PRESS RELEASE
The Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, GA will be hosting an event remembering the Greenland Expedition. The event is part of their Heritage Series and will feature individuals who were part of the original expedition team.
On July 15, 1942, poor weather and limited visibility forced six P-38 fighters and two B-17 bombers to return to Greenland while they were en route to the British Isles during the buildup of US forces in the United Kingdom, Operation Bolero. The aircraft made emergency landings on an ice field, and all the crew members were rescued, but the planes had to be abandoned. P-38 Glacier Girl, the five other fighters P-38 Glacier Girl, and the two B-17s were left untouched on the ice field and became buried under 268 feet of snow and ice that had slowly built up over the decades.
During Operation Bolero, the ferrying of combat aircraft from the U.S. to England by air, a flight of two B-17E-BO Flying Fortresses, 41-9101, c/n 2573, “Big Stoop”, and 41-9105, c/n 2577, “Do-Do”, of the 97th Bomb Group and six P-38F Lightnings of the 94th Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, on the 845-mile (1,360 km) leg between Bluie West 8 airfield and Reykjavík, Iceland, run out of fuel after being held up by bad weather, and all force-land on the Greenland icecap.
In 1992, 50 years later, members of the Greenland Expedition Society, after years of searching and excavation, brought the Glacier Girl back to the surface. The event takes place on February 4, 2024, from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the Century of Flight Hangar located in Building 2. The event is free to the public, and walk-in visitors for this event are welcome. However, visitors can reserve a seat here. Visitors to the event will have the opportunity to meet members of the team from the Greenland Expedition and hear a first-hand account of their experiences during the expedition. A question and answer session will follow. Access to the museum will also be open to the public both before and after the event. The Museum of Aviation is located at 1942 Heritage Blvd, Robins AFB, GA 31098.
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Angela Decker, from McPherson, Kansas, discovered her passion for aviation after earning a Master’s in Military History from Norwich University in 2011. Since 2012, she has volunteered with vintage aviation groups, excelling as a social media content creator and coordinator. Angela has coordinated aviation and WWII events, appeared as Rosie the Riveter, and is restoring a Stearman aircraft. She is the Operations Logistics Coordinator at CAF Airbase Georgia and an accountant with a degree in Economics from the University of Georgia. Her son, Caden, shares her love for aviation and history and is studying Digital Media Arts.
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