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

Delivered Fairfield 4/9/44; Hunter 25/9/44; Grenier 3/10/44; Assigned 601BS/398BG Nuthampstead 11/10/44; transferred 427BS/303BG [GN-A] Molesworth 28/10/44; Missing in Action Germersheim 13/1/45 with pilot 2Lt Oliver T Eisenhart, copilot 2Lt Henry McCullough, Navigator 2Lt Maurice Merrick, Bombardier F/O Herring Joyce, Flight Eng S/Sgt Sam Hindman, Radio Sgt Bernie Kaufmann, Ball turret Sgt Bill Kimber, Waist gun Sgt Jack Thompson, tail gun Sgt Therman Conaway (9 Killed in Action); direct flak hit in the tail, crashed Roxheim, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 11574.

Delivered Cheyenne 5/3/44; Kearney 5/4/44; Pilot: David Steele forced landing base 16/4/44; Dow Fd 6/5/44; Assigned: 750BS/457BG Glatton [G] 7/5/44; MIA LKe Bouget A/fd 14/6/44 w/Chas Blackwell, Co-Pilot: Theo Baskette, Radio Operator: Ed Nabozny, Waist Gunner: Francis McCall (4EVD); Navigator: Irving Meyers, Bombardier: Verne Boon, Engineer / Top Turret Gunner: Tom Howard, Waist Gunner: Tom Leahy, Tail Gunner: Sylvester Kuraszkiewicz (5POW); flak hits KOd two engine, crashed Fluery-la-Faret, 25 miles W of Beauvais, Fr; MACR 5805. WHAT’S NEXT’

Delivered Long Beach 22/10/43; Assigned 92BG Podington 5/12/43; transferred 324BS/91BG [DF-Z] Bassingbourn 10/1/44, then 323BS [OR-Z]; 40m Missing in Action Dessau 30/5/44 with Zack Collier, Co-pilot: John Kelleher, Navigator: William Paul Clements, Bombardier: Harry McDermott, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Harry Ward, Radio Operator: Steve Kogut, Ball turret gunner: George Zimheld, Waist gunner: Tom Cogdill, Tail gunner: Chas Semon (9 Killed in Action); flak KO’d two engines, nothing else heard from, or seen of a/c, assumed to have crashed in the sea; Missing Air Crew Report 5355. BALTIMORE ORIOLE aka JUST PLAIN LONESOME.

Delivered Denver 29/1/43; Assigned 401BS/91BG [LL-B] Bassingbourn 22/4/43; Missing in Action 16m Schweinfurt 17/8/43 with Gene Lockhart, Co-pilot: Clive Woodbury, Navigator: Granville Williams, Bombardier: Bob Sherwin, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ted Cetnarowski, Radio Operator: Bill Darden, Ball turret gunner: George Serafin, Waist gunner: Chester Raphoom, Waist gunner: John Husick,Tail gunner: Art Burns (10 Returned to Duty); severely damaged by enemy aircraft, continued to target but never reached home base, ditched North Sea, all rescued by RAF Walrus from Hawkinge and taxied back to Ramsgate. HITLER’S GREMLIN.

Delivered Denver 30/12/43; Casper 4/1/44; Denver 4/2/44; Kearney 12/2/44; Assigned 401BS/91BG [LL-Y] Bassingbourn 22/3/44; Missing in Action 69m Merseburg 2/11/44 with Pilot: Herb Chouinard, Navigator: Dan DuBonis, Bombardier: Jim Hundley, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Luther Salter, Radio Operator: Herschel Bowers, Ball turret gunner: Jim Foltz,Tail gunner: Carroll Tallant (7 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Ray Nickola, Waist gunner: Arnold Kramer (2 Prisoner of War); flak, #2 exploded and nose blew off, ship fell away before exploding and crashed Leipzig; Missing Air Crew Report 10304. THE JUB JUB BIRD.

Delivered Boise 303BG 21/4/42; Geiger 29/5/42; Assigned 36BS/28BG Kodiak 11/7/42; Missing in Action Kiska Island 17/7/42 with Jack S. Marks, Harold E. Mitts, John R. Giddens, John F. Cane, Edward P. Dwelis,, Bill V. Diehl, Hubert D. Smith, Theodore A. Alleckson, Robert G. Brown, Consetto J. Castagna; 10 KIA; MACR 15929.

Delivered Cheyenne 31/5/44; Hunter 12/6/44; Dow Fd 3/7/44; Assigned 379BG Kimbolton 19/6/44; transferred 837BS/487BG Lavenham 4/7/44; 836BS [2G-E]; Missing in Action Zeitz 30/11/44 with Lloyd Kersten, Henry Gerland, Arnold Shegal, John Eberhart, Everett Morris, Joe Miller, Maurice Sullivan (7 Killed in Action); Jim Hyland, Warren Richhart (2 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Halle; 7KIA 2POW; Missing Air Crew Report 11154.

Delivered Cheyenne 18/3/44; Gr Island 6/4/44; Dow Fd 19/4/44; Assigned 602BS/398BG [K8-Y/L] Nuthampstead 5/5/44; (66m) detailed Bischoffsheim, Ger but never made assembly 30/12/44 with Lyle Doerr, Co-pilot: Giles Teague, Navigator: John Walker, Bombardier: Bob Stewart, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Joe Kiska, Radio Operator: Joe Gaiser, Ball turret gunner: Hazen Earle, Waist gunner: Joe Bergant,Tail gunner: Tom Fox (9 Killed in Action); spotted by RAF Walrus to explode, crashed in Channel off Beachy Head, UK; Missing Air Crew Report 11243. BOOMERANG.

Delivered Seattle 15/12/42; Eglin 4/3/43; McClellan 17/3/43; Seattle 8/5/43; Wright 23/6/43; Seattle 6/8/43; MATCOM Wright Fd 2/6/44; 110 BU Mitchell 19/9/44; Wright 27/9/44; RRD Nashville 3/8/45; 4020 BU Wendover 22/8/45. Assigned to Project Hermit; converted to radio-controlled drone and crashed into mountain on the Wendover, UT bombing range. (RFC Searcey Fd 11/9/45?).

Delivered Denver 3/10/43; Gr Island 31/10/43; Memphis 20/11/43; Assigned 414BS/97BG Depienne 30/11/43; Cerignola 20/12/43; Amendola 16/1/44; Missing in Action Ploesti, Rom. 24/4/44 with Bill White, Lynn Summers, Navigator: Harley Ross, Bombardier: Bob Johnson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ryman Byzek, Radio Operator: Stan Kochnover, Ball turret gunner: Donald McGlaun, Waist gunner: Theo Zazula, Waist gunner: Hubert Guyot,Tail gunner: Bernie Maloney (10MIA); enemy aircraft, crashed Topoloveni, Bul; Missing Air Crew Report 4519.