Decorated World War II bombardier loses life in Nelson 73 years ago
By Matthew Urtz
During World War II, Lieutenant Charles F. Blanke of St. Louis, Mo., flew more than 50 missions in the European Theatre, mostly in Italy. He was a decorated bombardier who had earned an Air Medal and four Oak Leaf Clusters. It was just over 73 years ago in the town of Nelson that the B-17 “Flying Fortress” that Blanke was traveling in crashed during a snowstorm so strong that the plane was not allowed to land at its original destination due to treacherous conditions. The plane crashed on a hill on what was then the farm of Edward Putnam. The story behind the crash, the snow storm and the bombardier who lost his life are below.
On Jan. 16, 1945, a B-17 bomber took off from Hendricks Field near Sebring, Fla., on a training flight to Stewart Field in Orange County (today Stewart International Airport). The landing strip for Steward Field was snowed in due to an epic storm. The pilots, Lieutenant William M. Boothby and Lieutenant Alfred Kramer, tried to find a secondary air field but ran out of gas before they were able to find a new field. Shortly before 1 p.m., the plane was heard overhead by residents of Cazenovia who believed it was struggling. The pilots most likely were unaware of where they were or their exact altitude.
Not long after the plane was heard in Cazenovia, the pilots likely gave the abandon ship order. Blanke was the first man out of the plane, but his parachute did not have time to open due to his proximity to a hill. His body was found on a hill on the A.W. Hughes farm, his hand still on the ripcord, according to those who found him. He was roughly a mile from where the plane crashed.
Seven others parachuted, as well. They included Lieutenant Coleman Sanders, Lieutenant R.E. Andresen, Captain Norman Biddulph, Lieutenant Howard F Amrhein, Staff Sergeant T.M. Cox and Private Michael M. Wall. None of the men had ever “hit the silk” (parachuted out of a plane) prior to this trip. All of the remaining men survived.
Kramer suffered a stomach injury during the crash and was treated in Cazenovia by Dr. S.H. Raymond. Two of the parachutists suffered minor injuries (a cut on the chin and an injured ankle). The men made their way to the Nelson Inn. Boothby and Cramer stayed at the crash site near the farm of Edward Putnam, roughly one mile north of Route 20 near Nelson (today roughly one mile north of Route 20 near Putnam Road).
The state police, first on the scene, oversaw the initial investigation and marked off the area, although some local residents were able to get a glimpse. Once the servicemen were accounted for, the men were taken to Rome Army Air Depot. An Army Board of Inquiry from the Air Depot investigated the event.
The plane had flown more than 30 missions overseas prior to the accident. It suffered some slight damages during the crash according to eyewitnesses. The propellers were bent, and there were small pieces that broke off, but, for the most part, the plan landed in pretty good shape. The plane was dismantled in order to move it. The engines were removed, the wings taken off, and the fuselage was to be placed on the back of a truck.
Charles Blanke, Jr.
Charles Blanke, Jr., was born in Missouri Aug. 9, 1920. He joined the Army Air Corp in March of 1943 and trained at the Santa Ana Army Base in California. Following his time in the European Theatre, Blanke had returned to the U.S. and was assigned to Hendricks Field in Florida. Following his death, he left behind his parents, Charles and Laverne, and brothers Laverne and Robert Blanke. His remains were returned to St. Louis, and he is buried in Resurrection Cemetery in Affton, Mo.
Early in 2018, we posted our veterans series online through our website. If you want to see the interviews of more than a dozen current and former residents of Madison County who served during World War II, visit madisoncounty.ny.gov/2183/Madison-County-Interviews.
Editor’s note: Matthew Urtz is the Madison County Historian. He can be reached at 315.366.2453 or email Matthew.urtz@madisoncounty.ny.gov. Like Madison County, NY History on Facebook and visit madisoncounty.ny.gov/historian/home.