B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies B-17E

Pendleton, Oregon – 18 February 1942; Polebook, England (340BS/97BG) – April 1942; Bovingdon, England (326BS/92BG) – 25 August 1942; Glatton, England (457BG) – 3 March 1944; Kings Cliffe, England (77FS/20FG) – 3 August 1944; Alconbury, England (Salvaged) – 6 August 1945

Delivered Lowry 5/3/42; SAD 25/3/42; Written off 4/4/42.

Delivered MacDill 6/2/42; West Palm Beach 22/2/42; Assigned 395BS/40BG Rio Hato, Panama 27/3/42; Guatemala 2/4/42; SAAD 13/6/42; Guatemala 24/6/42; SAAD 2/11/42; Guatemala 1/12/42; Rio Hato Panama 19/3/43; landing accident with John Seeley 10/4/43; Written off 2/10/43.

Assigned 414BS/97BG Presque Is; from Goose Bay, force landed Blue West One, Greenland en route UK 26/6/42, with 2Lt.Ralph H.Stinson, Co-pilot: 2Lt. Wilson N. McGough, Lt Kenneth Bright, TSgt John R. Patrick, Radio Operator: SSgt Tomas K. Laskowski, Radio Operator: Cpl Wayne S. Heckhendorn, G-Chas Chapman, Gunner -Steven K. Brening, Gunner -Harvey Gordon, pass-Capt Wendell Freeman, (10 Returned to Duty); Salvaged. MY GAL SAL. Remains were brought out in 1995, to USC, Cincinnati, Ohio, for a static restoration. Formerly at Ultimate Sacrifice Memorial, Blue Ash Airport, Cincinnati. On January 1, 2017, on static display at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, LA. MY GAL SAL.

Delivered Cheyenne 30/5/42; slated RAF but Assigned 5AF 6/8/42 then 19BG Hawaii 21/8/42; transferred 65BS/43BG Port Moresby; Missing in Action (13m) on convoy bombing mission off Lae 8/1/43 with Ray Dau 9th mission), Co-pilot: Don Hoggan, Navigator: Peter Hudec, Bombardier: Albt Cole [wia], Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Lloyd DuMond, Radio Operator: Bob Albright [wia], Waist gunner: Francis Caldwell, Waist gunner: Henry Blasco,Tail gunner: Henry Bowen (died of wounds) (9 Returned to Duty); (2 died of wounds)hit by flak and force landed Black Cat Pass, east of Wau, New Guinea. Written off. Was intended as Lend Lease for RAF Coastal Command as [FL461] painted with RAF roundels, which were covered by USAAF insignia. Wreck still intact, although USAAF insignia has worn off still showing RAF roundels.

Delivered Portland 14/1/42; Assigned 7BG MacDill but badly damaged while taxying (3)10/2/42; Sebring 6/9/42; Brookley 25/3/43; Hendricks 2/4/43; 3036 BU Yuma 13/11/43; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Albuquerque 26/5/45.

Delivered MacDill 314BS/97BG 13/4/42; en route to UK escorting six P-38Fs crash landed east Greenland ice cap 15/6/42, with Lt Hanna & crew rescued-10RTD (the aircraft was later found in Jan 1989 under 250 ft of ice); BIG STOOP.

Delivered Pendleton 11/5/42; Westover 2/7/42; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Albuquerque 5/7/45.

Fate unknown

Delivered Boeing SAD 18/1/42; MacDill 23/1/42; Assigned 7BG Hawaii 2/42; Nasal 20/5/42; Middle East 11/7/43; Central Africa /6/44; Returned to the USA Boeing 17/6/44 mod to RB-17; Written off 30/11/45.