B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 42-37754 / Who Dat – The Dingbat?

Geschichte der
B-17 42-37754 / Who Dat – The Dingbat?

Delivered Denver 17/8/43; Assigned 534BS/381 BG [GD-K] Ridgewell 20/9/43; on 9th mission Rheims 28/3/44 with Dan Henry, Co-pilot: Bob Chrisler, Navigator: Fred Beardsworth, Bombardier: Rudi Jaciak, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Sebastian Quaresma, Radio Operator: Carl Mongrue, Ball turret gunner: Kyle Wheatley (6 Returned to Duty); Waist gunner: Jim Norcom, Waist gunner: Dick Toler,Tail gunner: Frank Kurtz (3 Killed in Action); sustained severe battle damage, pilot bringing ship home for crew to bail out over base, before dumping ship over North Sea along with three dead gunners; p & cp bailed out over Bawdsey, on Suffolk coast. No MACR. WHO DAT – THE DINGBAT ?

Zuletzt aktualisiert: 8. April 2018

B-17 42-37754 / Who Dat – The Dingbat? Details

On the March 28,1944 mission to bomb the airfield at Reims/Champagne,France the aircraft took a direct flak hit just behind the waist gun positions (hole is visible behind left waist window), killing both waist gunners and the tail gunner instantly and wounding another man. The pilots were able to limp the plane home without any of the tail controls operable. Once the got over their home base the pilot ordered the enlisted men to bail out, he then turned the plane towards the channel, set the autopilot and the officers bailed out too. The survivors were returned to duty after a stay in the hospital and a leave to the ‘flak house’.

B-17 42-37754 / Who Dat – The Dingbat? Crew