Source:
photos.384thbombgroup.com
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-65-BO: 42-29632 to 42-29731 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 305th Bomb Group, 384th Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 364th Bomb Squadron, 546th Bomb Squadron |
| RCL | WF-G, BK-F |
| Fate: |
, Crashlanding, Battle damaged (17 August 1943) |
History of
B-17 42-29636 / Vanishing Virgin aka X-Virgin
Delivered Cheyenne 23/1/43; Gt Falls 31/1/43; Salina 3/2/43; Nashville 23/2/43; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-G] Chelveston VANISHING VIRGIN 24/3/43; transferred 546BS/384BG [BK-F] Grafton Underwood 30/9/43; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 15/3/44; Returned to the USA 12/5/44; Lockbourn 3/8/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 18/12/45. X-VIRGIN.
B-17 42-29636 / Vanishing Virgin aka X-Virgin Details
Originally assigned to the 305th BG, 42-29636 bore the name “The Vanishing Virginian.” Her original Navigator, Mal Sweet, suggested renaming her “The Virgin.” A flak hit on May 14, 1943, above the “V” prompted yet another name change, de-flowering the plane and warranting the sobriquet “X-Virgin.” Captain David Tyler brought her in to a belly-landing after returning from Schweinfurt on August 17, 1943, and the plane was transferred to the 384th Bomb Group. The “X-Virgin” survived her combat tour and was returned to the United States on May 12, 1944.
Crew list of Schweinfurt-Raid see below.
B-17 42-29636 / Vanishing Virgin aka X-Virgin Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | --- | David A. Tyler, Jr | RTD | - |
| CP | --- | Wayne J. Hendricks | RTD | - |
| NAV | --- | Malvern R. Sweet | RTD | - |
| BOMB | --- | Louis W. Nelson | RTD | - |
| ENG/TT | --- | Fred E. Boyle | RTD | - |
| RO | --- | Cullen A. Lee | POW | - |
| BT | --- | Johnson | POW | - |
| WG | --- | Frye | KIA | - |
| WG | --- | Dougherty | POW | - |
| TG | --- | Stanley J. Salamon | POW | - |
This page was last updated on 12 June 2022
18. December 2018 access_time 2:18
I spoke with David Tyler about 20 years ago after I found a letter he sent to the crew chief thanking him for keeping the plane operating. He told me that when the plane was flown the England by the original crew it had the name The Vanishing Virginian. Once the plane was in England it was transferred to a different crew with David Tyler as the pilot. Since no one in the crew had any attachment to the original name they painted over the letters to make it The Virgin. It became x-virgin when it suffered bad damage and had to be repaired over a number of days while the crew flew a different plane. When they got the virgin back they decided it was not a virgin any more and added the x. 364th squadron of the 305th bg. He said they finished their tour a few weeks after the Memphis belle.
28. January 2019 access_time 13:45
Mr. Tyler had sent me a xerox copy of his flight log as well as a photocopy of his private photo album. He took a picture of the crew after each mission. His last mission was in fact the Schweinfurt mission. So about 3 months after the Memphis Belle. They only returned with half of the crew as the plane was badly damaged, 4 members parachuted out and one was killed during the mission. He was an amazing man to talk with.
28. January 2019 access_time 13:59
Hello David,
thank you for sharing the information.
Do you have the crew list of the last mission?
23. February 2019 access_time 21:54
Hello,
Yes I do if I can make out all of the names.
The 5 that returned on the final mission:
David A Tyler Jr. Pilot
Louis W. Nelson Bombardier
Fred E. Boyle Engineer and top turret
Malvern R. Sweet Navigator
Wayne J. Hendricks Co-Pilot
4 Bailed out
Stanley J. Salamon Tail Gunner
Cullen A. Lee Radio Operator
Johnson Ball Turret
Dougherty must have been Waist gunner, but not the usual
1 man killed
Frye must have been a waist gunner, but not the usual
In the scrapbook he lists Larry Singleton and Bob Van Rees as waist gunners but they must not have been on the last mission.
I hope that helps and that it makes sense.
Dave
12. November 2020 access_time 3:43
My dad flew in the x-virgin. He was a BT gunner and was wounded in the second Schweinfurt raid. He did tell me one of the waist gunners was killed. I don’t recall him saying some of the crew bailed out.
