Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Nose Art Page 2

Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress Nose Art Page 2

Just Plain Lonesome

Boeing B-17G-10-VE s/n 42-39975 Just Plain Lonesome was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group at Podington on the 5th of December 1943. It was transferred to the 324th Bomb Squadron 91st Bomb Group coded OR-Z and based at Bassingbourn on the 10th of January 1944. It then transferred to the 323th Bomb Squadron coded DF-Z. It was missing in action on a raid to Dessau on the 30th of May 1944. Flak knocked out two engines and nothing else heard from, or seen from the plane. All nine crew were killed in action. 

Laden Maiden

Boeing B-17F-30-VE Laden Maiden aka Stud Duck was assigned to the 349th Bomb Squadron coded XR-J, 100th Bomb Group, based at Thorpe Abbotts, Norfolk 8Jun43. On a shuttle mission to the Messerschmitt aircraft factories at Regensburg, Germany on the 17th of August 1943, the aircraft landed in Algeria, North Africa. On return to Thorpe Abbotts, the crew brought back a mascot – an Arabian Donkey – which gave the British
Ministry of Agriculture trouble in finding and quarantining the animal on a secret air base somewhere in eastern England. FLaden Maiden failed to return from a mission to the I.G. Farben chemical works at Oppau, Ludwigshafen, Germany on the 30th of December 1943. Damaged by three FW 190s,it crashed at Liry, twenty-eight miles east of Reims, France. Laden Maiden had flown 32 missions. It was claimed by Lt Karl Willius in an Fw 190A-6 of JG 26/2. Eight crew were killed in action, while the remaining two evaded capture.

Lady Luck

Lady Luck Boeing B-17F-20-VE 42-5803 was delivered at Long Beach on 11/2/43. Assigned to the 410th Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group based at Earls Colne. It crash landed on 29/5/43 and was salvaged for parts on 18/7/43.

Lightning Strikes

Lightning Strikes Boeing B-17F-20-DL s/n 42-3073 was delivered at Cheyenne on 4/2/43. It was assigned to the 410th Bomb Squadron 94th Bomb Group and based at Bangor. It was transferred to the 401th Bomb Squadron 91st Bomb Group on 22/4/43, coded LL-A and based at Bassingbourn. During a mission to Leipzig on 21/2/44 Lightning Strikes was subjected to enemy aircraft attacks that knocked out engines three and four. All ten crew members were taken Prisoner of War. The aircraft crash landed close to the target area, near Herford, Germany.

Looky Looky

Boeing B-17G Looky Looky s/n 44-6893 was delivered at Lincoln on 12/12/44. It was assigned to the 851th Bomb Squadron 490th Bomb Group. Returned to the USA on 12/7/45 it was sold for scrap metal on 21/12/45

Mad Money II

Boeing B-17F-25-VE s/n 42-5838 Mad Money II was assigned to the 547th Bomb Squadron 384th Bomb Group coded SO-P and based at Grafton Underwood from the 29th of May 1943. Missing in Action on the 4th of January 1944 on a mission to Kiel. After being attacked by fighters, Mad Money II crash landed near Asnaes, three miles south-west of Kalunborg, Sjaelland in Denmark.

Madame Queen

Madame Queen Boeing B-17G 42-97931 was delivered at Denver on 8/4/44. It was assigned to the 613th Bomb Squadron 401st Bomb Group with code sign IN-Q and based at Deenethorpe. It was returned to the USA on 8/6/45 it was sold for scrap metal on 4/12/45.

Mason and Dixon

Boeing B-17G 42-31412 Mason and Dixon was delivered at Cheyenne on 31/10/43. It was assigned to the 351st Bomb Squadron 100th Bomb Group with code sign EP-G and based at Thorpe Abbotts from 27/11/43. It transferred to the 34th Bomb Group and was severely damaged on a shuttle mission and headed for Italy to land at Foggia. It was repaired and flown back to base only to be eventually salvaged. Post-war it was returned to the USA (with over 100 missions) and sold for scrap metal on 19/12/45.

