"I remember ripping out some of the head liner insulation from the ceiling of the flight deck and stuffing it up in the holes in the bottom of the center section tanks to slow down the rate of leakage. I recall I switched #2 and #3 (engines) to tank engine crossfeed, then #1 and #4 to engine crossfeed. The transfer pump was out and I wanted to consume as much of the leaking fuel as possible. After about 10-15 minutes, the fuel pressure gauges wiggled so I switched #1 and #4 to tank engine crossfeed and #2 and #3 to engine crossfeed. Might have saved us from ditching in the Baltic because when we cleared the coast at Sweden, I could see no more than 1/8" in the bottom of the sight glass gauges.

On pre-landing inspection I discovered a flat nose wheel tire. Ed Rudowski decided to bring her in "tail dragger" style. He held her back on the main gear until about 50 MPH, then the nose wheel came down and on contact began shimmeying and vibrating, then the nose gear collapsed with a hell of a bang and screeching of metal, actually very little damage to the nose however.

Rudowski brought us all in without a scratch. God bless him! About the tine the dust settled, the Swedes picked us up and took us in for the name, rank and serial number session, where we were given fresh milk and pastries. That evening we traveled north, under escort, in clean comfortable rail cars, arriving next morning in Faliin. First thing was a complete scrub down in the public bath house. We then met our local counselor officials who with some Swedish officials arranged for our billeting which turned out to be similar to a large boarding house. In a day or two we received a supplemental payment, in Swedish currency, four Kroners equal to one dollar, which covered our civilian clothing purchases.

So there we were, safe and sound, in a beautiful country, surrounded by friendly people. When would we leave? All in good time we were told. The U. S. and Germany had agreed to a repatriation exchange. This turned into a six months paid vacation. We were finally to be repatriated In November 1944. As we, the crew, were clearing customs at the U.S. Legation, I was told by the Air Attache Officer that I had been placed on detached service and received special orders transferring me to the city of Vasteras, located about 60 miles east of Stockholm. At Vasteras, I lived in the Stora Hotel, sharing a room with a view with S/Sgt Edinger, complete with maid service. Next morning, after breakfast in a local cafeteria, I think we had fruit juice, pan cakes with linger berrys, kippered herring, and coffee, we were issued ration coupons. All meat, dairy products, alcohol, tobacco, shoes, clothing, every consumable product was controlled by rationing so that there was very little black market activity.

Then I met with our local Officer In Charge and traveled by city bus to the outskirts of town. After passing through a military gate we arrived at a Swedish Air Force Base called Hasslo F-1. The operational aircraft based on the field were twin engine light bomber-dive bomber. The SAAB B-18 was of modern design, built in Tinskoping, heavily armed with Bofors 20 MM and 40 MM automatic cannon and powered by Swedish built Pratt and Whitney 1830 engines. After having lunch in the base cafeteria, we traveled past modem hangers and shops and I thought, this is a first class facility to repair our B-24 and B-17 aircraft. We passed the last of the permanent facilities, rounded a bend in the road and there in a twenty acre snow covered pea patch sat our weary bomber fleet. I counted about 40 B-24s and B-17s. My guide pointed out a 10' x 10' tar paper covered shack and said that it was the B-24 maintenance Headquarters. Smoke was pouring out of the shack and at that time the door burst open and a wild eyed dude ran out, grabbed a CO2 extinguisher, reentered the shack and got the home made heater under control. After things calmed down, I was introduced to my fellow mechanics. These guys were my constant companions for the next seven months. Turned out to be a great bunch, mostly from farm backgrounds, could literally repair everything with the tools at hand out in the wind, rain, snow, sleet, using home made "A" frames and work stands. We managed to change engines, replace damaged fuel cells, repair and replace control surfaces. I did some control rigging. Special tools were flown into Stockholm via Balchen's boys from Teuchars. (Col. Brent M. Balchen led the 492nd Carpet Bagger's, flying stripped down B-24s, to drop agents and supplies to Underground organizations. The Group brought 4303 Norwegians, American internees and nationals of at least six nations from Sweden to the United Kingdom. His aircraft provided the basic means by which supplies and equipment could be sent to Sweden, resulting in the repair and repatriation of nearly two-thirds of the American aircraft forced down in Sweden). Sweden supplied some spark plugs and hand tools. We had about fifty men on this work, half from B-24’s and the other half from B-17’s. A few were spark chasers and a few had had some sheet metal experience.

We had weekends off and were paid base pay, over seas pay, combat pay and five dollars a day per diem. Remembering to 4 to 1 exchange rate, we made out all right.

Every weekend we received dinner Invltatlons, to go sailing, spend the weekend in a summer cottage on a lake, the list is endless. Fond remembrances, all in the land of the mldnlght sun.
And the war wore down. We survived the V. E. Day blowout at a local hotel, the Kllppan I believe. Then It was work as usual at the base, final preparations, preflights, cleaning bird nests out of the engine air ducts, test flights, then one by one the planes we had repaired left for England. So ended a most interesting and unusual thirteen months in Sweden."