Jeleśnia: 82nd anniversary of American B-24 Liberator crash

Eighty-two years ago, on September 13, 1944, the American B-24J Liberator bomber, known as ‘Dinah Might’, crashed in the fields of Jeleśnia, Poland, during World War II.

The aircraft, part of the 761st Bomb Squadron of the 460th Bomb Group, was returning from a mission targeting the IG Farben industrial plants in Oświęcim-Dwory. During the flight, the bomber was struck by anti-aircraft fire, causing damage to its engines and fuselage. Unable to return to its base in Spinazzola, Italy, the crew attempted an emergency landing in the valley near Jeleśnia.

The impact caused the fuselage to break into two parts. Two crew members, pilot Lester Porter and navigator Leo Dietz, were killed in the crash. The aircraft commander, Lieutenant John J. Wegener, survived with head injuries, as did seven other members of the ten-man crew. The event remains a significant historical aviation episode in the Żywiec region.