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

Delivered Lincoln 19/9/44; Grenier 10/10/44; Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-B] Molesworth 28/10/44; Missing in Action Gelsenkirchen 21/11/44 with Andy Virag, Co-pilot: Ed Beck, Navigator: Harry Scheer, Bombardier: Bert Cottrell, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jim Jeter, Radio Operator: Cyril Vrabel, Ball turret gunner: Stan Gurka, Waist gunner: Jack Allerton,Tail gunner: John Bowman (9 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Sangerhausen, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 11198.

Delivered Long Beach 30/3/43; Denver 2/4/43; Wendover 2/5/43; Hill Fd 17/5/43; Dow Fd 29/5/43; Assigned 418BS/100BG [LD-P] Thorpe Abbotts 2/6/43 as POONTANG (never painted on); Missing in Action Regensburg 17/8/43 with Curtis Biddick, Co-pilot: Dick Snyder, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Larry Godbey, Radio Operator: Bob DeKay (4 Killed in Action); Navigator: John Dennis, Bombardier: Dan McKay, Ball turret gunner: Walt Halunka, Waist gunner: Howard Brock, Waist gunner: Bill Blank,Tail gunner: Clarence Bowlin (6 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft hit nose which caught fire, crashed Schweinberg, 18 miles SW of Wurtzburg, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 675. ESCAPE KIT.

Delivered Cheyenne 28/11/43; Billings 29/11/43; Wendover 10/12/43; Assigned 749BS/457BG Glatton 27/1/44; transferred 325BS/92BG [NV-N] Horham 11/3/44; on return from mission 19/4/44 with Carl Coker, Co-pilot: Ed Stapleton, Navigator: Jack Dorkin, Bombardier: George Brassovan, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jim McIlroy, Radio Operator: Don Bennett, Ball turret gunner: Gene Hamblin, Waist gunner: Clement „Clem“ J Dreyer , Waist gunner: Fred Mitchell,Tail gunner: Don Merrick (10 Returned to Duty); u/c failed crash landed Podington; Salvaged 20/4/44. SHARON KAY.

Delivered Cheyenne 7/5/43; Dow Fd 10/7/43; Assigned 568BS/390BG [BI-E] Framlingham 14/7/43 PRINCESS PAT; Missing in Action Regensburg 17/8/43 with Dale Shaver, Co-pilot: Harry Boyd, Navigator: Caesar Bruschi, Bombardier: Jim Patterson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Herman Thomasson, Radio Operator: Earl Spann, Ball turret gunner: Wilson Bruce, Waist gunner: Francis Moran, Waist gunner: Jim Schwartz,Tail gunner: Dave Lindsay (10 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft damage & low fuel so attempted to reach Spain, crash landed Hyeres, 12 mioles E of Toulon, Fr. Missing Air Crew Report 392. FERTILE MYRTLE aka PRINCESS PAT.

Delivered Cheyenne 6/4/43; Kearney 15/4/43; Hamilton 2/5/43; Kearney 21/5/43; Dow Fd 22/5/43; Assigned 350BS/100BG [LN-S] Thorpe Abbotts 9/6/43; Missing in Action Regensburg 17/8/43 with Ron Braley, Co-pilot: Walt Trenchard{Wounded in Action}, Navigator: John Fawcett, Bombardier: Tom Carlton, Radio Operator: Joe McGuire, Ball turret gunner: Don Ruggles, Waist gunner: Chas Grissom{Wounded in Action}, Waist gunner: Elmo White{Wounded in Action},Tail gunner: Phil Ong{Wounded in Action} (9 Prisoner of War); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jim Blair (Killed in Action); flak hit #1 and tail, crashed Pulferingen, 20 miles SW of Wurtzburg, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 679. TWEEDLE-O-TWILL.

Delivered Denver 17/8/43; Assigned 534BS/381 BG [GD-K] Ridgewell 20/9/43; on 9th mission Rheims 28/3/44 with Dan Henry, Co-pilot: Bob Chrisler, Navigator: Fred Beardsworth, Bombardier: Rudi Jaciak, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Sebastian Quaresma, Radio Operator: Carl Mongrue, Ball turret gunner: Kyle Wheatley (6 Returned to Duty); Waist gunner: Jim Norcom, Waist gunner: Dick Toler,Tail gunner: Frank Kurtz (3 Killed in Action); sustained severe battle damage, pilot bringing ship home for crew to bail out over base, before dumping ship over North Sea along with three dead gunners; p & cp bailed out over Bawdsey, on Suffolk coast. No MACR. WHO DAT – THE DINGBAT ?

