Production-block:
B-17G-85-BO: 43-38274 to 43-38473
Manufacturer:
Boeing
- Bomb Group:
- 34th Bomb Group
- 493rd Bomb Group
- Bomb Squadron:
- 18th Bomb Squadron
- 860th Bomb Squadron
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History of
B-17 43-38304
Delivered Cheyenne 19/7/44; Kearney 28/7/44; Grenier 8/8/44; Assigned 860BS/493BG Debach 9/8/44; transferred 18BS/34BG Mendlesham 10/8/44; taxi accident at base, hit 44-8282 with Bob Knowlton 18/12/44; crash landed base with Arthur Artruc 5/1/45; Salvaged.
Last updated: 24. March 2018
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20. April 2024 access_time 3:41
My Dad, James C. Sager, was the Navigator for Crew # 82 of the 18th Bomb Squadron. The pilot of the crew was Robert Downie Hemingway. Crew 82 flew 14 Combat Missions (of the 35 combat missions they flew) with B-17 43-38304. It was their favorite B-17. Mr. Hemingway has a manuscript detailing his WWII experiences in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. In that manuscript Mr. Hemingway describes why 43-38304 was the crew’s favorite B-17. He also mentions that the name of the plane was “Lily the Lemon.” It was a name no one was too thrilled with the first time they flew Lily, but by the their last mission with Lily, she’d won over the entire crew. There are pictures of 43-38304 in the manuscript, but the quality of the pictures is so poor that it’s impossible to tell if “Lily the Lemon” is written (painted) on the front of the fuselage. At present there is no mention of the name Lily the Lemon noted in any list of B-17 names that I’ve come across. Nor does the name appear in any of the books and documents dedicated to the nose art of WWII B-17s. So I send these 4 questions out for general discussion to the descendants of 34th Bombardment Group, 18th Bomb Squad personnel. Can anyone corroborate that B-17 43-38304 WAS (always or at one time) named Lily the Lemon? Does anyone have a photo of B-17 43-38304 that shows the name Lily the Lemon painted on her fuselage? If someone has a copy of such a photo, would you be willing to scan it and send a copy to me? And last, does anyone know the story of how 43-38304 came to be named Lily the Lemon?
43-38304’s history with the 18th Bomb Squad is this: She arrived in Mendlesham as a new airplane in August of 1944. She flew her 1st combat mission (# 64) on 9/17/1944. Pedigo was the pilot of the crew who flew her. Pedigo was also the pilot of her next 2 combat missions: # 65 and # 66 on 9/19/1944 and 9/22/1944 respectively. Kiley was the pilot of the crew who flew her 4th combat mission (# 67) on 9/25/1944. Richardson was the pilot of the crew who flew her on her 5th combat mission (# 68) on 9/26/1944. Finally on 10/3/1944, on her 6th combat mission, Hemingway was the pilot of the crew (that contained my Dad) who flew her. It was the first of the 14 combat missions that the Hemingway crew flew with her.
So, I would deeply appreciate it if anyone has any information about 43-48304 that would confirm (or not) her identity as Lily the Lemon — and would get in touch with me. I don’t know if it’s kosher or not to mention my email address, brusager@gmail.com, but there it is. Please feel free to email me directly. But if you would prefer to send a message through the b17flyingfortress messaging function, that is perfectly fine with me. Thank you.
Bruce Sager