About April 1942 - Loss of a B-17E Flying Fortress between Townsville and Port Moresby

LATE MARCH 1942
FORCED LANDING OF A B-17E FLYING FORTRESS
BETWEEN TOWNSVILLE AND PORT MORESBY

A B-17E Flying Fortress of the 19th Bomb Group made a forced landing on the east coast of Cape York during a staging flight between Townsville and Port Moresby in late March1942.

Gordon Birkett found this entry below in the Thursday Island Sector "War Diary or Intelligence Summary" dated 30 March 1942, which is most likely covering this incident. A small party of engineers from the Thursday Island Sector were sent on 30 March 1942, to assist USAAF personnel to salvage a B-17 Flying Fortress that had made a forced landing. They moved the aircraft to dry sand (probably landed on a beach) and it was able to take off 8 hours later.

Note:- The book "The Forgotten Fifth" gives the likely date as "about April 1942".