B-17G of the 15th Air Force, s/n 42-32XXX
15th Air Force B-17G s/n #42-32XXX Details
A P-38 Lightning and a B-17G of the 15th Air Force, s/n 42-32XXX of the 99th Bomb Group; 347th or 348th Bomb Squadron. 1944.
Published: 11. July 2021 / Last updated: 11. July 2021
15. June 2024 access_time 21:11
It is a B-17G-35-BO of the 348th Bomb Squadron, due to the three vertical bars on the tail and the first letters of the serial number. Using the database I found 42-32036, -32041, -32057, -32061 Lucious Louise, and -32069. All joined the squadron in March 1944 and served throughout 1944.
17. June 2024 access_time 9:08
Thank you for looking closer to the B-17 in this picture. Very helpful information 🙂
17. June 2024 access_time 23:23
No problem. I just wish we could narrow down the serial number even further.
29. April 2025 access_time 20:22
Of those five B-17Gs it could be, they all went to the 348th BS/99th BG from the 483rd BG on March 31, 1944. Two were lost in July 1944, one was damaged in a mid-air collision, and two survived the war. Some were natural metal, including “Lucious Louise,” but the one in the photo is olive-drab. They were delivered to Cheyenne’s modification center in January 1944, and 42-32036 was olive-drab and went to Cheyenne on January 15. Lucious Louise, meanwhile, was natural metal and went to Cheyenne five days later. If the time of delivery was related to being NM or OD, that could narrow down which B-17 it was. So far I think it may be 42-32036.
04. February 2026 access_time 16:34
The last B-17 with camouflage finish was 42-32044, in block B-17G-35-BO. So, 42-32036 or 42-32041 are the candidates so far.
02. February 2026 access_time 22:43
That P-38 is an olive-drab P-38L/J of the 71st FS/1st FG. The group markings after Feb 1944 consisted of a small band on the tail, but this was later expanded to the entire rear boom as seen in the picture. So this picture is probably from the summer of 1944 during one of the Fifteenth Air Force’s heavily-escorted strategic missions. The B-17 serial is B-17G-35-BO 42-32—, and there were five 348th BS ships that had that serial number. They all went to the 483rd BG, arriving March 11, 1944 (one arrived March 14), before being sent to the 348th BS/99th BG on March 31. 42-32061 has been photographed and is a natural metal B-17G, so both 061 and 069 were probably natural metal and not the B-17s in the photo. We know 42-32036 is olive drab and is probably the aircraft in the photo (since it has been photographed already and was likely photographed several times on one mission). The best way to figure out is -32036, -32041, and -32057 were olive drab or not (to narrow down which B-17 this was) would be to find when the B-17G-35-BOs were built and when they were not painted natural metal.
04. February 2026 access_time 16:33
Thanks for the info about the P-38 markings. The last B-17 with camouflage finish was 42-32044, in block B-17G-35-BO. So, 42-32036 or 42-32041 are the candidates so far.
04. February 2026 access_time 20:57
Some B-17s in the B-17G-35-BO series had the older “stinger” tail turrets (like https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-32029-miss-treated/ and https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-32044-good-deal/) and even some natural metal -35-BOs had the older turrets (https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-32053/). Cheyenne turrets seemed to have been added later on only a few B-17G-35-BOs, including 42-32036 and the unidentified B-17 in the photo with the P-38. If indeed only a handful of early B-17G-35-BOs had the Cheyenne turret, chances are the B-17 in the photo is 42-32036. I would not be surprised if the photo we have of 42-32036 was taken on the same mission, possibly from the same plane, as the picture with the P-38. The picture we now have of 42-32036 is of the B-17 on the bomb run, close to the plane the picture was taken from. If the P-38-B-17 picture was taken on the same mission it would make sense and likely be on the return trip, when bomber formations were loosened (hence a slightly greater distance from the camera) and the P-38 being so close. The P-38 escort pilots rarely flew so close to the B-17s and didn’t escort the bombers closely, at least in the combat area.