zoom_in
Source:
www.americanairmuseum.com
Production-block:
B-17G-1-BO: 42-31032 to 42-31131
Manufacturer:
Boeing
- Bomb Group:
- 447th Bomb Group
- Bomb Squadron:
- 709th Bomb Squadron
MACR: 2279 / KSU/ME/KU: 746
History of
B-17 42-31108 / Devil’s Mate
Delivered Cheyenne 20/9/43; Harvard 4/10/43; Assigned 709BS/447BG Rattlesden 21/11/43; Missing in Action Frankfurt 29/1/44 with Clyde Allen, Co-pilot: Harry Gottlieb, Navigator: Dick Martin, Bombardier: Harry DeLong, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Clyde Lockhart, Radio Operator: Howard Sikes, Ball turret gunner: Fred Dragone, Waist gunner: Joe McDermott, Waist gunner: Larry Palocsko,Tail gunner: Floyd Inman (10 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, crashed Waldecker road, Gonderhausen, near Waldeck castle, 14 miles SW of Koblenz, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 2279 THE DEVIL’S MATE.
Last updated: 31. October 2021
B-17 42-31108 / Devil’s Mate Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1LT | Clyde M. Allen | KIA | - |
| CP | 2LT | Harry Gottlieb | KIA | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Richard A. Marten | KIA | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Harry B. DeLong | KIA | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Clyde F. Lockhart | KIA | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Howard E. Sikes | KIA | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Fred A. Dragone | KIA | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Joseph F. McDermott | KIA | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Larry J. Palocsko | KIA | - |
| TG | S/SGT | Floyd T. Inman | KIA | - |
01. November 2021 access_time 0:58
Lt. Frederick J. Hughes Lost Over Germany Sept 30 1944 I would like name of plane and info on him Thanks mike
12. December 2021 access_time 18:29
I am the great nephew of 1lt Clyde Allen, pilot of Devil’s Mate KIA 29 Jan 1944. I was wondering if anyone had information on the German pilot who shot his B-17 down. Thank you!!
05. March 2022 access_time 18:05
Greetings Jason, The Devil’s Mate crashed in the “Baybachtal” valley close to Gondershausen, Germany, after being disabled in an air battle overhead the nearby village of Bickenbach on Jan. 29, 1944. We’ve been trying to re-identify the (now densely forested) crash location for commemoration purposes. I’ll check the German archives to see if the planes & pilots involved in the battle that day can be identified. To be continued…
07. March 2022 access_time 17:18
Thanks Steve!!! We are hoping to visit the area this summer and are looking forward to any further information you might find!! Take care!!!
17. February 2023 access_time 20:13
Greetings Jason,
It’s been a while, but we’ve found the answer to your initial question:
The Devil’s Mate was almost definitely shot down on Jan. 29, 1944 by Lt. Heinz Schlechter, 5./J27 (5. Staffel/Jagt Geschwader 27 – 5th Squadron/27th Fighter Squadron) flying a Messerschmidt Bf 109 G-6 aircraft.
On May 12, 1944, Schlechter had to bail out after colliding with a B-17 by Merzhausen north of Frankfurt. The linked webpage below describes this battle (unfortunately only in German), but the pictures at the bottom show the B-17 (on the left) coming down without its tail and Schlechter (on the right) with a cast on his right arm and wearing an American flyer’s jacket after the collision. He survived the war, but evidently passed away in March 2016.
https://www.einsatzhafen-merzhausen.de/der-einsatzhafen/geschichte-1944-1945/12-05-1944/
Best wishes, Steve G.
P.s. We’ve located the actual crash site of The Devil’s Mate deep in the valley beneath our home. We hope to spend a bit more time down there once the spring weather dries things up a bit. Just for reference, the site lies just off the “Wolfsgraben” stream at Google coordniates: 50.149099, 7.453484
To be continued…..