B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 42-29856 / Patches

History of
B-17 42-29856 / Patches

Delivered Denver 27/2/43; Smoky Hill 22/3/43; Tinker 9/4/43; Nashville 13/4/43; Morrison 18/4/43; Assigned 346BS/99BG Navarin 5/5/43; Oudna 4/8/43; Tortorella 11/12/43; transferred 815BS/483BG Tortorella 31/3/44; Missing in Action Weiner Neustadt 10/5/44 with Ray Scranton, Stewart (2 Killed in Action); Ewing, Moyer, Schooler, Mays, kempf, O’Donnell, Torres, Stork (8 Prisoner of War); flak hit, crashed Wiener Neustadt, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 4846. PATCHES.

Last updated: 28. August 2022

B-17 42-29856 / Patches Details

Image description:

Bailout from a Boeing B-17F of the 483rd Bomb Group, 815th Bomb Squadron, over the Weiner Neustadt, Austria rail yards on May 10,1944. The aircraft is at 22,500 feet with two engines feathered and fuel leaking from the left wing tanks (you can see wisps of it behind the wing). Two crewmen had already bailed out. Plane went into a slow turn and was losing altitude, then blew up. Eight of the crew got out.(U.S. Air Force photo)

Statement from MACR 4846

At approximately 1115 on the morning of 10 May 1944, just after turning of the target at Wiener Neustadt, Austria, Lt. Scranton’s ship was hit by flak. He was flying about 50 feet off out right wing, and I first noticed gasoline escaping from his left wing. The gasoline ignited and flame started trailing the wing. Lt. Scranton’s ship started to slide out of formation and I saw one man jump. I saw the body fall several thousand feet, apparently a delayed jump. Crew members on my plane reported that the saw seven chutes open. The burning ship passed out of my field of vision and about four minutes later crew members reported that the ship exploded.

Sherman D. Stanfield
Captain, Air Corps
Pilot

With regards to the number of men that parachuted out of the ship flown by Lt. Scranton: Our ship, Pilot, Capt. J. H. Stein, was lead ship of the third box over the target in our group. The ship that went down was followed to the ground by our ship crew. Seven members of the crew were seen to bail out, but it is possible that other members of the crew bailed out and were not seen by our crew.

Carl B. Hardy
2Lt., Air Corps
Navigator

The plane slid out of formation with number two engine on fire. It then went into a wide circle where I saw the first man jump from the plane but never was able to see his chute open. As the plane kept circling, I counted six more men jumping from the plane with their chutes opening.

The circles of the plane became tighter as the plane descended and it also seemed to be goind into a dive. At this time I saw three sections of flame from the plane falling towards the earth where it exploded.

I do not know who the pilot was on the particular ship but I heard over interphone that it was Lt. Scranton.

Vincent Peperone
S/Sgt., Air Corps
Crew 504

B-17 42-29856 / Patches Crew