B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 42-30314 / Beautiful Baby

History of
B-17 42-30314 / Beautiful Baby

Delivered Cheyenne 13/5/43; Smoky HIll 30/5/43; Morrison 8/6/43; Assigned 353BS/301BG St Donat 16/6/43; Oudna 6/8/43; Missing in Action 10m Istres le Tube 17/8/43 with Bill Cunningham, Howard, Michael, Miller, Barnett, Smith, (6KIA/ Prisoner of War); Jacobsen, Roberts, Van Buren (3 Returned to Duty); Missing Air Crew Report 407. BEAUTIFUL BABY.

Last updated: 29. March 2020

B-17 42-30314 / Beautiful Baby Details

Witness Statements from MACR 407

I saw things flying out above the a/c, then noticed that the front of the a/c was hit directly in the nose. The a/c started a slow dive as two chutes left the plane and opened. A moment later a third came out and opened.

S/Sgt. Edward J. Zelasney
Waist gunner in a/c #42-3137
Piloted by Capt. Frank B. Evans
(Position No. 11)

I saw a direct hit on the nose of the a/c. The a/c started down and I saw 4 chutes leave the plane and open.

S/Sgt. John R. Browning
Tail gunner on a/c #42-3065
Piloted by F/O Joseph B. Parkins
(Position No. 22)

My bombs had gone away and I looked over to the a/c just in time to see two pieces of metal go over the top then the whole nose just front of the pilot’s compartment went off. I looked back and one fellow bailed out of the waist window.

He went a long way then the chute opened. Then it appeared as though the pilot was thrown out of the open nose of the a/c and back beyond the tail where the chute opened. The a/c must have crashed approximately 100 yards from the runway; I think it hit a cargo plane; it must have, because they were all lined up along the runway. I saw columns of black smoke rising.

2Lt. Winfred G. Tozler
Bombardier in a/c #42-3065
Piloted by F/O Joseph B. Parkins
(Position No. 22)

I saw an explosion in the bombay of the a/c. Smoke and debris appeared to be leaving the bombay. Immediately afterwards one chute opened approximately 100 yards back of the a/c. A moment later another chute opened and, as the diving a/c neared a cloud bank, a second and third chute opened. This was all I saw as the a/c was then below the cloud bank.

S/Sgt. Harley A. Kelly
Waist gunner on a/c #42-29652
Piloted by 2Lt. Joseph S. Dunbar
(Position No. 12)

B-17 42-30314 / Beautiful Baby Crew