Meat Hound

Boeing B-17F-55-BO s/n 42-29524 Meat Hound was delivered at Denver on 31/12/42. It was assigned to the 423rd Bomb Squadron 306th Bomb Group with code RD-D and based at Thurleigh from 2/3/43. On 30/7/43 Meat Hound was transferred to the 358th Bomb Squadron 303rd Bomb Group code VK-K and based at Molesworth. On a mission to Oschersleben on 26/1/44 it was hit by enemy aircraft over Durgerdam. The crew bailed over Ijsselmeer with four captured, four killed in action and one evaded capture. The pilot stayed with the plane and brought it home to crash land at Metfield, Suffolk, UK.

Milk Run

Boeing B-17G-85-BO s/n 43-38340 Milk Run was delivered at Cheyenne on 22/7/44. It was assigned to the 493rd Bomb Group based at Debach. It was lost on a raid to Mannheim on 21/1/45 after a mechanical fault when it crashed near Georgefeld Germany. All nine crew were taken prisoner of war.

Miss Lace

Boeing B-17G-50-BO s/n 42-102411 Miss Lace was assigned to the 427th Bomb Squadron [GNY:GNP], 303rd Bomb Group, Molesworth, Huntingdonshire on the 30th of April 1944. It received battle damaged on a mission to railway installations and tank factories at Berlin, Germany on the 18th of March 1945. The plane force landed behind Soviet lines on a fighter airfield near Warsaw, Poland. It was repaired by the Soviet Air Force and then used by the 890th Aviation Regiment, 45th TBAP (Heavy Bomber
Aviation Regiment), based at Balbasova, Orsha, Belorussia.

Miss Shakmate

Boeing B-17F Miss Shakmate of the 96th Bomb Group

Mount N Ride

Boeing B-17G-20-BO Fortress s/n 42-31585 Mount N Ride was delivered at Cheyenne on 26/11/43. It was assigned to the 323rd Bomb Squadron 91st Bomb Group, coded OR-B and based at Bassingbourn. It was hit by flak on a raid to Augsburg on 16/3/44 which disabled engines two and three. It force landed at Dubendorf, Switzerland and all ten crew were interned. Post war it was returned to Burtonwood, UK. and salvaged on 8/10/45.

Never Satisfied

Boeing B-17F s/n 42-5388 Never Satisfied was delivered at Cheyenne on 28/11/42. It was assigned to the 348th Bomb Squadron 99th Bomb Group based at Navarin on 11/5/43. The squadron moved to Oudna on 4/8/43 and then Tortorella on the 11/12/43. After completing 90 missions it was transferred to the 817th Bomb Squadron 483rd Bomb Group at the same base on 31/3/44. The squadron moved to Sterparone on the 22/4/43. Never Satisfied completed 14 missions with the 817th before being salvaged at the war’s end on 30/11/45 with a total of 104 missions.

Nine 0 Nine

Boeing B-17G-30-BO s/n 42-31909 Nine 0 Nine was assigned to the 323rd Bomb Squadron coded OR-R, 91st Bomb Group based at Bassingbourn, Cambridgeshire from the 24th of February 1944.

Battle damaged by flak on a mission to railway installations around Berlin, Germany on the 7th of May 1944. Heavy smoke over the target, the railway marshalling yards two miles west were bombed.

Battle damaged on a mission to Berlin, Germany on the 24th of May 1944.

Battle damaged by flak on a mission to the Nord railway marshalling yard at Mulhouse, France on the 3rd of August 1944.

Battle damaged on a mission to the Siebel Flugzeugwerke aircraft factory at Halle, Germany on the 16th of August 1944.

Battle damaged by flak on a mission to the shipyards at Kiel, Germany on the 30th of August 1944.

Battle damaged on a mission to the Lützkendorf oil facilities at Mücheln, west of Merseburg, Germany on the 11th of September 1944.

Battle damaged on a mission to the I.G. Farben chemical and synthetic oil works at Leuna, Merseburg, Germany on the 2nd of November 1944. The Group was hit hard after turning on the I.P. The box barrage of flak was heavy around the target. After the target, because of a supposedly malfunctioning compass, the Group Lead aircraft rallied off the target at 330 degrees west rather than 270 degrees west, as briefed. The rest of the Group followed the lead, in the process flying out of the protection of the main bomber stream. German Fighter Command had been conserving its scarce fuel for weeks so as to mount a major effort against the bomber attacks. An estimated 500 Luftwaffe fighters went up to meet the bomber force. Flak struck the plane in the left and right wings and the No.2 engine supercharger oil reservoir, losing the oil resulting in a runaway propeller which eventually sheared off and sliced into the nose just below the navigator’s window.

