B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies Latest entries in the database

Delivered Long Beach 29/8/43; Scott 19/9/43; Assigned 527BS/379BG [FO-M] Kimbolton 21/10/43, then 526BS [LF-M]; Missing in Action Frankfurt 8/2/44 with Herb Rossberg, Bombardier: Jim Dougherty, Waist gunner: Alby Paplaskas (3 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Matt Bauer, Ball turret gunner: Ed Dugan{Wounded in Action}, Waist gunner: Thurman Smotherman,Tail gunner: Fred Brown (4 Prisoner of War); Navigator: John Kupsick, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Atkinson, Radio Operator: George Bennett (3 evaded capture); enemy aircraft, crashed Amy A/fd, four miles SW of Roye, Fr; Missing Air Crew Report 2880. PISTOL PACKIN’ MAMA.

Delivered Long Beach 4/9/43; Scott 19/9/43; Assigned 547BS/384BG [SO- ] Grafton Underwood 2/11/43; transferred 535BS/581BG [MS-K] Ridgewell 21/1/44; {3m} battle damaged Ludwigshaven 12/2/44 with Milton Fastrup, Co-pilot: Ed Mann, Navigator: Martin King, Bombardier: Howard Atkinson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Elmer Estle, Radio Operator: Ray Glauer, Ball turret gunner: Bill Provonsha, Waist gunner: Chris Shorten, Waist gunner: Georgte Dynan,Tail gunner: John Snyder (10 Returned to Duty); sal 13/2/44. NANCY M.

Delivered Cheyenne 23/1/43; Salina 7/2/43; Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-X] Molesworth 26/3/43; 16m Missing in Action Gelsenkirchen 12/8/43 with Art Pentz, Co-pilot: Tom Mulligan, Bombardier: Russell Philpitwia, later re-patriated, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: John Dougherty, Radio Operator: Bob Murray, Ball turret gunner: Hurd Edwards, Waist gunner: Bob Horvarth, Waist gunner: George Howard,Tail gunner: Elmer Knudsen (9 Prisoner of War), Navigator: Ben Street (Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, crashed outskirts of Linnich, near Wuppertal, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 256. OL’ IRONSIDES.

Delivered Cheyenne 9/7/42; Assigned 63BS/43BG Mareeba, Aus 21/8/42; Torrens Creek, Us 27/8/42; Iron Range, Aus 17/10/42; Milne Bay, NG 23/11/42; Mareeba, Aus 21/1/43; Port Moresby, NG 11/5/43; Returned to the USA Rapid City 398BG (training) 12/11/43. Written off 3/9/44. OLD BALDY.

Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-U] Bangor 9-October-42; Molesworth 25-October-42. The original crew flew to Molesworth 24/25-Oct-42 except for Borysiewicz. The aircraft also carried as a passenger Captain Abraham Black who was the 303BG Flight Surgeon. The aircraft participated in 3 operations (1 abort). Missing in Action, 23-November-42 on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens ar St Nazaire, France. Shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed into the sea, in flames, near Belle-Ile en Mer, France. This was the first loss for the Group. 10KIA MACR 15075.

Delivered at Cheyenne 5-Nov-43; Kearney 20-Nov-43; Prestwick 7-Dec-43; Assigned 360BS/306BG [PU-E] Thurleigh 1-Jan-44; On 8-Mar-44 the aircraft was despatched to bomb the VKF Ball Bearing Works at Erkner, Germany outside Berlin. The aircraft sustained damage from flak prior to reaching the Initial Point and abandoned the bombing attempt. As the aircraft passed near Magdeburg on the return it was attacked by three ME-109s. All of the crew managed to bale out and were captured as Prisoners of War (POW) 10 POW MACR 2908

Delivered Cheyenne 21/7/44; Kearney 30/7/44; Grenier 9/8/44; Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-P] Molesworth 16/8/44; Missing in Action Mannheim 9/9/44 with John Newton, Co-pilot: Frank Mowatt, Navigator: George Langerd, Bombardier: Chas Miller, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Len Turner, Ball turret gunner: Albt Bricker,Tail gunner: John Hobgood (7 Killed in Action); Radio Operator: Jim O’Leary, Waist gunner: Jim Reeves (2 Prisoner of War); flak direct hit in nose then left wing fell off, crashed Ludwigshafen; Missing Air Crew Report 8597.

