History says the bomber was nearly captured by the Japanese after a raid on ships at Japanese-occupied New Britain. The bomber received frequent hits and eventually crash-landed in Papua New Guinea.

Oddly, it was not because the plane was on its last leg but because it ran out of fuel!

Eaton and his men were on their way back to base at Long Reach in Queensland, Australia, but they crashed into Agaimbo Swamp on February 23, 1942.

They survived six weeks of struggling on foot, fighting malaria and terrible heat. When the crew was reunited with American troops, these heroic individuals were immediately assigned to another aircraft and were flying again within a week.

Coincidentally, the B-17E was assigned to the Kangaroo Squadron, which flew into Pearl Harbor from San Francisco during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941.

This occurrence contributed to the disaster because U.S. radar personnel on Hawaii assumed the incoming Japanese attack wave represented the squadron’s expected arrival.

Swamp Ghost was not with the squadron on that fateful day. Instead, it flew in shortly after the attack.

Four of these planes have been recovered and it is said that the Swamp Ghost was believed to be the best preserved. Perhaps it had something to do with being lost in the middle of nowhere but the plane was salvaged and moved. Eventually, it was transported to Hawaii to be displayed at the Pacific Aviation Museum at Pearl Harbor!

To read more about this impressive aircraft go on over to War History Online.

All Images via War History Online