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Source:
Wikipedia, [Public domain]
Production-block:
B-17G-75-BO: 43-37874 to 43-38073
Manufacturer:
Boeing
- Bomb Group:
- 490th Bomb Group
- Bomb Squadron:
- 815th Bomb Squadron
History of
B-17 43-37907 / Carolina Moon
Delivered Cheyenne 3/6/44; Kearney 17/6/44; Grenier 30/6/44; Assigned 851BS/490BG Eye 2/7/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 9/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 5/12/45. CAROLINA MOON.
Last updated: 21. March 2019




26. July 2025 access_time 12:45
From WW2 Forums (linked):
Arrived in Eye on 2 July, where it was assigned to Raymond M Blankenkenbecler’s crew of 851st BS; named after their earlier B-24J (42-94944) which had also been named Carolina Moon. The B-17 subsequently passed to Lt Adolph A Barnes crew within the 848th BS, who arrived at Eye in December 1944. Several members of its new crew painted wives and girlfriends names under the aircraft’s windows. Rita was applied under the left waist gunner’s position, used by S/Sgt Louis A Trapolino, and LORRAINE appeared beneath the rudder. Tail gunner S/Sgt Robert H Cosgray had a big red heart, along with the line HAVE A HEART, painted above his rear turret installation, whilst the navigator Lt Wayne Walrath had the names Adeline & Suzy marked above his window for his wife and daughter. Finally, the nose gun boasted the titling Eagle’s Nest for toggelier S/Sgt Leo Eagle, and the swastika denoted the destruction of an Me 262 by the gunners. 2nd Lt Otis G Lancaster flew Carolina Moon back to the US in mid-1945, and it was sold for scrap at Kingman in December of that year.