Sabine Käch
Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
D Region
Help with the book Greifensee Stories by Anette Schär. A lot has happened in the area around Lake Greifensee over the past centuries, including a chapter dedicated to the crash of the B-17G into Lake Greifensee on 24 April 1944. Provided various authors with articles, witness reports, and photographs.
Support for author Jürg Flückiger from Utzenstorf for his book “Prisoners Liberators”
Summer 1944. Switzerland has been surrounded by the fascist Axis powers for four years. In the west, south, east, and in the air, the Allied liberators are advancing. Not all of them make it through 166 damaged American bombers seek refuge in neutral Switzerland. However, Switzerland does not let the crews leave: the airmen are interned in the mountains, where they are torn between thoughts of escape, friendships, and romantic relationships.
Reports and photographs of the B-17 emergency landing Utzenstorf have been made available.
Fancy an exciting journey?
“Utzenstorf is an endless village where the stranger finds everything,” wrote the author Jeremias Gotthelf – and it is precisely this feeling that accompanies you along the Utzenstorf Water Trail.
This varied themed trail tells the story of the waters’ eventful history, their use in the past and present, and their great ecological significance. Rare wetlands, the revitalised River Emme and the impressive Landshut Castle make the Water Trail a special experience, uniquely combining natural, cultural and regional history.
The journey of discovery begins at Utzenstorf railway station. Step by step, a diverse landscape unfolds, eventually leading to the Emme. Following the river, we arrive at the historic Landshut Castle – a cultural highlight of the route.
Der Wasserpfad Utzenstorf
Hans-Heiri Stapher placed an inquiry in the Air Force Association’s newsletter in 1984 asking to correspond with former US airmen interned in Switzerland during World War II. Forrest Clark and Joe Krajewski were brought together as a result. Through Hans’s correspondence Bob Long and Jack Falk were added to the group in 1985. The four men met for dinner at Bob Long’s home in June 1985 and wondered if there was an organization for Swiss internees. They decided to start the Swiss Internees Association and to adopt a logo based on a pin available in Adelboden, Switzerland in 1945. Also, a press release program and a series of notices in magazines were devised to locate other former Swiss internees. Joe Krajewski drew the association’s logo. The four assumed the roles of the association’s trustee officers on a pro-tem basis. Bob Long was familiar with the process of incorporating an organization in New Jersey so he acted as president. Joe Krajewski worked closely with Bob and acted as vice-president. Jack Falk and Bob prepared a letter that Joe and Bob mailed to a mailing list of the internees they knew. By the August 1985 meeting, about 90 responses and a number of donations were received. They decided to open a bank account and Jack Falk was designated as treasurer and Forrest Clark as secretary. In October an organizational meeting of the Swiss Internees Association was held at McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey. Former internees from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts attended. At this meeting the group decided to incorporate for liability purposes. Since Bob, Joe, Jack, and Forrest had been acting in the roles of the association’s officers, they were voted by acclamation to become the new officers. A brief constitution was adopted along with the modified logo, membership card, decal, and pin. A newsletter was authorized and committees were designated. Pete Merisotis chaired the Assistance Committee to help any internee who had a problem with government agencies, especially regarding assistance and POW status for internees. Other committees were Newsletter, Travel, Swiss Memorials, U.S. Air Force Museum Memorial, and Reunion. In November 1985 the paperwork for incorporation of the Swiss Internees Association was submitted. A meeting was held at Dillinger’s Restaurant in New Jersey in January 1986. Jim Mahon’s suggested slogan, Everlasting Friends, was adopted. Efforts to located former internees were actively pursued. The Swiss Internees Association was officially incorporated in New Jersey in February 1986. The association became a 501(c) 3 tax-deductible organization in June 1986. The newsletter was renamed The Swiss Internee in August. Frank Hoch suggested a reunion in Washington, D.C. at the LeEnfant Plaza Hotel. Jack and Edith Falk were traveling to Washington, D.C. so they made the arrangements for first reunion of the Swiss Internees Association, Inc. there in November 1986. Forrest Clark resigned as secretary early in 1986 and Jim Goings was voted in this position by the end of the year.
STRANGERS IN A STRANGE LAND
Assistance in the compilation of the Inventory of Armed Forces and War Memorials of Switzerland. Many thanks for the pleasant and good cooperation with the Defense Group / General Secretariat DDPS, Swiss Army Ms. Fabienne Meyer, M.A. Project Manager INVENTARIO, Army Staff.
Inventory of Armed Forces and War Memorials of Switzerland at the following links:
https://www.admin.ch/gov/de/start/dokumentation/medienmitteilungen.msg-id-85641.html
https://www.vtg.admin.ch/de/die-schweizer-armee/geschichte-der-schweizer-armee/inventario.html
Under Documents / Inventory / Links are the total inventory / inventory of the army and war monuments of Switzerland for download as a pdf-file.