It was then modified with all guns, armament and ball turret removed and a wooden floor built over the bomb bay. It took part in Operation Revival on the 12th of May 1945. This liberated prisoners of war from Russian controlled Stalag Luft No.I, Barth, Germany. It was returned to US by the 91st Bomb Group crew on Operation Home Run, departing on the 8th of June 1945.

Old Bill

Boeing B-17F-65-BO s/n 42-29673 Old Bill was assigned to the 422nd Bomb Squadron coded JJ-S, 305th Bomb Group, based at Chelveston Northamptonshire on the 6th of April 1943.

Battle damaged on a mission to the Focke-Wulf aircraft factory at Bremen, Germany on 17 April 1943. Flak over the target was heavy and a 0.30 caliber shell struck the main spar of the right wing.

The plane was severely battle damaged on a mission to the naval facilities on Heligoland island, Germany on 15 May 1943. Weather over the target was bad and conditions were unfavourable for bombing. The group turned to an alternate target, the airfield at Wangerooge, East Frisian island, Germany. In the first attack by enemy fighters, the oxygen system was destroyed and the pilot dropped from formation at 25,000ft. The fighters then homed in for an attack, wounding the pilot and co-pilot, the top turret was spintered by 20mm cannon shell fragments and the gun sight hit the gunner. 20mm cannon shells came through the nose killing the navigator and wounding the bombardier when the bomb sight deflected a fragment. The radio operator was wounded by another 20mm cannon shell and the waist gunner scratched by fragments. The pilot remained at his post and was assisted by crew members who were not badly injured. Despite their situation, the crew fought off the enemy fighter attacks until they reached the safety of some cloud cover. The Bombardier flew the airplane towards home and coming out of clouds, the bomber was attacked by a pair of enemy fighters. Again, the crew fought them off, later the group formation was sighted and they joined up for the return to Chelveston where the pilot, having recovered sufficiently, landed safely. One crewman was KIA with an additional four wounded. Old Bill was salvaged on 16 May 1943.

Piccadilly Queen

Piccadilly Queen Boeing B-17F-95-BO s/n 42-30251 was delivered at Cheyenne on 6/5/43. It was assigned to the 549th Bomb Squadron 385th Bomb Group with code XA-T based at Great Ashfield from 14/6/43. It was damaged in a base explosion on 3/9/43 but repaired and returned to service. On 29/1/1944 during a raid on Frankfurt it was shot down by Htm. Raimund Koch of 8./JG 3, and crashed near Kaiserlautern, Germany. Six crewmen were killed and four taken prisoners of war.

Pistol Packin’ Mama

Boeing B-17G-1-BO s/n 42-31037 Pistol Packin’ Mama was delivered at Dallas on 8/9/43. It was assigned to the 613th Bomb Squadron 401st Bomb Group coded IN-F and based at Deenethorpe from 10/10/43. During a raid to Leipzig on 20/7/44 it was hit by flak and crashed near Liebstedt Germany. Six crewmen were taken prisoners of war and three were killed in the crash. All crew members bailed out, but one was killed when his chute failed to open and two were killed by German civilians.

Queenie

Boeing B-17G-15-BO s/n 42-31353 Queenie was delivered at Cheyenne on 25/10/43. It was assigned to the 322nd Bomb Squadron 91st Bomb Group and coded LG-Q based at Bassingbourn from 20/12/43. On 29/4/44, on a mission to Berlin it was hit by flak which knocked out engines three and four and started a fire. The aircraft then crashed near Kladow, Berlin, Germany. Five crew were killed and five taken prisoner.

Queen Mary

Boeing B-17G s/n 44-6598 Queen Mary was delivered at Lincoln on 17/9/44. It was assigned to the 335th Bomb Squadron 95th Bomb Group coded OE-N and based at Horham from 11/10/44. Queen Mary completed 46 missions and was returned to the USA post-war and sold for scrap metal in USA on 26/11/45.