B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 44-6408 / Hammerhead

History of
B-17 44-6408 / Hammerhead

Delivered Kearney 27/4/44; Grenier 8/8/44; Assigned 346BS/99BG Tortorella 16/8/44; Missing in Action {12m} Maribor 7/11/44 with Loren Delp, Harbison, Earle, Bell, Deplacido, Mullins, Augustine, Babin, Negra, Jennings, all bailed, but Bell, Negra, Babin, Mullins evaded capture ret 8/1/45; flak, crashed Marburg; Missing Air Crew Report 9668. HAMMER HEAD.

Last updated: 5. September 2020

B-17 44-6408 / Hammerhead Details

Eyewitness Statements from MACR 9668

I was flying No. 6 position in the formation, left wing man on the ship that got a direct burst of flak from below. When the engine on ship No. 408 caught fire the pilot dropped his left wing and slipped towards me. I was a bit behind as he had bad No. 4 engine and had to pull up very quickly to avoid a collision with ship No. 408. After I had gotton above the burning ship I could look down on him as je turned left losing altitude very fast. The flames were huge and seemed to be coming from the bombay as I looked down on the ship. Either No. 2 or 3 engine was afire. The ship then fall behind and I had my tail gunner watch. He reported ten parachutes opening as we flew along. He also saw the plane crash, and stated that it did not blow up. My tail gunner counted the chutes opening twice and said none were on fire. I would say ship No. 408 crashed about ten miles from the target area. The plane did not explode in the air.

Capt. Jack C. McCintyre
Pilot, Air Corps

I was flying in ship No. 373 as pilot in No. 7 position, in trail of ship No. 408 which was in No. 4 position. We had just made a right turn after bombs away when I noticed a small fire at the intersection of the right wing trailing edge and the fuselage of ship No. 408. My altimeter read 15200 feet. Ship No. 408 held formation very well. I immediately started around his right side. As I passed abreast of Ship No. 408 the fire had increased and flames were extending back past the tail. I saw that the rear escape hatch had been jettisoned. I saw two men bail out of the rear escape hatch, but they were out of my sight before their parachutes opened. My tail gunner counted eight parachutes in the air. Plane No. 408 crashed in about five minutes in a cloud of black smoke. He seemed to peel off to the right as I went back to the left to reenter the formation. I took No. position.

2Lt. Fred L. Troy
Pilot, Air Corps

I saw ship No. 408 on fire today just after we dropped our bombs. I was the tail gunner on ship No. 373 which was in No. 7 position in the formation. No. 408 dropped out of formation and over to our left. It looked as if No. 3 engine had been hit, and it was really blazing. Then men started bailing out. I saw eight parachutes open, altogether. From the time I saw first chute open until the eighth chute opened was about thirty or forty seconds. Then the ship started dropping back and going down, making wide circles. Just before it hit the ground part of it fell off, probably the right wing. Then ship No. 408 crashed. It never did explode in the air. I think it crashed southeast of the target, and about five miles from it.

S/Sgt. Preston Underhill

B-17 44-6408 / Hammerhead Crew