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Source:
www.fold3.com
Production-block:
B-17G-30-DL: 42-38084 to 42-38213
Manufacturer:
Douglas
- Bomb Group:
- 379th Bomb Group
- Bomb Squadron:
- 524th Bomb Squadron
- 525th Bomb Squadron
- RCL: FR-C, WA-G
MACR: 9363
Missions: 111
History of
B-17 42-38183 / The Lost Angel
Delivered Denver 8/1/44; Albuquerque 12/1/44; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-C] Kimbolton 10/2/44; then 524BS [WA-G]; belly landing training flight 10/04/1944; Magdeburg 28/9/44 with Stan Bailey, Co-pilot: Sumner Alpert, Navigator: Jim Rung, Bombardier: Bill Coles, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Plough, Radio Operator: Harry Gates, Ball turret gunner: John Ingram, Waist gunner: Frank Culfe (8 Returned to Duty); Tail gunner: Phil Maniaci (Prisoner of War); Missing Air Crew Report 9363; re-ass 482BG, then 384BG 1/6/45. Scrapped October 1945. 111 missions. THE LOST ANGEL.
Last updated: 29. May 2023
B-17 42-38183 / The Lost Angel Details
On 10 April 1944 #42-38183 “The Lost Angel” was being flown on a practice flight by the Commanding Officer of the 525th BS, Lt. Col. Marcus W. Elliott. On return to Station 117 it was discovered one of the main landing wheels could not be lowered and so Lt. Col. Elliott brought the aircraft in for a text book belly landing.
The aircraft attracted many visitors immediately after the spectacular landing. Repairs took over one month and #42-38183 resumed operational flying on 19 May 1944. In all this plane flew 111 sorties before being declared War Weary. Later transferred to 384th BG at Grafton Underwood. The Lost Angel remained in Europe after VE-Day and was scrapped at Burtonwood, Lancashire in October 1945.
Thanks to Melissa Rung-Blue for the detailed and additional information.
Daughter, James E. Rung, Navigator, 379th Bomb Group, 524th Squadron
Kimbolton, England July 1944 – December 1944
www.b17navigator.com
16. September 2019 access_time 4:43
Hello! I’m researching my dad’s service overseas during WWII and I ran across your listing of The Lost Angel. I noticed in the description that it states the plane crash landed on the Madgeburg mission 28 September 1944 and to reference MACR 9363. I did find MACR 9363 on the National Archives (United States) website and there is no mention of a crash landing. In fact, it states that the aircraft was “under control” for landing. Do you know where you found that note about the crash landing? I know the plane crash landed on 10 April 1944 at Kimbolton after a training run. When I asked my dad (when he was still alive) about crash landing on the 28 September 1944 mission, he said that he was never in a crash landing. Any help you can provide is welcome! Thank you!
16. September 2019 access_time 11:37
Hello, thank you for your comment and information.
My description is based on the “B-17 Fortress Master Log” by Dave Osborne.
And my experience is, that the information in that book is not 100% accurate. So it is absolutly possible, that the current description is incorrect.
Can you sent my a copy of the MACR 9363 to info@b17flyingfortress.de please?
Update to this comment:
So the photos shows the crash landing on 10 April 1944?
The MACR 9363 maybe only created because of loss of tail gunner Phil Maniaci, who becames POW on Magdeburg mission.
16. September 2019 access_time 21:47
Hello!
Yes, I will send the MACR to you. And yes, you are correct – it was only to document the loss of Phil Maniaci.
Also, you are correct that image you have documents the belly landing on 10 April 1944. There were at least 2 images total. You have one. I will send you the other, along with descriptions from entries at the National Archives (I am not 100% certain on that as I found the images and descriptions in the 379th Bomb Group Association archives when I attended a reunion several years ago; the Association has since disbanded and the archives were sent to the Mighty Eighth Airforce Museum in Savannah, Georgia, USA).
18. September 2019 access_time 20:05
Thank you very much for your support and new information.
I updated the history of this B-17.
22. March 2021 access_time 5:11
I have seen a photo of my uncle (Marc Elliott) standing beside the Lost Angel after a belly landing that corresponds to the top photo seen here. Note that the tail markings on the second photo have the same numbers, but different paint. This seems to indicate two belly landings of the same aircraft.
11. November 2021 access_time 20:00
I have information on the belly landing of The Lost Angel. Marcus Elliott was my father-in-law. I am older now and that was a long time ago but I remember the 8th Air Force or and a book about the 379th with photos of this event. The flight was a maintenance flight with a landing gear failing to cycle properly. Marc and a maintenance mechanic, the only 2 onborad, elected to disconnect the ball turret to fall into a field to avoid problems caused by the bottom turret in a belly landing. They did fly around to do that and burn fuel before landing gearless. There had been time for photo cameras and film cameras to be set up for the landing. The footage was used for training back in the US and was sometimes used by overzealous documentaries for drama, but it was a unique event and the only one where the rear bottom ball turret is not present having been dropped.