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

Delivered Ogden 20/1/42; Hill 15/2/42; Cheyenne 12/4/42; Lowry 2/5; Hamilton 23/5/42; Slated RAF but transferred 26BS/11BG Hawaii 23/5/42; participated in the Battle of Midway; Returned to the USA Brookley 8/12/43; Hendricks 28/8/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) 22/5/45.

Delivered Cheyenne 14/6/44; Kearney 28/6/44; Grenier 9/7/44; Assigned 447BG Rattlesden 11/7/44; transferred 834BS/486BG [2S-N] Sudbury 12/7/44; 70m returned POWs from Austria 5/45; Returned to the USA Bradley 13/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 17/7/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 9/12/45. THE WORRY BIRD.

Delivered Kearney 29/6/44; Grenier 12/7/44; Assigned 834BS/486BG [2S-C] Sudbury 14/7/44; carried three yellow bands round fuselage; 66m force landed Germany 5/4/45; Rep and Returned to the USA Bradley 8/7/45; Sth Plains 10/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 7/12/45. HOMESICK ANGEL.

Delivered Lincoln 28/10/44; Grenier 10/12/44; Assigned: 731BS/452BG Deopham Green 22/1/45; battle damage Hamburg 17/1/45 Pilot: Ira Smith, Co-Pilot: Bob Wilcox, Navigator: Bill Nicholson, Bombardier: Howard Simon, Engineer / Top Turret Gunner: Harry Hoffman, Radio Operator: Bob Scott, Ball Turret Gunner: Haskell Ray, Waist Gunner: Julian Anderson, Tail Gunner: Bill Everly (9INT); flak, forced landing Bulltofta, Sweden. MACR 11728; rep & ret UK; Returned to US: Bradley 1/8/45; Independence 3/8/45; Scrapped: Kingman 10/12/45.

Delivered Cheyenne 22/2/44; Kearney 16/3/44; Grenier 2/4/44; Assigned 728th BS / 452nd BG ( K ) RAF Deopham Green 6/4/44; Missing in Action Brux 12/5/44 with Alex Halbleib, Co-pilot: George Kelly, Navigator: Sam KniffenWounded in Action, Bombardier: Chas Shulman, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ed Binkele, Waist gunner: Wilbur Postlewaite (6 Prisoner of War); Radio Operator: Joe Carr, Ball turret gunner: Francis Nader, Waist gunner: Willard Morgan,Tail gunner: Pat McDonough (4 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, crashed Ohren, near Limburg, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 4821. THE PUNCHED FOWL.

Delivered Cheyenne 21/4/43; Tinker 27/4/43; New Castle 30/4/43; Presque Is 5/5/43; Assigned 532BS/381BG [VE-J] Ridgewell 15/6/43; Missing in Action 6m Cologne 4/3/44 with Dave Keyes, Co-pilot: Rich Seal, Navigator: Ralph Lynch, Bombardier: John Hughes, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Van Voorhis, Radio Operator: John Fair, Ball turret gunner: Theo Simone, Waist gunner: Henry Levandoski, Waist gunner: Dale Hillett,Tail gunner: Chas Davis (10 Prisoner of War); mech fault, force landed La Bagarre, Clairmarais, three miles NE of St Omer, Fr; Missing Air Crew Report 2910. SPARE PARTS.

Delivered Cheyenne 22/5/42; Assigned 98BS/11BG Hawaii (flew to New Caledonia, at Guadalcanal Jan 43); fitted with ASV radar on nose and under wing and at least eight missions and six Japanese aircraft to its credit; retUS 901 BU Orlando 14/12/45. TYPHOON McGOON II.

Delivered Cheyenne 26/4/44; Kearney 9/5/44; Dow Fd 21/5/44; Assigned 511BS/351BG [DS-D] Polebrook 23/5/44; {63m} battle damaged Stuttgart 9/12/44 with Danforth Merrill, Co-pilot: Lou Edwards, ng-Jack McGee, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ed Poppe, Radio Operator: Jim Williams, Ball turret gunner: Tom Veltry, Waist gunner: Claude Chaffin,Tail gunner: Bill Teel (8 Returned to Duty); Bombardier: Vernon Smith (Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft KO’d #2 and ship lost controls temporarily, however p returned controls and returned to base; Salvaged 10/12/45. Missing Air Crew Report 7903; QUEEN OF THE BALL.

Delivered Lincoln 28/1/45; Grenier 20/2/45; Assigned 8AF 26/2/45; re-ass ATC 30/4/47; 1414 BAS Dharan 28/1/48; Recl Comp 16/12/48.

Delivered Cheyenne 22/5/42; Assigned 98BS/11BG Hawaii 5/6/42; transferred 13AF (Poppy) 22/7/42; Written off 15/6/44. GALLOPIN‘ GUS.