It was exactly 81 years ago, March 14th 1945, when a B-17 bomber took off for a mission that sent me on a journey of aviation history research 50 years later.

This is the first aircraft story I ever researched, and it had so much impact on my life. The journey took me:

from researching what I thought was a single case, to creating a database of 200+ American planes shot down over or landed in Poland,

from working alone to being part of a network of researchers and friends sharing similar passion,

from ‘just’ reading aviation stories to writing them up and sharing with a broader community.

I am so much grateful for the personal side of this journey. I met so many good people. Authors and experts I respected and worshipped (and thought I would never meet them) became close friends. My research helped veterans open up to their families, and helped families find closure over their fathers, grandfathers, uncles they lost in WWII.

I am humbled to see your support and interest in the stories I publish on my Substack.

Here it is, my very first Flying Fortress story…. Enjoy!

https://sserwatka.substack.com/p/the-ghost-flying-fortress-part-1?r=42ks37&utm_medium=ios

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The Ghost Fortress - Part 2

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The Ghost Flying Fortress - Part 1