B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies Die legendäre Boeing B-17 Fliegende Festung im Zweiten Weltkrieg und das Schicksal zu jeder einzelnen Maschine.

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 18/11/42; West Palm Beach 12/12/42; Assigned 368BS/306BG [BO- ] Thurleigh 1/1/43; damaged 1/3/43 coll with 41-24476; transferred AFSC 3/3/43, ret 9/4/43; Missing in Action Bremen 17/4/43 with Walter N. Smiley, Co-pilot: Avory L. Ewan, Navigator: Wilbur W. Breunig, Bombardier: Martin M. Strauss, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Raymond C. Clifton, Radio Operator: Donald B. Hepler, Ball turret gunner: Roderick C. Clark, Waist gunner: William R. Payne, Waist gunner: Lawrence J. Sliff, Tail gunner: Roy K. Staiff; enemy aircraft, crashed Channel. Missing Air Crew Report 15518. PRIDE OF KARIANS aka BODACIOUS CRITTER.

Delivered Denver 10/5/43; Bangor 1/6/43; Assigned 339BS/96BG [QJ-J] Andrews Fd 2/6/43; Snetterton 12/6/43; landing accident with Russell Girse 17/9/43; Missing in Action Sorau 11/4/44 with Ralph Winslow, Co-pilot: Vince Gill, Navigator: John Hill, Ed Segall, Ball turret gunner: Harry Sandford, Waist gunner: George Roche (6 Prisoner of War); Bombardier: Ralph Munoz, Radio Operator: Carl Caputo, Waist gunner: John Massie,Tail gunner: Joel Burklund (4KIA- all trapped in ship which sunk immediately); enemy aircraft, crashed Baltic Sea, ten miles of coast at Dankerdorf, ten miles SW of Riggenwalde, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 3808. FULL HOUSE.

Delivered Denver 26/1/43; Assigned 368BS/306BG [BO- ] Homestead 5/3/43; Thurleigh 12/3/43; Missing in Action Bremen 17/4/43 with Theo Jankowski, Co-pilot: Bill Scheil{broke leg}, Navigator: Reg Wigham, togg-Tom McDonnell, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jim Stelzer, Radio Operator: Ben Benigno, Waist gunner: Bill Gelnett (7 Prisoner of War), Ball turret gunner: Chas Bell, Waist gunner: John Chinlund, Tail gunner: Chas Wylie (3 Killed in Action); flak damage caused ship to explode, crashed Aurich-Oldendorf, near Strackholt, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 15456

Delivered Hunter 14/11/44; Dow Field 3/12/44; Assigned 388BG Knettishall 4/12/44; transferred 334BS/95BG [BG-D] Horham 5/12/44; after 58 missions was Missing in Action Operation Chowhound (6th such mission) 7/5/45 with Lionel Sceurman, Navigator: Russell Cook {picked up by RAF Walrus, but died soon after}, Radio Operator: Gana McPherson, Ball turret gunner: John Keller, Waist gunner: Norbert {Kuper} Cooper,Tail gunner: Bill Langford, obs-Ed Bubolz, obs-Bob Korber, Gerald Lane, obs-Joe Repiscak, obs-George Walteri {last five passengers were photographic personnel} (11 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Jim Schwartz, nav/trainer-Dave Condon were picked up by 5th ERS from Halesworth on OA-10A Catalina) (2 Returned to Duty) flak, ditched Channel. SECTION 8. (Last 8AF aircraft lost in WW II).

Delivered Long Beach 23/9/43; Harvard 14/10/43; ass 710BS/447BG [IJ-C] Rattlesden 27/11/43; MIA Laon, Fr 9/5/44 Pilot: Bill Owens, Co-Pilot: Bill Heim, Navigator: Julian Matin, Bombardier: John McKinney, Engineer / Top Turret Gunner: Jack Seeger, Ball Turret Gunner: Herb Holland, Waist Gunner: Edwin Sieniarecki, Tail Gunner: Leroy Potter (8KIA); Radio Operator: John Browko, Waist Gunner: Conrad St Laurent (2POW); flak knocked off nose, then ball turret fell off followed by aircraft disintegrating in mid-air to crashed two miles N of Laon, Fr; MACR 4588.

Delivered Cheyenne 11/3/44; Kearney 27/3/44; Dow Fd 7/4/44; Assigned 333BS/94BG [TS-H] Rougham 8/4/44; 331BS [QE-H]; transferred 34BG Mendlesham 5/45; Returned to the USA Bradley 21/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 23/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 16/11/45. MISSION BELLE

Delivered Cheyenne 3/1/43; Salina 11/1/43; Morrison 8/3/43; Assigned 422BS/305BG Chelveston 8/4/43; Lost St Nazaire 29/5/43. Pilot, Marshall Peterson, POW. Co-pilot, Harold E. Bentz. Navigator, Larry Mandleberg, POW. Bombardier, Frank R. Perrica, Evaded. Flight engineer/top turret gunner, Hilton Hilliard, POW. Radio Operator, Joseph James Freeborn, POW. Ball turret gunner, Pete Milasius, Evaded. Waist gunner, George P Smith, POW.Tail gunner, Sal Tafolya, Evaded. Waist gunner, Percy C Matthews, Missing in Action. Flak hit, aircraft broke in two, crashed Saint-Bihy, 12 miles SW of St Brieuc, Fr. No MACR.