Source:
www.fold3.com
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17G-25-BO: 42-31632 to 42-31731 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 457th Bomb Group, 91st Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 323rd Bomb Squadron |
| RCL: | OR-N |
| Fate: |
, Returned to the USA (26 May 1945) |
| Missions: | 139 |
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History of
B-17 42-31636 / Out House Mouse
Delivered Cheyenne 30/11/43; Wendover 11/12/43; Assigned 457BG Glatton 26/1/44; transferred 323BS/91BG [OR-N] Bassingbourn 12/3/44; 139m Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 26/5/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 11/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 30/11/45, but not scrapped until 1963! (first heavy bomber attacked by German jet a/c.) OUTHOUSE MOUSE.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
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This page was last updated on 01 November 2017
15. August 2024 access_time 15:53
Dear Jing,
Since the release of the Masters of the Air serie, I dived like you into a passion for the 8th Air Force campaign above the ETO during WWII, the B-17 bomber and their very courageous crews. I bought and read many books and really wanted to share these stories and illustrate them. Your website has been of major importance to find the planes and crew, so thank you very much for that!
One story – that turned out to happen precisely 80 years ago, has particularly attracted my attention : the Outhouse Mouse encounter with a Me-163B Komet on August 16th, 1944. With a range of different sources (articles, dailies of 91st BG, books etc …), I tried to better understand this story to paint this scene. Below is the story as a legend for my painting you can view online here : https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4Nbnbk
“Manufactured by Boeing and delivered in late November 1943, the B-17G-25-BO, serial number 42-31636, was assigned to the 323rd Bomb Squadron of the 91st Bomb Group (/A\) on March 12, 1944. Based at Bassingbourn, the aircraft, nicknamed “Out House Mouse”, took part in its first war mission on March 18, against the Dornier factories at Oberpfaffenhofen. Strikes against strategic targets in Germany and France followed in quick succession, particularly in preparation for the Normandy landings scheduled for June.
On August 16, 1944, some 1,090 American bombers took off for airfields, aeronautical and chemical industrial sites located in the heart of Germany. The “Out House Mouse” was part of the “bomber stream”, targeting the Siebel aeronautical plant in Halle. 35 B-17s from the 91st BG took part in the mission. Over the town of Eisenach, at around 10 a.m. and around 1 a.m. from the target, the formation came under heavy attack from several Fw-190A8s and Bf-109Gs: in 40 seconds, the 91st BG lost 6 aircraft and 31 men. A further 25 were taken prisoner.
45 minutes later, 5 Me-163B Komet burst into the formation. With its rocket engine, the aircraft was capable of climbing to almost 60,000 ft. above a column of white – greyish smoke. Running out of fuel, the engine then cuts out, and the pilot generally has a few chances to redirect its now gliding plane towards Allied bomber formations before rejoining its airfield. The first Komet, piloted by Feldwebel H. Straznicky, targeted the lead element of the 365th BS / 305th BG and attacked the B-17G “Towering Titan”: as it dives on the B-17G at 600m from 6 o’clock, the Me-163B is shot down by the tail gunner from less than 60m. Straznicky, first pilot of a rocket plane shot down in combat, then jumped from his burning plane.
A second Me-163B, piloted by Lt. Hartmut Ryll, concentrated its attacks on a 365th BS / 305th BG B-17 (serial number unknown) piloted by 2Lt. Charles J. Laverdiere. After two very aggressive cannon passes that severely damaged the B-17 and killed 2 crews, Ryll followed up with another B-17 from the 91st BG piloted by 1Lt. Reese W. Mullins: damaged during the first attack by Fw-190A8 and Bf-109G above Eisenach, the bomber was now operating on only 2 engines. Lagging behind the main formation, it was a straggler that has become highly vulnerable to German fighters, as it was outside the protective fire normally offered by combat boxes. Seeing an Me-163B literally falling on him, Mullins performed a series of evasive maneuvers while his gunners trying, unsuccessfully, to shoot him down with their .50 machine guns. A few minutes later, a pair of P-51D Mustangs from the 359th Fighter Group’s escort took their turn on the rocket plane. Several bursts of machine-gun fire, with hits to the cockpit, were enough to destroy the Me-163B. The Komet and its pilot crashed at 10:52 a.m. west of the town of Brandis, near Leipzig.
The Out House Mouse continued its career and, after 139 missions, returned to the USA in May 1945. There, it was sold to the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, responsible for liquidating wartime stocks. Like thousands of other military aircraft, it was sent to the Kingman airfield in Arizona, where it was dismantled 18 years later … in 1963!
In specialized literature, the B-17G Out House Mouse is generally considered by a number of sources to be the first B-17 to have encountered a Me-163B Komet in combat. That’s the choice I’ve made here for this painting. However, it’s a claim that’s difficult to substantiate, as the attack on August 16, 1944 took place in just a few minutes and involved 3 different B-17s (Laverdiere, Jenks, Mullins). Mullins will recall that he was flying B-17G 42-31579 Betty Lou’s Buggy that day.”
