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

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber in WW2. With database about the fate of each single aircraft.

“The best bomber which was ever built. She could handle extensive damage and still stay in the air.”
General Ira C. Eaker

Featured B-17s

Werbung/Advertisement

Recently modified B-17s in the database

B-17 #42-29485 / Miss Fury

B-17 #42-29485 / Miss Fury

Delivered Cheyenne 20/12/42; Salina 3/1/43; West Palm Beach 31/1/43; Assigned 416BS/99BG Navarin 20/2/43; Oudna 4/8/43; Tortorella 11/12/43; transferred 483BG Tortorella 31/3/44; 7 more missions, Sterparone 22/4/44; Written off 31/7/44, repaired to 463BG Celone as weather aircraft 4/45; Salvaged 5/10/45. MISS FURY.

B-17 #41-24571 / Indianapolis War Bird

B-17 #41-24571 / Indianapolis War Bird

Assigned 323BS/91BG Bangor 14/9/42; West Palm Beach 24/11/42; transferred MTO 97BG Biskra, Alg. 1/43; 49BS/2BG 14/11/3; Massicault, Tun 14/11/43; Missing in Action Steyr, Aus. 24/2/44 with Harry Meyer, Co-pilot: Ralph Sneedon, Navigator: John McTeague, Bombardier: Ralph Karsh, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ben Hughes, Radio Operator: Kinnon Taylor, Waist gunner: Lawrence Dunn (7 Prisoner of War); Ball turret gunner: Edwin Jackson, Waist gunner: Webb Digh,Tail gunner: John McMullin (3KIA, buried in forest near Moosbach, Austria); s/d, no chutes seen, crashed near Hocheck. Missing Air Crew Report 2619. INDIANAPOLIS WAR BIRD.

B-17 #44-6138

B-17 #44-6138

Delivered Tulsa 12/5/44; Hunter 21/5/44; Dow Fd 29/5/44; Assigned: 331BS/94BG [QE-P] Rougham 1/6/44; MIA Munster 5/10/44 Pilot: Bob Messersmith, Jack Wise, Ken Nefzger, Joe Helfrich, Lou Knouthe, Foster Gilgis, John Ritenour, Wilbur Seibold, Paul Jaworski (9POW); flak, crashed Kersmecke (1,6km north of Plettenberg), Germany; MACR 9510.

B-17 #42-106994 / Little Guy

B-17 #42-106994 / Little Guy

Delivered Cheyenne 21/1/44; Gr Island 18/2/44; Grenier 22/2/44; Assigned 532BS/381BG [VE-K] Ridgewell 3/4/44; Missing in Action 37+m Altenbeken 26/11/44 with Kyle Smith, Radio Operator: Lester Colson, Ball turret gunner: Gustavo Contreras (3 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Don McGurk, Navigator: Melvin LaLuzerne, tog-Byron Wear, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bob Porter, Waist gunner: Tom Arnold,Tail gunner: Francis DeLange (6 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Apeldoorn, Hol; Missing Air Crew Report 11205. LITTLE GUY.

B-17 #42-5915 / Cash & Carry

B-17 #42-5915 / Cash & Carry

Delivered Long Beach 7/5/43; Denver 14/5/43; Geiger 26/5/43; Gt Falls 7/6/43; Dow Fd 13/7/43; Assigned 570BS/390BG [DI-J] Framlingham 15/7/43; Missing in Action (11m) Munster 10/10/43 with Bob McGuire, Co-pilot: Glenn Oster, Navigator: Albt Drouhard, Bombardier: Jack Nosser, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Herschel Rasco, Radio Operator: Joe Chassaing, Ball turret gunner: Hershel McFeely, Waist gunner: George Hodgins, Waist gunner: Norman Augerr,Tail gunner: Cliff Strang (10 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, with wing on fire and #1 engine out, crashed Quantwick, near Ahaus, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 860. CASH & CARRY.

B-17 #42-30045 / She’s My Gal aka Fight’n-n-Bit’n

B-17 #42-30045 / She’s My Gal aka Fight’n-n-Bit’n

Delivered Cheyenne 3/4/43; Sioux City 14/4/43; Kearney 3/5/43; Bangor 23/5/43; Assigned 545BS/384BG [JD- ] Grafton Underwood 29/5/43; transferred 334BS/95BG [BG-M] Horham 28/6/43 SHE’S MY GAL; 28/7/43 with E.L. Lemke force landed Gt Ashfield AFB, Sfk,; 6/9/43 with Max Crowder force landed Chipping Norton; 12m, Missing in Action Saarlautern 4/10/43 with Max Crowder, Co-pilot: Edgar Taylor, Navigator: Paul Terrell, Bombardier: Bill Savage, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Roy Lewis, Radio Operator: Duke Rosenburg, Ball turret gunner: Andres Torres, Waist gunner: Theo Mayer, wo-Melvin Hibbert,Tail gunner: Arlie Arneson (10 Prisoner of War); flak, ditched 5 miles off Bayeux, France; Missing Air Crew Report 744 & 1455. FIGHT’N -‘N – BIT’N.

B-17 #42-31673 / Lassie Come Home aka Black Magic

B-17 #42-31673 / Lassie Come Home aka Black Magic

Delivered Cheyenne 6-Dec-43; Kearney 17-Dec-43; Harrisburg 8-Jan-44; New Castle 9-Jan-43; Presque Is 11-Jan-44; Prestwick 16-Jan-44; Assigned 96BG Snetterton 16-Jan-44; transferred 322BS/91BG [LG-B] Bassingbourn 27-Jan-44. On 16-Aug-44 the aircraft was on a mission to attack the aircraft factories at Halle, Germany. Attacked by approximately 25 enemy aircraft, setting the radio room in fire and exploding in mid-air. Crashed Deiderode, SW of Gottingen, Germany. (one of six aircraft lost in about 30 secs). 4KIA 5POW Missing Air Crew Report 8183. Aircraft had logged 76 missions.

B-17 #42-30580 / Equipoise

B-17 #42-30580 / Equipoise

Delivered Cheyenne 27/6/43; Smoky 10/7/43; Dow Fd 15/7/43; Assigned 326BS/92BG [JW-N] Alconbury 14/8/43; Salvaged n/battle damaged 6/1/44 following ground collision with 42-31377, after ship blew right tyre; with Bill Lock, Co-pilot: Walt Price, Navigator: Milton Cohen, Bombardier: Sol Greenberg, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ralph Shaw, Radio Operator: Jim Lavett, Ball turret gunner: Jim Farrell, Waist gunner: Rich Wilder, Waist gunner: Stan Sztore,Tail gunner: Porter Adams. (10 Returned to Duty). EQUIPOISE.

B-17 #42-31373 / Flakstop

B-17 #42-31373 / Flakstop

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.

B-17 #42-97219 / Revel’s Revenge

B-17 #42-97219 / Revel’s Revenge

Delivered Cheyenne 8/2/44; Kearney 24/2/44; Grenier 12/3/44; Assigned: 560BS/388BG Knettishall 12/3/44; MIA Merseburg 28/9/44 Pilot: Vic Olson (KIA); Francis Miller, John Kern, Ben Spevack, Wilmer Breckenridge, Theo Wilke, John Wyman, Chas Patterson, Casimir Piatek (8POW); flak, crashed Merseburg, Germany. MACR 9378. REVEL’S REVENGE.