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

Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 13/5/43; Smoky Hill 10/6/43; Dow Fd 15/6/43; Assigned 560BS/388BG Knettishall 16/6/43 IZA BLUE; detailed Duren 20/10/43 with Bob Simmons, crew ?, (10 Returned to Duty); but recalled due to extreme weather, eventually getting lost until spotting small airfield near Lichfield, Staffs, and needed seven attempts to land in meadow beyond runway, hitting tree and wrecked aircraft; Salvaged. IMPATIENT VIRGIN.

Delivered Denver 18/4/43; Assigned 100BG Dow Fd 30/5/43; transferred 412BS/95BG [QW-W] Horham 15/6/43; force landed RAF St Eval ex-St Nazaire 28/6/43; crash landed Gt Ashfield ex-La Pallice 16/9/43; force landed RAF Hensridge; 31m, ex-Munster 22/12/43 with Loren Seager, Navigator: J.L. Hutchings, Waist gunner: Lelan Story, rest unknown (10 Returned to Duty); loss of power involved crash landed Potter Heigham, Nfk. Salvaged. IMPATIENT VIRGIN.

Delivered Cheyenne 12/3/44; Kearney 31/3/44; Grenier 19/4/44; Assigned 602BS/398BG [K8-B] Nuthampstead 20/4/44; flew with 457BG Glatton on 29/6/44; (54m) Missing in Action Munster 28/10/44 with John Farmer, Navigator: Bob Chorba, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bob Martens, Radio Operator: Jim Kilgore, Ball turret gunner: Paul Keifer, Waist gunner: Alpha Schumacher,Tail gunner: Sam Gailey (7 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Arnold Volkay, Bombardier: Phil Seltzer (2 Killed in Action); flak, crashed Uelsen, Bentheim, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 10176.

Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/44; Kearney 10/5/44; Grenier 25/5/44; Assigned 728BS/452BG [9Z-J] Deopham Green 27/5/44; battle damaged Frankfurt 5/1/45 with Hurbert Gay, Co-pilot: Billy Carr, Navigator: Jim Graham, togg-Walt Whitmore, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Don Sherlock, Radio Operator: Ralph Whittaker, Ball turret gunner: John Ryder, Waist gunner: Glen Stockglausner, Waist gunner: Patrick Blake,Tail gunner: Rich Hahn (10 Returned to Duty); flak KOd #1 then #3; force landed Bitche, Fr; Salvaged 21/1/45; Salvaged 6/3/45. LADY BE GOOD.

Delivered Tulsa 12/5/44; Hunter 21/5/44; Grenier 1/6/44; Assigned 337BS/96BG [AW-N] Snetterton 4/6/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 5/7/45; Sth Plains 6/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 16/11/45. THE STORK.

Delivered Cheyenne 10/2/44; Kearney 25/2/44; Presque Is 22/3/44; Assigned 534BS/381BG [GD-I] Ridgewell 6/4/44; Missing in Action {3m} Kerlin-Bastard, Fr 7/6/44 with John Martyniak, Co-pilot: Dick Kellum, Navigator: Jim Manion, Bombardier: Ray Stewart, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Darrell Longley, Radio Operator: Paul Stewart, Ball turret gunner: Lloyd Jackson, Waist gunner: Albt Fahey, Tail gunner: Wayne Coffey; flak damage, ditched Channel 30 miles W of Jersey, (9 Returned to Duty). OUR CAPTAIN.

Delivered Denver 15/1/44; Kearney 29/1/44; Assigned: 551BS/385BG Gt Ashfield [HR-T] 21/2/44; Returned to US: 121 BU Bradley 24/6/45; 4168 BU Sth Plains 5/7/45; 237 BU Kirtland 10/12/45; Scrapped: Albuquerque 7/2/46. LI’L AUDREY.

Delivered Cheyenne 5/11/43; Kearney 17/11/43; Assigned 335BS/95BG [ET-R] Horham 13/12/43; S/Sgt Gardner Wright (Killed in Action) 11/4/44; with G. R. Hall force landed RAF Woodbridge 12/12/44, all OK; Missing in Action [97m] Strasburg 20/1/45 with Capt Frank F Beard, Co-pilot: James R Wagner, Navigator: Mervin L Hayne, Bombardier: Maurice O Messenger, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: John T Griffth Wounded in Action, Ball turret gunner: George E Treese,Tail gunner: James F Boyer (7 Returned to Duty); Radio Operator: Raleigh J Solomon, Waist gunner: Robert M Gallop (2 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed (Lerchenberg?) near Eutsheim, Ger or allied territory?; Missing Air Crew Report 12320. ROARIN‘ BILL.

Delivered Cheyenne 12/4/43; Smoky Hill 22/4/43; Morrison 5/5/43; Assigned 419BS/301BG St Donat 27/6/43; Oudna 6/8/43; Cerignola 7/12/43 (?); Lucera 1/2/44 (?); Missing in Action {47m} Istres le Tube 16/11/43 with Jerry Dodge, Co-pilot: Harry Solomon, Navigator: Phil Mantiatty, Bombardier: Fred McDonald, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Clarry Beck, Radio Operator: Riland Brenzo, Ball turret gunner: Ed Rivos, Waist gunner: Rich Drager, Waist gunner: Joe Coleman,Tail gunner: Vince Jakubczak (10 KIA); enemy aircraft, ditched Mediterranean Sea. Missing Air Crew Report 1128.

Delivered Denver 17/1/44; 1SAG Langley 14/2/44; Morrison 23/3/44; Assigned (PFF) 49BS/2BG Amendola 26/3/44; transferred 348BS/99BG Tortorella {2m}; 340BS/97BG Amendola 4/44; Missing in Action Blechhammer 13/9/44 with Farryle Waters, Lent, Young, bennett, White, Smith, Gaston, Talley, Hubbard, Thiele; crashed Gross Strehiltz; Missing Air Crew Report 8729.