World War II bomber returns to US

[David]

AP


LONG BEACH, Calif. – A B-17 bomber that lay in a New Guinea swamp for decades after being forced down during a World War II combat mission has been returned to the United States.

Salvagers displayed the forward fuselage of the so-called "Swamp Ghost" on Friday at the Port of Long Beach in an emotional ceremony attended by family of the now-deceased aircrew.

The B-17E Flying Fortress went down on Feb. 23, 1942, after being shot during a raid on Japanese forces at Rabaul in New Britain. The crew survived the belly landing and escaped the swamp.

Rediscovered in 1972, the aircraft was cut in pieces and removed from the swamp in 2006. Export entanglements in New Guinea held up its return to the U.S. until last month.