Scotland Crash Sites: The Mysterious B29 Superfortress in Succoth Glen

One Sunday last November 2022 we decided to seek out the remains of the American B29 Super Fortress that crashed near Strachur on 17th January 1949, just after the end of World War II. I’m not great on my history, so part of this undertaking was a learning exercise. I was born in 1979 and only moved to the UK in 2004, so I have no concept of what it was like to have experienced those sort of war times. But here I find myself living in Scotland, with the remains of an American air crash resting on one of my neighbouring hills, relics and reminders of a war I didn’t live through, but which my grandfather participated in. It seemed fitting to visit, and the trip turned out to be more than a sombre visit to pay tribute those fallen U.S. soldiers, but also a fascinating history lesson. I present here a summary with some resources for further reading.

History, mystery, and tragedy on a lonely hill in Argyll

At 09:50 am on January 17th, 1949, an American B-29 Superfortress crashed into the side of Stob na Boine Druim-fhinn, a hill in Succoth Glen, near Strachur and Lochgoilhead in Argyll. All twenty passengers and crew perished, with the aircraft being consumed by the resultant fire (along with some pivotal details of the crew – more on that below).

The exact nature of the crash is undetermined. This particular B-29A was involved in the post-war Berlin airlift. Together with another B-29, the crew were flying the aircraft back to their home base at Smoky Hill, Salina, with a refuelling and re-supply stopover at Keflavik, Iceland. However, it’s alleged that while over Scotland, the aircraft began to experience icing on the wings, making the B-29 very difficult to handle. The pilot of the other B-29 requested permission to return to RAF Scampton. Meanwhile, the pilot of the ill-fated B-29, 1st Lieutenant Sheldon Craigmyle, requested permission to climb from 10,500 to 14,500 feet. This, however, may have proved extremely difficult, if not impossible, in view of the icing on the wings.

According to the official US Air Force Report:

“A freshly disturbed area on top of a 2000 foot hill in the flight path and the position of the wreckage, plus the fact that an airspeed indicator, indicating 250, was found, led the Accident Board to believe that the heavily iced aircraft scraped a wing on top of the hill, became inverted, and crashed into the plateau some 700 feet below. From the position of the wreckage, it was determined that the aircraft struck the ground at a very high angle of dive and was almost completely buried in the soft, spongy ground. The aircraft was completely destroyed and burned for nearly 24 hours.”

Were there diamonds and nazis on board???

There are some stories about this incident that make it a fascinating caper.

The Daily Mail ran a story on the crash in April 2004 alleging that Craigmyle had an Alka Seltzer bottle packed with $50,000 worth of diamonds – there was allegedly a thriving backmarket trade in such items, wherein American airmen stationed abroad trafficked jewelry from such places as Germany and the Netherlands.

The article further claims that while the local Kinloss Mountain Rescue team was in attendance at the scene, an American padre arrived who proceeded to recover and burn documentation from the bodies. When challenged by the mountain rescue team, he is said to have used his rank as US Air Force Major to dismiss them and state that what was happening was none of their business.

And then there was the alleged 21st crew member found on the site months later (the official report states there were only 20 crew members on board) highlighting suspicions that the crew included former Nazi scientists on their way to the US to work on American nuclear weapons.

Whether any of this is true has never been verified, but it does make for a great storytelling.

The best resources I’ve found about the incident are:

Brian Canfer’s in-depth investigation as detailed in this PDF (original source: RAF Mountain Rescue)

Whensoever: 50 years of the RAF Mountain Rescue Service 1943-1993 – history as told through a series of stories, including this one; out of print but you can pick up a used copy on Amazon for a just few pounds

How to find the crash site

The site is in Succoth Glen, near Lochgoilhead, where the most obvious access point is a steep walk from Corrow, just south of Lochgoilhead. A fire break above Corrow Farm allows access to the hill. The going is steep and relentless, but not technical. The site is just beyond the pass (Coirein Rathaid) between Beinn Tharsuinn (which is apparently how the plane met its demise) and Stob na Boine Druim-fhinn. On a clear day, from a distance, the pass looks impossibly far away and forboding, but its easily negotiable. From the top of the pass you can see the forestry area where most of the wreckage now lays strewn.