B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies

Delivered RAF [AN518] as part of Lend-Lease Act; 90 Squadron (WP-B) Polebrook, UK Aug-41; transferred 220 Squadron, Portreath, MIA Bygland, Norway, 8-Sep-41. First B-17 loss (RAF). Salvaged. This was an RAF loss not a USAAF loss.

Delivered Denver 24/1/44; Hunter 15/3/44; Dow Fd 19/4/44; Assigned: 364BS/305BG [WF-A] Chelveston 30/4/44; MIA Brandenburg 6/8/44 Pilot: Doug Farmer, George Kimball, Renato Roccucci, Lou Goodman, Tom McKee, Bob Meyer, Tony Catala, Chas Rogers, Edwin Denz (9POW); flak, crashed Wittmundehafe, Germany. MACR 7881.

Delivered Lincoln 20/11/44; Grenier 12/12/44; Assigned 533BS/381BG [VP-O] Ridgewell 11/2/45; 535BS [MS-O]; {26m} battle damaged Plauen 26/3/45 with Hawley; crash landed France & burned; Salvaged 3/4/45.

Delivered Lincoln 13/12/44; Grenier 20/12/44; Assigned 8AF 28/12/44; transferred 1377 BU Grenier 28/12/44; 716 BU Westover 5/5/46; re-ass AF 30/4/47; 768 BU Narsars 1/1/48; 138 AC Narsars 1/6/48; AMC Olmstead 21/10/48; 1805 ACS Narsars 10/3/49; AMC Olmstead 16/3/49; 1932 ACS Goosebay 29/8/49; 2753 AST Pyote 30/3/50; AMC Hill Fd 13/4/50; Terr Sinistre 28/6/50.

Delivered Hunter 18/11/44; Grenier 24/11/44; Assigned 863BS/493BG Debach 29/11/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 6/7/45; Sth Plains 8/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 28/11/45.

Delivered Denver 17/3/43; Pueblo 8/4/43; Smoky Hill 7/5/43; Dow Fd 25/5/43; Assigned: 534BS/381BG [GD-D] Ridgewell 25/5/43 Pilot: Bill Wroblicka, Omen Jones, Jim Delano, Lester Schneider, Joe Labushevicz, Fred Smith, Dick Wante, Edwin Jonson, John Kratzer, Walt Cecil; MIA Gelsenkirchen 12/8/43 w/Bill Wroblicka, Co-Pilot: Claude Neeley, Navigator: Dave Harris, Bombardier: Lester Schneider, Engineer / Top Turret Gunner: Joe Labushevicz, Radio Operator: Fred Smith (6 POW), Ball Turret Gunner: Edwin Jonson, Waist Gunner: John Kratzer, Waist Gunner: John Phelan, Tail Gunner: Walt Cecil (4 KIA); Enemy aircraft, crashed Hemmerich, NW of Bonn, Germany. MACR 383. DEVIL’S ANGEL.

Delivered Long Beach 19/1/43; Salina 2/2/43; Homestead 21/2/43; Assigned 323BS/91BG [OR-U] Bassingbourn 9/3/43; Missing in Action {5+m} Gelsenkirchen 12/8/43 with Jerold Kethley, Co-pilot: Ennis Cox, Navigator: Bob Sternberg, Bombardier: Jim Cullen, ttg-Bob Danielson, Radio Operator: Conrad Dussault, Ball turret gunner: Harry Stokes, Waist gunner: Alf Bragg, Waist gunner: John Burke,Tail gunner: Wilf Bacon (10 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft strafed cockpit and KO’d #1, crashed Forsbach, near Cologne, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 262. BILLIE K.

Assigned 367BS/306BG Westover 17-Aug-42; Thurleigh 13-Oct-42; transferred 324BS/91BG [DF-J] Bassingbourn 20-Feb-43; Missing in Action (MIA) 2m Hamm 4-Mar-43. Shot down by Lt Kostler (IV/NJG1) in Me 110, KO’d #1 & #3,oil pouring away before #4 was feathered ditched 40 miles west of Texel Is, Holland, in North Sea; five rescued by Royal Navy minesweeper and landed at Grimsby; EXCALIBUR. 3KIA 7RTD (Rescued by Royal Navy). No MACR issued.

Delivered Cheyenne 11/2/43; Gt Falls 17/2/43; Salina 5/3/43; Assigned 303BG Molesworth 15/4/43; transferred 368BS/306BG [BO-V] Thurleigh 17/4/43; 324BS/91BG [DF-F/D/P] Bassingbourn 11/9/43; battle damaged over Schweinfurt 14/10/43 with Lt Christensen wia-died next day, cp Lt Mendelsohn brought ship back to crash landed at RAF Tangmere and slammed into tree; After long repair returmed to base and transferred 401BS [LL-D] before re-ass. to AFSC 6/4/44; Returned to the USA Tinker 29/4/44; Winston Salem 5/22/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Bush Fd 15/5/45. CORN STATE TERROR.

Delivered Cheyenne 23/5/43; Smoky Hill 2/6/43; Gr Isle 5/6/43; Dow Fd 20/6/43; Assigned: 337BS/96BG [AW-B] 3/7/43; detailed Warnemunde 27/7/43 Pilot: Carrol Bender, Co-Pilot: Lewis Feldstein, rest unknown, after jettisoning bombs in The Wash crash-landed with only one engine running at RAF Lt Snoring, Nfk, (10RTD), Salvaged. TARFU II.