Production-block:
B-17F-100-BO: 42-30332 to 42-30431
Manufacturer:
Boeing
- Bomb Group:
- 94th Bomb Group
- Bomb Squadron:
- 332nd Bomb Squadron
- RCL: XM-D2
History of
B-17 42-30383 / Brennan’s Circus
Delivered Cheyenne 25/5/43; Kearney 5/6/43; Dow Fd 7/7/43; Assigned 332BS/94BG [XM-D2] Rougham 8/7/43; Missing in Action Schweinfurt 14/10/43 with Joe Brennan, Co-pilot: Gordon White, Navigator: Verne Viterbo, Bombardier: Joe Genone, (ettg – ?), Radio Operator: Willard Wetzel{final mission}, (btg and lwg – ??), Waist gunner: Denver Nowlin, (tg – ? (10 Returned to Duty); enemy aircraft KO’d engine, second attack damaged another, jettisoned bombs before tracers KO’d a third engine, ditched North Sea five miles from UK; rescued in an hour ! BRENNAN’S CIRCUS.
Last updated: 9. February 2019
18. February 2018 access_time 1:33
Henry Saverin Rodeschin, my wife’s late uncle, was the starboard waist gunner on this plane and often shared with me his experiences on the Black Thursday raid. In fact, there is quite an account of him and this plane in the book Black Thursday. Yes, the B-17 was indeed the Queen of the Skies. Once took my then 16 yr old son to see the Nine-O-Nine on display in Keene, NH. He whined on the way but I couldn’t get him out of that plane. It was an early brisk autumn weekday and we had the whole aircraft to ourselves.
11. April 2021 access_time 16:46
My grandfather was Lt. Gordon White. Fortunately, he told me about the last trip on this beauty. He said when they ditched, “That water was COLD!”.