Some questions I still have for those interested by this story:
– Is this story historically accurate from what you know?
– In regards of your research and archives, do you think this is the Outhouse Mouse or the Betty Lou’s Buggy that has encountered a Me-163B that day ?
– Why the aircraft was nicknamed “Out House Mouse”?
24. January 2025 access_time 23:31
Hi there! My grandfather was part of the original crew who named the Mouse before it was taken from them after they ferried it over. The artwork was created by a stateside Lt named Ellis, and carried in the pilot’s map pouch on the trip to England. The aircraft went off the icy runway into a tree and received damage to its newly-installed G-model chin turret retrofit. As such, the official records don’t show it being “released” until November even though it was actually already in England earlier that summer.
As for the name, during training in Dalhart, TX or Nellis or somewhere, the co-pilot bounced a bad practice landing and sent the young crew flying around inside the airplane. The young co-pilot yelled “S–T HOUSE MOUSE!!” to the delight of pilot and crew when they talked about it afterward. It became an expression among the crew whenever they made a mistake, long after they had been sent on with a repaired old F-model to their final destination at Snetterton Heath.
They were assigned to Dottie J III in the 96th Bomb Group the day they were shot down over Schweinfurt on 14 Oct 1943, which is how we know the Mouse was already in the ETO by then. At some point, artist Tony Starcer transferred Lt. Ellis’ design to the nose of the now-legendary Out House Mouse. Cheers!
10. February 2025 access_time 22:05
Dear Chris, thank you so much for your response, I was not expecting to find the artwork origin like this, you made my day!
19. April 2026 access_time 4:44
Hello Nicolas,
This may seem like a strange reply to get out of the blue, but Chris Gattman is my late father. Oddly enough, your reply was sent only a couple of days after his passing. I hope this message does not come off as weird, but I was working on a university project, and this website came up when I was searching for information on my great-grandfather (Chris’s grandfather🙂). It was a pleasant surprise to come across my dad when I didn’t expect it, and I’m happy that he was able to help you. He loved sharing pieces of history such as this.
Unfortunately I don’t have any more information to provide that answers your questions, as my dad would have known best (unless you’re wondering why “Sh-t House Mouse” was changed to “Out House Mouse”–I believe my dad told me that one of the crew members’ wives made them change it to the latter, haha!). But I might have some pictures of my great-grandfather and the original crew in front of the B-17 that might not be on any archival sites, if you are interested. My mother and I recently moved, so I would have to ask her where they are amongst all our moving boxes, but say the word and I’ll pull them out! There is also an article from the Oregonian that includes some war stories from my great-grandfather, including a weird letter from someone he vaguely knew while a prisoner of war that mentioned JFK’s assassination before the actual date (which we still not have been able to find, unfortunately), if that is a read you might be interested in. It would be my honor to share my great-grandfather’s life and continue sharing my dad’s love for his grandfather, so say the word and I will try to get them sent over.
Regardless, thank you for this strange coincidence. A small conversational exchange between you and my dad that you may not have thought about in over a year now has made my night. It’s nice to find my dad’s memory in these little niche areas where I least expect him.
18. June 2025 access_time 23:11
My dad was a pilot in WWII and he flew in the 91st Bomb Group. He flew 43 combat missions. (Mostly in the 909) His version of the “Out House Mouse” went this way…He and two friends were always getting into mischief growing up in Colorado which prompted his mother to exclaim, “You fellows are as wild an an ‘out house mouse’! When my dad arrived at Bassingbourne he was asked what name to give the aircraft…He told them “Out House Mouse”… I like the other story too. Who knows the actual truth? All I know is that story was passed down from my day to my brothers and I…
29. August 2024 access_time 9:27
Hello Nicolas,
thanks for your comment. Sorry for my delayed reply. I am currently quite busy with other stuffs.
I never heard about the story. Only fact I know is, that B-17 42-102609, piloted by Laverdiere, was damaged by ME-163 and returned to England. There is a gun camera footage.
https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-102609/
For Out House Mouse or 91st BG B-17s, I highly recommend the facebook group of the 91st BG (https://www.facebook.com/groups/50677321044/) and asking for Jim Szpajcher, he has copies many mission reports from National Archive.
Cheers
Jing
29. August 2024 access_time 18:53
Dear Jing,
Thank you very much for your response and help, it’s amazing that you found the B-17’s tail number from 2Lt. Charles J. Laverdiere! This is mind blowing to see the footage after having reconstituted the whole story…
02. September 2024 access_time 10:06
Hello Nicolas, you are welcom 🙂
I have created this web site for thise reason 🙂
Cheers
Jing