27. February 2024 access_time 4:25
I believe the original name of the plane was Vanishing Virginia.
21. November 2022 access_time 4:14
Would it be possible to obtain a copy of that flight log and photo album? Wayne J. Hendricks, Tyler’s co-pilot was my grandfather. Thank you.
26. November 2022 access_time 5:28
Hello,
What Have is a very bad xerox copy. I have information about Tyler’s son that I would like to follow up on to see if he has the photo album and if I might be able to get a much better copy. Let me do some checking and I will get back to you.
09. December 2020 access_time 1:53
Wow, that is interesting. Your dad must have flown after the plane was transferred to the other bomb group? What was your dads name? I always wondered how to turn this plane and its crew into a book.
20. November 2022 access_time 4:48
My Dad was the Malvern Sweet, navigator mentioned. Sad to hear of the recent crash of a B17
26. November 2022 access_time 5:25
Wow, I never thought I would hear from family of other members of the crew. I have no connection other than the letter that styler sent to the crew chief. I got in touch with Tyler through the 8th Air Force Association. They gave me his address, in Jacksonville Florida, and phone number. He has passed but my brother has information about his children that I would love to follow up with if I get down there soon. Were you able to talk with your dad about his experiences? Tyler was overwhelmed that someone would be interested and we talked for over an hour. He did not mention the crash landing on the final mission.
26. January 2024 access_time 18:35
Mr. Shirley, My wife’s grandfather was Capt. Tyler, I’d love to find out more info for her regarding her grandfather and his missions. Her mom, Mary (Capt. Tyler’s youngest) and uncle Duffy (Capt. Tyler’s oldest son, David III) have a few pics but none of his flight logs or that letter he wrote the crew members’ family. I’d be interested in seeing that or obtaining a copy somehow. We just started watching Spielberg and Hanks’ newest “Masters of the Air” and my wife is curious about the grandfather she barely knew and his missions/plane. Wondering if there are pics of his plane in flight as well? Hope to hear back from you -be well.
Eric
28. January 2024 access_time 5:14
Hello Eric,
Wow, I never really expected to hear from a relative of Pilot Tyler. Let me just say at the beginning. I talked with him one time on the phone and we exchanged a couple of letters. He was living in Jacksonville at the time. He sent me a xerox copy of his flight log as well as a very grainy xerox copy of the scrapbook he made while over there. I surely hope that someone in the family kept this things when he passed away. Have you asked his children (your mom’s about his documents and anything he saved from the war? It would be a great pity if somehow those things were lost. If that is in fact true then we could definitely arrange getting you a copy of what I have. He also showed me a couple of pictures of a B-17 model that had been pinned up to look like his plane. Please let me know. If you find his log and scrapbook I would love a better copy than what I have. Where do you live? I am coming down to Florida in a couple of weeks to visit my brother.
I hope that all makes sense. I know there are others in this list of comments that would also be interested in the scrapbook.
I will tell you it was a joy talking with him. Those guys that flew early in the bomber offensive without fighter escort were truly the bravest of the brave. His last mission was the Schwienfurt mission where we lost 60 bombers. He crashlanded his bomber. What a way to finish your tour.
Please get back to me.
Thank you
Dave
03. February 2024 access_time 5:32
Hello,
I am not sure if you received my previous reply. I would love to make contact. Just to let you know, the copy I have is not very good. Did someone from the family keep his flight log and the scrapbook? It sure would be a pity if those things were somehow lost. Mr. Tyler also sent me a couple of pictures of a model someone had made for him with the makings of his plane.
26. November 2022 access_time 5:34
Hello,
Yes very sad about the accident. I had toured that B-17 long ago. I flew as a passenger on the 909 that crashed a couple of years ago. If you have never been fortunate enough to fly in a B-17 I would totally recommend it. It gave me a very eye-opening perspective on how the crews flew during the war and just made you think, how did they do it? The “Virgin” flew very early when escort was non existent. Everyone of those guys was an absolute hero in my book. Do you know if they ever met after the war? Did your dad go to any of the reunions?
