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

Delivered Cheyenne 3/2/44; Gr Island 23/2/44; Presque Is 13/3/44; Assigned 509BS/351BG [RQ-X] Polebrook 26/3/44; Missing in Action {13m} Mannheim 27/5/44 with Tedfred Myers, Co-pilot: Clarry Butrum, Navigator: Henry Roszyk, Bombardier: Vernon Naass, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Walt Stanford, Radio Operator: Edwin Draper{Wounded in Action}, Ball turret gunner: Avon Roysden, Waist gunner: Woodrow Blackburn, Waist gunner: Bill Mansmann{Wounded in Action},Tail gunner: John Denton (10 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed Baldenheim, six miles SE of Alsace, Fr., 25 miles SW of Strasbourg; Missing Air Crew Report 5327.

Delivered Cheyenne 5/2/44; Memphis 21/2/44; Presque Is 1/3/44; Assigned 303BG Molesworth 6/3/44; transferred 511BS/351BG [DS-X] Polebrook 25/3/44; Missing in Action 17m Dessau 28/5/44 with Carl Miller, Ball turret gunner: Isador Kaplowitz (2 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Maurice Fikes, Navigator: Russell Brown, n/g-Sgt Ernie Lemcke, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Frank Avry, Radio Operator: Jim McCann, Waist gunner: Albt Lien, Waist gunner: Tony Bushlow,Tail gunner: George Stafford (8 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed railroad near Flur Medlitz, nine miles NE of Zerbst, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 5326. SILVER BALL.

Delivered Cheyenne 22/11/43; Kearney 5/12/43; Presque Is 23/12/43; Assigned 509BS/351BG [RQ-X, RQ-P] Polebrook 27/12/43; Missing in Action Oberpfaffenhofen 18/3/44 with Ray Neuberg, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Earl Sharp, Radio Operator: Ira Houk, Ball turret gunner: Bob Workman,Tail gunner: Neal Quigley (5 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Bob Swenson, Navigator: Chas Finklestein, Bombardier: Bill Manley, Waist gunner: David Eckes, Waist gunner: Lewis Lowans (5 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft KO’d #3 & #4, crashed Heiligkrueztal, 12 miles NE of Singmaringen, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 3239. MY GAL.

Delivered Cheyenne 2/11/43; Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-N] Molesworth 18/1/44. Missing in Action (46m) NW France A/Fds 22/6/44 with Pilot, Dale Fisher; Co-pilot, Carlos Johns; Navigator, Carl Felton; Bombardier, Carthel Gaskin; Flight engineer/top turret gunner, John King; Ball turret gunner: Bernie McKeever; Waist gunner, Vic Crandell; Tail gunner, Bob Cooper, 8 Killed in Action. Radio Operator, Bob Johnson, evaded capture. Flak hit in #3 followed by explosion, crashed Pont-a-Tressin, near Lille, France. Missing Air Crew Report 6541. OLD GLORY.

Assigned 97BG Salina 29/11/42; transferred Biskra 21/1/43; Chateau-du-Rhumel 8/2/43; Pont-du-Fahs, Tun. 1/8/43; Depienne 15/8/43; transferred 49BS/2BG Massicault 14/11/43; Bizerte 2/12/43; Amendola 9/12/43; transferred 346BS/99BG Tortorella 28/3/44; {1m} transferred 815BS/483BG Tortorella 31/3/44; Missing in Action Nis, Yugo 16/4/44 with Ira Warburton, Burnette, Bueker, O’Brien, Baines (5 Killed in Action); Holcom, Jeffers, Brynjldsen, Cardone, Clos (5 Returned to Duty); flak damage. Missing Air Crew Report 3908.

