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.

Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; Paine 28/11/43; Gt Falls 5/12/32; Cheyenne 7/12/43; Kearney 16/12/43; Oklahoma City 7/1/44; Kearney 12/1/44; Romulus 17/1/44; Grenier 18/1/44; Assigned 323BS/91BG [OR-B] Bassingbourne 1/2/44; Missing in Action Augsburg 16/3/44 with Doye Bradford, Co-pilot: Bob Mersereau, Navigator: Alby Trendell, Bombardier: Jack Athearn, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Hobart Peterson, Radio Operator: Norman Bunin, Ball turret gunner: Bob Modell, Waist gunner: Lucian Wright, Waist gunner: Nick Merletti,Tail gunner: Malcolm Bradt (10INT); flak KO’d #2 & #3, dropped behind and, force landed Dubendorf, Switz; Missing Air Crew Report 3221. Ret Burtonwood, UK. Salvaged 8/10/45. MOUNT ‚N RIDE.

Delivered Cheyenne 14/3/44; Gr Island 1/4/44; Dow Fd 8/4/44; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-X] Horham 11/4/44; 62m, Missing in Action Merseburg 30/11/44 with Chas Wicker, Co-pilot: Alf Rivas, Navigator: Fred Johnson, Bombardier: Warren Briggs, Radio Operator: Gordon Bryce (5 Killed in Action); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jim Robinson, Ball turret gunner: Jim Knighton, Waist gunner: Don Dale,Tail gunner: Ed Kobley (4 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Merseburg, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 10840. THE THOMPER.

Delivered Cheyenne 9/5/43; Gore 10/5/43; Moses Lake 22/5/43; Geiger 25/5/43; Smoky Hill 1/7/43; Dow Fd 11/7/43; Assigned 551BS/385BG [HR-O] Gt Ashfield 12/7/43; transferred 569BS/390BG [CC-Q] Framlingham 13/7/43; Missing in Action (11m) Bremen 8/10/43 with Marshall Shepherd, Co-pilot: Neil Murphy, body washed up in River Weser), Navigator: Jesse Wyatt, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Masters, Radio Operator: Chas Brown, Ball turret gunner: Bob Ross (6 Killed in Action); Bombardier: Owen Smith, Waist gunner: Jim Helms, Waist gunner: Harry Lambert, Tail gunner: Albt Martin (4 Prisoner of War); direct flak hits in cockpit, radio room and #4 on fire, and circled by enemy fighters, crashed Quelkhorn, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 783. PULSATIN‘ POLLY.

Delivered Cheyenne 15/4/43; Smoky Hill 24/4/43; Presque Is 16/5/43; Assigned 337BS/96BG [AW-J] Andrews Fd 25/5/43 ALIA BUBBLE TROUBLE; Snetterton 12/6/43 then 413BS; Missing in Action Ludwigshafen 7/1/44 with Roland Peterson, Co-pilot: Oscar Megginson, Navigator: Frank Painer, Bombardier: Morris Friedman, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Preston Hildebrand, Radio Operator: Cliff Busch, Ball turret gunner: Harry White, Waist gunner: Jerome Dudek (8 Killed in Action); Waist gunner: Bill Roberts,Tail gunner: Andy Wiess (2 Prisoner of War); flak set engine afire near Eindhoven, crashed Molenschot, between Breda & Tilburg, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 2018. KLAP TRAP II.

Delivered ? ?; with Jim Dale force landed Berry Fd, Nashville, TN 15/8/42; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-P] Westover 16/8/42; Bassingbourn 30/9/42; Missing in Action on the aircraft’s 26th mission, to Stuttgart on 6 September 1943 with Pilot William R. Cox; Co-pilot: William R. James; Navigator: Edgar L. Richardson; Bombardier: James E. Harlow; Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Lester B. Schlaich; Radio Operator: Kerrane A. Smallidge; Ball turret gunner: Henry A. Griswold Jr; Waist gunner: Paul DeMidio, Waist gunner: James H. Witter; Tail gunner: William B. McCrea (10 Returned to Duty); ditched Channel close to shore and all rescued by coast guard.

Delivered Lincoln 31/7/44; Grenier 21/8/44; Assigned 353BS/301BG Lucera 7/9/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 30/6/45; Sth Plains 3/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 28/11/45.

Delivered Hunter 7/12/44; Dow Fd 19/12/44; Assigned 419BS/301BG Lucera 9/2/45; Returned to the USA Bradley 24/7/45; Wright Fd 27/7/45; Cleveland 6/8/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 12/2/46.

Delivered Cheyenne 24/11/43; Wendover 12/12/43; Assigned: 750BS/457BG [N] Glatton 27/1/44; battle damage Augsburg 25/2/44 Pilot: Bob Lane, rest ‚, Waist Gunner: Winfred Kincaid; flak hit on #3, needed salvo of loose equipment to get back to RAF base on South Coast, but crash-landed France. Salvaged. 10/8/44. TUJUNGA III.