Delivered Cheyenne 13/7/42; Assigned 28BS/19BG Mareeba, Aus 21/8/42; transferred 65BS/43BG and took part in 109m plus sinking two subs & seven other vessels, 17 enemy aircraft and awarded seven Purple Hearts; transferred 65BS/43BG Mareeba, Aus; Port Moresby, NG 11/5/43; shot down Vunakanau Afd on a night mission 13/6/43 with John Woodard, Co-pilot: Russell Emerick, Navigator: Phil Bek*, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Leon Skarr, Radio Operator: Stewart Nisbet, Radio Operator: Maurice Sayer, Waist gunner: Chris Cousino, Waist gunner: Boyd Parker,Tail gunner: Julius Hamershlag (7 Killed in Action); Bombardier: Jack Wisener (2POW* inc Bek, later executed). Missing Air Crew Report 16189. GEORGIA PEACH.

Delivered Denver 7/1/44; Savannah 21/1/44; Assigned 358BS/303BG [VK- ] Molesworth 23/2/44; Missing in Action Schweinfurt 13/4/44 with John Viets, Co-pilot: John Bennett, Navigator: Dave Heibert, Bombardier: Burton Rogers, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Frank Robinson, Radio Operator: Franklin York, Ball turret gunner: Ambrose Holland, Waist gunner: Mike Maderchick, Waist gunner: Don Rademacher (9 Prisoner of War);Tail gunner: Bill Ferrell (evaded capture); enemy aircraft, crashed Kirn Woods, Mattendorf, six miles W of Bitburg, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 3770.

Delivered Cheyenne 30/12/43; Phoenix 2/1/44; Kearney 14/1/44; Assigned 457BG Glatton 7/3/44; transferred 423BS/306BG Thurleigh 12/3/44; returned early from mission to Thionville, Fr. With #2 KOd by flak 23/5/44 with Nelson Troup, Co-pilot: Sanford White, Navigator: Alan Telfer, Bombardier: Bob Hanson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Joe Fajardo,Tail gunner: Alton Speakman (6KIA- in crash); Radio Operator: Larry Arnold, Ball turret gunner: Sherman Herritt, Waist gunner: Joe Kerr (3 Returned to Duty); crash landed RAF Ford, Sussex, UK, hitting bomb dump and burst into flames. Salvaged.

Delivered Cheyenne 3/2/45; Hunter 3/3/45; Grenier 22/3/45; Assigned 351BS/100BG [EP-L] Thorpe Abbotts 14/3/45; RetUS, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 2/1/46.

Delivered Cheyenne 9/7/42; Bolling 9/8/42; Assigned 72BS/5BG Hickam Fd, Hawaii 1/9/42; Guadalcanal 6/2/43; used for a spell by Gen. Millard Harmon (CO Pacfic Theatre); ret to 72BS/5BG Espirito Santo; battle damaged over Nauru 9/2/43 with Capt Thomas J. Classen, Co-pilot: Balfour Gibson, Navigator: Bob Dorewart, Bombardier: Ernie Ruiz, Jim Hunt, Don Martin, Ted Edwards, Bill Nichols, Bob Turnbull; and ditched, 16 days in life raft to Buka, 50 more days, before all crew rescued. MY LOVIN’ DOVE.

Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-R] Bangor 25/9/42; Molesworth 26/10/42; transferred AFSC 25/5/43 for special gun tests; 1 CCRC Bovingdon /43; Returned to the USA 20/12/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 9/10/45.