The B-17 Museum Utzenstorf, Switzerland is partnering with American War Memorials Overseas, Inc. American War Memorials Overseas works to document, promote, and preserve non-government supported war memorials honoring Americans outside the United States to ensure that these memorials remain part of local communities forever. The mission of American War Memorials Overseas is to assist in the care of these private memorials and gravesites for which the U.S. government is not responsible. War memorials remind us of our shared past, and war memorials overseas that honor Americans are an important symbol of America's international commitment. American War Memorials Overseas is committed to working with other organizations internationally, nationally, and locally to better secure the future of war memorials honoring Americans overseas in their social and historical context.
Learn more: https://www.uswarmemorials.org/
AMERICAN BATTLE MONUMENTS COMMISSION Booklet
The B-17 Museum Utzenstorf supports students with their semester- and diploma theses with its knowledge and archives about the US-Army Airforce in Switzerland from 1943 -1945.
"Rolf Zaugg, who has made it his life's work to make the transition from the social memory of those affected and their descendants to the cultural memory of our society."
Quote: J. Flückiger, Historyen Social History
Co-authoring of history and examination papers on Swiss-Interness in Switzerland during WWII with students from Pennsylvania State University Under the direction of Douglas Anderson, Professor and Department Chairman; Ph.D., Penn State. Douglas Anderson is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Pennsylvania State University. His main interests are the history of American philosophy, aesthetics and the relationship between history and idealism.
The Archive focuses on people’s stories of RAF Bomber Command and the bombing war in Europe, 1939-1945, from multiple perspectives : on the ground and in the air, military and civilian, and on both sides of the conflict. By and large, items are from private collections in the UK and further afield.
IBCC Digital Archive. Wordsworth Hall, Riseholme Campus, Lincoln, LN6 7TS, United Kingdom
IBCC Digital Archive
The mission of The World War II Foundation is to develop an awareness and appreciation of the contributions and sacrifices made by the men and women of the Allied Forces during World War II. The Foundation’s objective is to educate current and future generations about the role those heroes played in ensuring the basic freedoms we enjoy today. The Foundation dedicates itself to this educational mission in order to instill and inspire in today’s Americans, through the example of the World War II generation, the values of unity of purpose, personal courage and shared sacrifice that they embodied – the Best of America.
World War II Fundation
Sally B is the name of one of the airworthy Boeing B-17G Flying Fortresses from 1945, the only airworthy B-17 in Europe, one of three B-17s in the United Kingdom. The aircraft is at the Imperial War Museum in Duxford, England. The Sally B flies at air shows in the UK and throughout Europe, serving as an aerial memorial to the bomber crews and fighter pilots of the US Air Force who lost their lives in Europe during the Second World War. The aircraft was dispatched to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) on June 19, 1945 as 44-85784, too late to be used actively in the war. After having been converted to a TB-17G training variant and then to an EB-17G, it was decommissioned in 1954. In 1954 the Institut Géographique National in France bought it for use as a survey aircraft. In 1975 it was moved to England, registered with the CAA as G-BEDF, and restored to its state of dispatch on June 19, 1945. The Sally B was first equipped with original turrets and other badly-needed additions for its role as Ginger Rogers, one of the B-17 bombers in the fictitious bomber unit featured in the 1981 We'll Meet Again LWT series. In the winter of 1983/84, the Sally B was painted an olive green and neutral gray instead of the bare metal pattern it had had since construction, in order to protect its airframe from Britain’s humid weather. At the same time it was given the markings of the 447th Bomber Group. The Sally B was used in the 1990 film Memphis Belle as one of five flying B-17s needed for various film scenes, and was also used to recreate the real Memphis Belle in one scene. Half of the plane is still in the Memphis Belle paintwork today, after the Sally B Nose-Art and the black and yellow checkerboard pattern on the engine cowling of the starboard internal engine (No. 3) was restored, as a tribute to Elly Sallingboe, for the companion Ted White, whose Harvard plane had the same pattern on its hood. (Sally B was redesigned to the B-17F configuration for filming.) Since 1985, Sally B has been operated by Elly Sallingboe's B-17 Preservation Ltd and is maintained by Chief Engineer Peter Brown and a team of volunteers. The aircraft is flown by experienced volunteer commercial pilots. The B17 Charitable Trust is used to raise funds to keep the aircraft running. In 2008 Elly Sallingboe was awarded the Transport Trust's Lifetime Achievement Award for more than 30 years of commitment to the preservation and operation of the UK's only airworthy Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress as a flying monument to the tens of thousands of American crew members who lost their lives in its sister aircraft during the Second World War. One of the most important events in Sally B's flight calendar is an annual tribute overflight after Memorial Day service at the American Military Cemetery in Madingley, Cambridge. This takes place on the May holiday weekend. During the summer months, flypasts over former 8th Air Force bases are also conducted whenever possible.
Sally B News Sommer 2025