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

Delivered: Cheyenne 18/3/44; Hunter 16/4/44; Grenier 1/5/44; Assigned: 368BS/306BG [BO-G] Thurleigh 25/5/44; Salvaged. 2 SAD 9/8/44. REPORT TO THE NATION.

Delivered Tulsa 8/2/44; Gr Island 19/2/44; Presque Is 5/3/44; Assigned 546BS/384BG [BK-T] Grafton Underwood 11/4/44; Missing in Action Frankfurt 25/9/44 with Noel Plowman, Co-pilot: Larry Ferguson, Navigator: Ed Cheresnik, Bombardier: Carl Hart, Radio Operator: Gordon Maxa (5 Killed in Action); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bob Cameron, Ball turret gunner: Armando Oliva, Waist gunner: Frank Anderson,Tail gunner: Ken Lentz (4 Prisoner of War); flak KO’d tailplane just after bombs away, crashed Bad Soden, W of Frankfurt, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 9414. SPIRIT OF ’96.

Delivered Cheyenne 6/8/44; Hunter 15/8/44; Grenier 2/9/44; Assigned 510BS/351BG [TU-A] Polebrook 10/9/44; {81m} Returned to the USA Bradley 12/6/44; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 15/6/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 10/12/45. FAVORITE LADY.

Delivered Denver 16/11/42; West Palm Beach 11/12/42; Assigned 97BG Biskra 21/1/43; Chateau-du-Rhumel 8/2/43; Pont-du-Fahs 1/8/43; Depienne 15/8/43; transferred 347BS/99BG Oudna 14/11/43; Tortorella 11/12/43; Missing in Action Sofia 24/1/44 with Mike McDonnell (wia), Hoover (wia), Devlin (wia), Pace (wia), Hobby (wia), Larvin (wia), Brown (ret 29/5), Burnett, Eldridge, Molina (9RTD 17/6); crashed Trstenik, Hung?; Missing Air Crew Report 1991.

Delivered Tulsa 24/11/42; Salina 10/1/43; Morrison 2/2/43; Assigned 347BS/99BG Navarin 23/2/43; Oudna 4/8/43; Tortorella 11/12/43; Missing in Action Salon de Provence 27/1/44 with Wesley Coss, Amundson, Jenkins, Johnson, Madigan, Kinnane, Majarian, Rice, Hoskins, Henderson; enemy aircraft & flak, crashed Rognac, Fr. 2 EVD, 1 KIA, 7 POW. Missing Air Crew Report 2039. STARDUST.

Delivered Cheyenne 23/1/44; MacDill 5/2/44; Morrison 9/3/44; Assigned 817BS/483BG Tortorella 13/3/44 as the SADIE HAWKINS); Transferred to the 347BS/99BG Tortorella, Italy 31/3/44 and renamed “Slipstream”. Missing in Action 90m Odertal, Ger. 18/12/44, crashed Bruenn, Germany;

Delivered Cheyenne 12/2/43; Walker 23/2/43; Smoky Hill 28/3/43; Presque Is 5/4/43; Dow Fd 12/4/43; Assigned 96BG Grafton Underwood 19/4/43; transferred gr/crew-Alby McLain (all 6 Killed in Service); left wing dipped on landing and pilot unable to correct, crashed Wood Barns Farm, Belchamp St Paul, Ex, a couple of miles from base. Salvaged. STUFF. 534BS/381BG [GD-D] Ridgewell 7/9/43 MISS ABORTION; {21m} crash landed base 31/3/44 on test flight with Wayne Schomburg, Co-pilot: Capt Paul Stull {an engineering officer, believed to be at the wheel}, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Don Carr, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Carter, Radio Operator: Melvin Wilson,

Delivered MacDill 1/3/42; Assigned 341BS/97BG Polebrook 4/42; transferred 407BS/92BG Bovingdon 8/42; sustained battle damaged Lille 9/10/42; with Capt Jim Griffiths, Lt Col Stuart Porter, crash landed Gatwick, UK, (10RTD remainder unknown); Salvaged. ROKELL’S RAIDER.

Delivered Cheyenne 2/4/43; Pueblo 12/4/43; Smoky Hill 6/5/43; Presque Is 17/5/43; Assigned 532BS/381BG [VE-K] Ridgewell 19/5/43 NOBODY’S BABY (taken by CO Col Leber to UK as no pilot wanted it !) with Lt Col Joe Nazzaro {Gp CO}, Major Conway Hall {HQ}, Lt Edgar Kurner {HQ}, Lt Warren Berning {HQ}, M/Sgt Russell Faust {radio}, M/Sgt Halston Randall {ettg}, Capt Norman Mackay {HQ nav}, Lt Bill Fullick {HQ bomb}, Sgt Phil Costanzo, Pfc Randall Nichols; {4m} transferred 365BS/305BG [XK-D] Chelveston 22/8/43; RAF 100 Gp 28/12/43, RG 13/1/44; training aircraft 20/3/44 to 27/5/45; Salvaged 26/7/45.

Delivered Hunter 4/3/45; Grenier 15/3/45; Assigned 8AF 28/3/45; Returned to the USA 4100 BU Patterson 12/6/45; 1 BU Bolling 6/8/45; 1503 BU Hamilton 23/10/45; 1 BU Bolling 29/10/45; 902 BU Orlando 13/12/45; 621 BU Pinecastle 17/6/46; 554 BU Memphis 19/6/46; 613 BU Phillips 20/8/46.