Delivered Cheyenne 25/4/44; Kearney 9/5/44; Grenier 24/5/44; Assigned 751BS/457BG [O] Glatton 27/5/44; 749BS; Missing in Action Merseburg 28/9/44 with Harry Gay, Co-pilot: Earl Johnson, Navigator: Fabian Nordan, Bombardier: Carl Ulander, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Beck, Radio Operator: Don Anderson, Ball turret gunner: Art Rouseville, Waist gunner: McDee Thomas,Tail gunner: Fred Cogswell (9 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, crashed Dornstadt, S of Wolfenbuttel, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 9768. GINI.

Delivered Cheyenne 2/8/42; Sacramento 1/9/42; Assigned 26BS/11BG New Hebrides 12/9/42; Missing in Action Tonolei, Bougainville, shot down and ditched Vella LaVella, Baga Is 18/12/42 with Maj Alan Sewart (CO 26BS), Co-pilot: Jack Lee(2 Killed in Action); Navigator: Nelson Levi, Obs-Col Saunders (CO 11BG took over as pilot – 2WIA); rest RTD, USAAF contacted by coastwatcher Jack Keenan, crew picked up by US Catalina, Methodist nurse Merle McFarland treated wounded. Missing Air Crew Report 16407. (movement card reads: retUS 14/7/43; Homestead 14/6/45.

Delivered Cheyenne 30/7/43; Gr Isle 9/8/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG [-O] Knettishall 3/9/43; Missing in Action Brunswick 29/2/44 with 452BG crew, p-Jake Colvin, Co-pilot: Dick West, Ball turret gunner: Andy Saari, Waist gunner: John Clayton (4 Killed in Action); Navigator: Allen Johnson, Bombardier: M.E. Glass, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ray Rottler, Radio Operator: Allen Rose, Waist gunner: Bill Mack{Wounded in Action},Tail gunner: Grady Justice (6 Prisoner of War); flak hit in cockpit, crashed near Luther factory at Bienrode, four miles N of Brunswick, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 2893. COCK O’ THE WALK.

Delivered Cheyenne 9/3/44; Hunter 7/4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; slated 96BG, Assigned 398BG Nuthampstead 1/5/44; 423BS/306BG [RD-W] Thurleigh 18/5/44; Missing in Action Brux 12/9/44 with Dan Gates, Co-pilot: Ed Jordan, Navigator: John Taylor, Bombardier: Hugo Cappelli, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Sulzinski, Radio Operator: Jim Peltz, Waist gunner: Buffard Johnson,Tail gunner: Howard Reed (9 Prisoner of War), Ball turret gunner: Ray Fountain (Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, crashed Reichenow, SW of Wreizen, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 8835. BELLE OF THE BLUE.

Delivered Denver 13/4/43; Cheyenne 16/4/43; Dow Fd 30/4/43; Assigned 332BS/94BG [XM-D] SNAFU Earls Colne 10/5/43; Rougham 13/6/43; transferred 546BS/384BG [BK-N] Grafton Underwood 16/7/43; 545BS [JD-T]; 2 SAD Lt Staughton 31/12/43; Shipdam Afd 1/3/44; Cheddington 14/3/44; Returned to the USA Tinker 5/8/44; Recl Comp 3/1/46. ALABAMA WHIRLWIND.

Delivered Denver 20/7/43; Hill 17/8/43; Assigned 337BS/96BG [AW-M] Snetterton 8/9/43; transferred RAF 26/3/44, Salvaged 12/9/45. PEE WEE II.

Delivered Cheyenne 3/7/44; Kearney 12/7/44; Dow Fd 20/7/44; Assigned 601BS/398BG [3O-P] Nuthampstead 13/8/44; battle damaged Cologne 15/10/44 with Lawrence DeLancey, Co-pilot: Phil Stahlman, Navigator: Ray LeDoux, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ben Ruckel, Radio Operator: Wendell Reed, Ball turret gunner: Al Albro, Waist gunner: Russ Lachman,Tail gunner: Herb Guild (8 Returned to Duty). Salvaged Abbotts Ripton 2 SAD. LOVELY JULIE.

