B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 42-107146 / Mairzy Doats

History of
B-17 42-107146 / Mairzy Doats

Delivered Tulsa 6/3/44; Gr Island 12/3/44; Dow Fd 14/4/44; Assigned 527BS/379BG [FO-G] Kimbolton 11/4/44; Missing in Action Gelsenkirchen 26/8/44 with Edwin Spencer, Co-pilot: Mervyn Richards, Navigator: Gerard Gallagher, Bombardier: Warren Boone, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Howard Chaffin, Radio Operator: George Lively, Waist gunner: Dick Kriederman (7 Killed in Action); Ball turret gunner: Don Stover,Tail gunner: Chas Marlatt (2RTD-rescued by ASR); en route to target #2 engine fell apart, ditched North Sea, W of Haarlem, Holl; Missing Air Crew Report 8465. MAIRZY DOATS.

Last updated: 1. April 2020

B-17 42-107146 / Mairzy Doats Details

From MACR 8465

We had just begun to cross the enemy coast when #2 engine started to fall apart. The Navigator called to pilot and said that the top cylinder was flying out. The pilot was unable to feather the prop and the engine continued to disintegrate. We dropped out of formation and headed back.

The #2 engine caught fire and burned fiercely and caused the plane to shake all over. After a while the fire finally went out and the plane stopped shaking. I was in the waist by this time and all of us back there thought everything was all right. I wasn’t on interphone and don’t know of anything was said or not.

I noticed that the bombs had been salvoed so I askeed the waist gunner, by motioning, whether or not we should throw out the guns and equipment, and prepare for ditching. He shook his head no and motioned that everything was all right. I was using one of the large oxygen bottles and sat down in the waist and occassionally clanced out to see that all three engines were still running.

We were still on oxygen approximately five (5) or ten (10) seconds before we hit the water. The waist gunner kept looking out the window and watching the wing. We didn’t know that we had been loosing altitude until the ball turret gunner, who was also in the waist, happened to glance out and noticed that we were close to water. (About 200 feet). The ball turret gunner motioned to the waist gunner to notice how low we were, jerked off his oxygen mask, and all three of us started for the radio room. I took just a couple of steps and then everything went blank until I regained consciousness sometime later, at which time, I was floating in the water inside the plane. The plane was about half submerged and I got out throught a hole in the side. I had hardly cleared the plane when it sank. The ball turret gunner had been thrown clear of the plane in the crash. I remained afloat with my life jacked from about 1115 hours until about 1245 when I was picked up

Sgt. Charles J. Marlatt

B-17 42-107146 / Mairzy Doats Crew