14. February 2024 access_time 1:29
The Frye mentioned was T/Sgt William Wayne Frye from Petersburg, West Virginia (See the WV Veterans Database at https://archive.wvculture.org/history/wvmemory/vetdetail.aspx?Id=11780)
27. February 2024 access_time 4:26
That is interesting. Nice find on that.
04. February 2026 access_time 7:05
I can recall my Father speaking very fondly of “our” pilot Dave Tyler. He visited us once iin California. Standing next Dad he was very tall They walked and talked alone for the longest time. Tyler joked how Sweet complimented him on such a good landing..when they crashed. Best landing he ever did he said. “It was a good plane but I couldn’t make fly anymore”. Dad credits Tyler for not giving up on it and his piloting skills in a crippled plane back crossed the channel from schweinfurt. They were alive and it their last mission. When dad I toured a B17 he recalled Finding one of crew they he was and all the damage they took all around. I could feel the terror in him.
08. February 2026 access_time 20:40
Hello,
Wow that is very interesting. When I talked with Mr. Tyler he did not even mention the belly landing. I learned about that later. They were part of the beginning of the bomber offensive with little of no air cover so they were the test crews of the whole war. How was it going through a B-17 with your dad? I have flown a couple of times in a B-17 but I can imagine it was very interesting for you with your dad. Your dad looked very dashing in the pictures in Mr. Tylers scrapbook. Looked a bit like Clark Gable with a mustache and all. Did your dad discuss his time in the war? Do you have anything from your dads time in the service there? Just interested in knowing if there are other pictures of the plane during its time and if your dad kept anything interesting. I sent messages to the relative of Mr. Tyler about his log book and scrapbook (he sent me xerox copies of both) but never heard back. I sure hope they have all of that original stuff.
Hope everything is going well for you.
Thanks
Dave
10. February 2026 access_time 1:04
Dave
Dad never talked much about his war times unless asked.. His later years more so. Dave told the story of flying across the Atlantic to North Africa, and navigating to that little island in between that was a fuel stop. If ya didn’t find it, you were never heard from again. He said after hours of nothing but water Sweet came to cockpit, pointed out on the horizon and there it was, “right where he said would be”.. Dave was impressed. And you could feel the relief it brought.
Then Dad told the story of being lost blown off coarse in a storm getting to England. They were hundreds of miles off and were running out of fuel. Dave said Sweet came up told him to turn right.. now a.hard 90. They wound up in northern Ireland and landed on no power, on farm road. On left side of river, right side was Ireland. Farmers brought them gas in pickups and barrels. Then they went to England. First I heard that story Dad speaking at church service So it wasn’t just about bombing missions.
He went on to flying 50(?)missions in B26’s in Korea too.
His training time were shared more. Those I have a lot pictures of.
Curious, what is your interest in this?
Charlie Sweet
10. February 2026 access_time 5:08
Hello,
Okay, so in the early 1990’s I was in an antique store in Wisconsin and I came upon a letter written by Mr. Tyler to the crew chief of the Virgin where he wrote that they never had to turn back from a road because of mechanical failure, he was thanking him for his hard work. It had the name and number of their plane as well as their group and squadron numbers. I found it very interesting and thought it would be cool to get a picture of the nose art of the plane and put it in a frame with the letter. I contacted the 8th Air Force Association and they told me Mr. Tyler had recently joined the Association. They gave me his number and address in Jacksonville Florida so after a while I ended up calling him. We talked for about an hour and then exchanged a few letters. So that is how I became interested in the “Virgin”
Well that does go along with what I have from a copy of Mr. Tylers flight log. The island was Ascension Island. He then writes that they were lost over Northern Ireland and landed at Londonderry before flying to England. They did not fly “Virgin” from the US to England. The plane they had before that was called Nightshade. They gave that to another crew when they got to England.
As I said Mr. Tyler sent me xerox copies of his flight log and the scrapbook he made during their time in England. Just always interested in knowing anything more about the crew and the plane.
Wow B-26’s in Korea I would think that could have been rough. My father was too young for WWII but served on a Destroyer off the coast of Korea in 1953 and during the Hydrogen Bomb testing in the Pacific during 1954.
I hope that makes sense as to why I am interested. I never thought at the beginning that anything would come of writing things here.
Thanks,
Dave