Assigned RAF [FA686] but transferred 353BS/301BG Westover 23/6/42; Podington 7/42; Tafaraoui 26/11/42; Maison Blanche, Alg. 5/12/42; Biskra 16/12/42; Ain M’Lila 17/1/43; St Donat 6/3/43; Missing in Action {39m} Palermo, It. 18/4/43 with Bob Godwin, Co-pilot: Houck, Navigator: Person, Bombardier: Hope, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Hawkins, Radio Operator: Imler, Ball turret gunner: Littreel, Waist gunner: Nelges,Tail gunner: Spatafore (9 Killed in Action); shot down by ME 110s, Missing Air Crew Report 16508. DEVILS FROM HELL.

Delivered Cheyenne 11/2/43; Gt Falls 17/2/43; Salina 5/3/43; Morrison 28/3/43; Assigned 96BS/2BG Navarin 22/4/43; Chateau-du-Rhumel 27/4/43; Ain M’Lila 17/6/43; Massicault 31/7/43; Bizerte 2/12/43; Amendola 9/12/43; Missing in Action {41m} Athens 20/12/43 with Orville Doughty, Co-pilot: Tom Kirwan, Navigator: Harry Dillon,b-Gordon Llewellyn, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Seward Holloway, Radio Operator: John Lenz, Ball turret gunner: Bob Ciampa, Waist gunner: Keith Jensen, Waist gunner: Edmond Privensal,Tail gunner: Alf Coe (10 Prisoner of War). crash landed on Corfu; Missing Air Crew Report 1517. HANGAR QUEEN aka 60-50 II.

Delivered Cheyenne 1/7/42; Bolling 12/8/42; Assigned Poppy (PTO) 1/9/42; Missing in Action en route from New Zealand 9/42; Written off 31/10/44. Fate uncertain.

Delivered Roswell 18/5/44; Denver 26/5/44; 3030 BU Roswell 2/6/44; W/O 17/11/44.

Delivered Ogden 21/7/42; force landed Hill Fd, Ut 19/8/42 with Ralph Dissaro; damaged at Cheyenne airport with Warren Dean 7/9/42 when brakes failed and it struck a passenger DC-3 owned by Utd Air Lines, rep; Assigned 422BS/305BG Presque Is 19/10/42; Grafton Underwood 25/10/42; Chelveston 6/12/42; transferred 368BS/306BG Thurleigh 20/1/43; Missing in Action Bremen 17/4/43 with Glen Lally, Co-pilot: Ben Hopkins, Navigator: Frank Ross, togg-Jim Curry, Radio Operator: Gene Lanning, Ball turret gunner: Alvin Johnson, Waist gunner: Leo Gallegos,Tail gunner: Bob McCeage (8 Prisoner of War); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jesse Downard, Waist gunner: Leno Off {chute failure} (2 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft caused severe fire & damage, crashed Aurich, near Wilhelmshaven, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 15525. THE GRIM REAPER.

Delivered 88BG MacDill 13/5/44; 326 BU MacDill 26/2/44; 329 BU Alexandra 12/3/45; 330 BU Dyersburg 25/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 17/12/45.

Delivered Cheyenne 1/7/42; with Capt Jim Ellis to Australia 29/6/42; Assigned 63BS/43BG Mareeba, Aus 3/8/42; t/o 7 Mile Drome, Port Moresby, Missing in Action Finchhaven, NG 4/12/42 with Lewis A. Anderson, Co-pilot: Bill Box, Navigator: Bob Schleh, Bombardier: Joe Conde, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Archi Hodge, Radio Operator: Vernon Kaylor, Ball turret gunner: Rich Keeley, Waist gunner: Milton Kelkey,Tail gunner: Albert Nies (9 Killed in Action);. Written off 5/12/42. Crew remains found by RAAF in 1946 in wreck. Missing Air Crew Report 15685. DUMBO.