Delivered with John Haig to Fort Douglas 6/12/41; Sacramento SAD 8/12/41 for armament installation Assigned 14RS/19BG; with Capt Fred Eaton to Hickam 17/12/41, then to Wheeler and att. USN for search missions, bomb. Sgt J.J. Trelia went sick and replaced by Rich Oliver; 11/2/42 and trans. 22BS/7BG, Garbutt, Aus 20/2/42; transferred 14RS/19BG Hickham); on mission from Townsville to attack Japanese shipping at Rabual, with Capt Fred Eaton, Co-pilot: Capt Henry Harlow, Navigator: George Munro, Bombardier: Rich Oliver, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Clarry Lemieux, Radio Operator: Harry Soresen, Waist gunner: Russ Crawford, Waist gunner: Bill Schwartz,Tail gunner: John Hall; suffered battle damage, ran out of gas and bellied in Agaiambo Swamp, Papua New Guinea 23/3/42 on its first mission; days later the crew battled its way through jungle and back to base by 1/4/42. After a long litigation process with PNG government, including collector David Tallichet, it eventually returned to USA June 2010, to “Planes of Fame“ at Chino 8/12/10, by Jan 2013 the fuselage was readied for Hawaii and back to US. Curator of Pacific Aviation Museum, Ken DeHoff, is confident the $5 million dollars will be obtained for restoration. SWAMP GHOST.

Delivered Cheyenne 18/4/44; Hunter 2/5/44; Dow Fd 17/5/44; Assigned 347BS/99BG Tortorella 20/5/44; battle damaged {57m} Ploesti 9/7/44 with Fred Henry (Returned to Duty), Roberts, Fox, Johannaber, Salter, Scarborough, Triplett (348th), six bailed out; #3 engine on fire, but Henry, Peddycord, Wilkins, Meisel put it out and fly home; Salvaged 23/9/44; from repair 4/10/44, crashed on take off 9/12/44 and destoyed.

Delivered Denver 29/12/43; 1SAG Langley 11/1/44; Assigned 49BS/2BG Amendola 2/3/44; transferred 32BS/301BG Lucera 9/4/44; transferred 774BS/463BG Celone 4/44; Missing in Action Ploesti 5/5/44 with Rich Fontaneau, Co-pilot: Nat Drutman, Navigator: Alphonse Adams, Bombardier: Chester Haas [Gp. Bomb.], Waist gunner: Don McDowell (5POW/ Returned to Duty); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Norbert Kemper, Radio Operator: Ray Svatos, Ball turret gunner: John Cullen,Tail gunner: Howard Sippel (4 Killed in Action); flak, crashed Moreni; Missing Air Crew Report 4712. BLUE CHAMPAGNE.

Delivered Cheyenne 14/6/44; Kearney 25/6/44; Dow Fd 9/7/44; Assigned 836BS/487BG Lavenham 10/7/44; transferred 835BS/486BG [H8-B] Sudbury 27/10/44; {58m} Missing in Action Dresden 17/4/45 with Dick Allbright, Co-pilot: Bob Miller, Navigator: Carl Runge, Bombardier: Milton Carmack, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Merle Davison, Radio Operator: Junior Raines, Ball turret gunner: Edgar Coghill, Waist gunner: Styles Westbrook,Tail gunner: Bernie Poole (9 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed near Saaz, Czecko.. Missing Air Crew Report 14197. (last 486 crew shot down) OH MISS AGNES.

Delivered Cheyenne 26/10/43; Walla Walla 9/11/43; Assigned 731BS/452BG [7D-V] Deopham Green 3/1/44; Missing in Action Berlin 6/3/44 with Chas Wagner, Radio Operator: Francis Shaffer, Waist gunner: Joe Tracey, Waist gunner: Fred Richmond,Tail gunner: George James (5 Killed in Action); Ball turret gunner: Lloyd Freeman (Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Alan Willis, Navigator: Clyde Martin, Bombardier: Henry Gladys, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Don PorterWounded in Action (4 evaded capture); enemy aircraft, crashed Staphorst-de-Leijen, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 2916. FLAKSTOP.