Delivered Cheyenne Mod Cen 24/6/42; originally slated RAF as [FA685] ; Assigned 92BG Bovingdon /6/42 as PALE FACE; 342BS/97BG Polebrook /8/42; Maison Blanche 20/11/42; {103m}, the first MTO B-17 to complete 100 missions, including participation on first night mission to Rouen, Fr.; Returned to the USA Eglin 12/10/43; was due to return to Boeing but shot down as a drone before paperwork completed. BERLIN SLEEPER II.

Delivered Dallas 21/4/44; Hunter 30/5/44; Grenier 14/6/44; Assigned 709BS/447BG Rattlesden [IE-D] 19/6/44; landing accident with Malcolm Bounds 27/12/44; landing accident with Hal Kearney 29/1/45; (83m) Returned to the USA Bradley 5/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 7/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 9/11/45. A BIT O’ LACE.

Delivered Denver 28/4/43; Bangor 15/6/43; Assigned 551BS/385BG [HR-R] Gt Ashfield 17/6/43. On return from mission to Rheims 26/9/43 in poor weather involved in mid-air collision with 42-30264 (385BG) killing 20 crewmen, crashed Tillingham Hall Farm, Bulphan, near West Hordon, Ex. With John Keeley, Co-pilot: Harry Coomes, Navigator: Arthur Moore, Bombardier: Theo Rouse, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ledger Pontius, Radio Operator: Sam Rochester, Ball turret gunner: Bob Banner, Waist gunner: Ray Shepherd, Waist gunner: Doug Binford,Tail gunner: Ed Osborn (10 Killed in Action). Salvaged battle damaged 28/9/43. RAUNCHY WOLF aka EL LOBO.

Delivered Denver 8/5/43; Gore 9/5/43; Kearney 10/4/43; Dow Fd 15/6/43; Assigned 551BS/385BG [HR-S] Gt Ashfield 17/6/43; On return from Rheims 26/9/43 with Paul Yanello, Co-pilot: Fred Wilson, Navigator: Guilford Black, Bombardier: Chas Wardle, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Walt McMillan, Radio Operator: Stan Gula, Ball turret gunner: Larry Kern, Waist gunner: Edgar Seitz, Waist gunner: Marion McGinnis, obs-Lt Sid White (10 Killed in Action),Tail gunner: John Adams (Returned to Duty); collided mid-air with 42-3290 (385BG), crashed Tillingham Hall Farm, Bulphan, near West Horndon, Ex. Salvaged 28/9/43. DORSAL QUEEN.

5,000th B-17 off Boeing production line since Pearl Harbor and signed by all workers before leaving the Seattle factory

Delivered Cheyenne 20/4/43; Tinker 28/4/43; New Castle 29/4/43; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-X] Kimbolton 23/6/43; Missing in Action Schweinfurt 17/8/43 with Howie Koeppen, Waist gunner: Jack Posemsky (2 Killed in Action), Co-pilot: Harry Thompson, Navigator: Ed Dennstedt, Bombardier: Bob Thomas, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: John Hurlo, Radio Operator: Floyd Barrowman, Ball turret gunner: Bob Watkins, Waist gunner: Gene Shadick,Tail gunner: Rich Feese (8 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed Abenheim, five miles NW of Worms, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 1764. MARY JANE II.

Delivered Long Beach 28/8/43; Scott 8/10/43; Assigned 423BS/306BG [RD-K]Thurleigh 13/10/43; Missing in Action Erding 24/4/44 with John Coughlin, Co-pilot: Allan Johnson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Madison Beasley, Ball turret gunner: Tom Flores, Waist gunner: Ralph Garner (5 Killed in Action); Navigator: Frank Hall, Bombardier: George Gretton, Radio Operator: Orville Libby, Waist gunner: Chas Ladage,Tail gunner: Melvin Tucker (5 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft struck severely and ship exploded, crashed Sainbach, 34 miles NW of Munich, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 4285. TAR HEEL PEGGY.