The air war over Europe reached a crescendo in 1944, peaking in June with the Allied armies’ cross-channel invasion of France. The airmen of the Eighth Air Force were given a set of priorities and a target list with the intent of greatly reducing the Nazi’s ability to wage war on land, in the air, and on the seas.
On January 6, Maj. Gen. James H. Doolittle was named commanding general of the Eighth Air Force. The famous general’s arrival was followed by five days of sustained attacks on German aircraft factories from February 20 to 26. Less than ten days later, the first American bombers attacked industrial areas around Berlin. The first American bombs had now fallen on the German capital.
Until spring 1944, the Eighth Air Force had fought a war of attrition with the Luftwaffe: whichever side could down the most planes would win. When the Allies were able to increase the range of their escort-fighters—with the introduction of lightweight drop tanks and the longer-range P-51D Mustang—this tipped the balance of the air war toward the Eighth Air Force. Bomber losses were still costly in terms of men and machines, but the tide was finally turning in the Allies’ favor.
In the ninety days prior to the June 6 D-Day landings in Normandy, the Eighth Air Force shifted to softening up the Nazi’s warfighting infrastructure in France. B-17s and B-24s, typically used to attack strategic targets, were tasked instead with destroying marshaling yards, bridges, airfields, and V-weapon sites. This targeting strategy lasted until after the Allied armies had broken out of the coastal area and began marching toward Germany.
On June 21, the Eighth Air Force began flying missions in support of Operation Frantic, the codename for shuttle missions that originated in England, attacked a distant target, and flew on to Russia instead of returning to their home bases. The June 21 shuttle mission was part of an attack with 1,234 bombers on targets in and around Berlin (see “Operation Frantic”, page 75).
While the American and British strategic bombing forces were concentrating on tactical targets, the Nazis were busy improving their flak defenses around cities and industrial targets throughout Germany and other occupied territories. In addition to boosting their production of flak batteries, the Luftwaffe believed it could regain air superiority by employing new jet- and rocket-propelled fighter aircraft. If the production of these aircraft had gone unchecked, it is estimated that the Luftwaffe could have had more than a thousand fighter aircraft such as the Me 262 on hand by the end of 1944. The Me 262s more than 100-miles-per-hour-speed advantage on Allied escort fighters and its four 30mm cannon made for a lethal combination. If just one Me 262 could penetrate the bomber formation, it could quickly destroy multiple slow-moving B-17s and B-24s in a single pass.
Fortunately, German political incompetence on how to employ the new aircraft technology, coupled with the Allies’ concerted effort to attack Nazi aircraft production, prevented the mass production of jet fighters and the required pilot training needed to employ such advanced weapons. More than a thousand jet fighters, used correctly, could have savaged the bomber streams and made photo reconnaissance all but impossible. However, Allied numerical superiority in both men and machines and their development and employment of tactics to combat the jet menace proved superior. While many pilots tried to dogfight with German jets, the most effective tactics were diving hit-and-run attacks or catching Me 262s when they were most vulnerable: taking off or landing, when they were unable to dogfight marauding Allied fighters. Also in 1944, Eighth Air Force escort fighter tactics changed and took substantial pressure off the bombers by enabling escort Mustangs and Thunderbolts to pursue German fighters all the way to the ground.
The campaign to shut off the flow of oil to the German war machine was extremely costly. All of the Nazi oil refineries had been ringed with flak cannon, and fighter directors sent huge numbers of single- and twin-engine planes to assault the oncoming bomber streams. By August, more bombers were lost to flak than to fighters; that month, the Eighth Air Force dropped 6,152 tons of bombs on oil-producing targets in Germany alone. To demonstrate the effectiveness of those 6,152 tons of bombs, in April 1944 the German oil industry’s aviation fuel output was 165,000 tons, and by August the aerial bombardment had reduced that number to 15,000 tons. No matter how many Luftwaffe fighters were available to attack the Allied bomber streams, they could not fly without fuel.
The bomber forces were further protected when Allied ground troops overran German early warning radar sites in France. No longer could the paths of Allied bombers be estimated and fighters directed to intercept them. In the past, fighters had harassed the bomber streams all the way to and from the target, but without an early warning system Luftwaffe fighters became a point defense force.
The year 1944 was a challenge as the Allies fought for air superiority and flew massive formations of bombers to curtail the Nazi’s ability to wage war. The Allies’ numerical superiority was demonstrated on December 24, when 2,046 B-17s and B-24s, plus 853 P-47s and P-51s, were dispatched to deliver 5,052 tons of bombs on targets in Nazi-occupied Europe. It was because of missions like this, with such impressive numbers of men and aircraft, that the Eighth Air Force earned the nickname “Mighty Eighth.”
The Cologne Cathedral dominates the skyline of Germany’s fourth largest city and sits less than a thousand feet from the banks of the Rhine River. Cologne is seen here from above the railroad marshaling yards at Nippes, a suburb north of the city center. Targets in and around Cologne were attacked by Allied bombers 262 times during the war. The largest Eighth Air Force attack on the city and surrounding areas occurred on Oct. 17, 1944, when 1,338 bombers and 811 fighters were guided to the target by Pathfinder Force aircraft. USAAF
Vega–built B-17F 42-5725 This is It! was one of the lucky ones. Delivered to the Army Air Forces on Oct. 5, 1942, the bomber was flown east to Douglas Aircraft’s modification center at Tulsa, Oklahoma, to prepare it for combat. Arriving in England on Aug. 22, 1943, This is It! served with the 532nd Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, at Ridgewell. The bomber was later renamed Flapper and returned stateside on July 14, 1944, after eleven months in combat. Following service as a trainer at Williams AAF, Arizona, and La Junta AAF, Colorado, 42-5725 was sent to the boneyard at Searcy Field, Stillwater, Oklahoma, on July 31, 1945. This TB-17 was one of the aircraft acquired by movie stunt pilot Paul Mantz on Feb. 19, 1946. It was eventually scrapped. USAAF
During a pre-dawn takeoff from the 306th Bomb Group’s station at Thurleigh, on Jan. 5, 1944, Boeing–built B-17F 42-30767 crashed soon after takeoff. It was thought that pilot Capt. Ian Elliott became disoriented in the fog, and the heavily laden Flying Fortress crashed in a farmer’s field near the Sharnbrook Ammunition Depot. The day’s mission was to bomb the port and industrial areas of Kiel, Germany. Miraculously, the copilot and tail gunner survived the crash. USAAF
Hit by fighters over Holland during the return trip from bombing aviation industry targets at Oschersleben, Germany, B-17F 42-29524 Meathound from the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, had a fire in the wing behind engine number two (left wing, inboard engine). Pilot 1st Lt. Jack W. Watson ordered the crew to bail out as the bomber passed over the IJsselmeer (a manmade lake) in Holland. Everyone got out except Lieutenant Watson, with all but one landing in the lake. Four drowned and four were taken prisoner; copilot 2nd Lt. Clayton C. David evaded capture and returned to service. Lieutenant Watson waited to bail out, but then noticed he was already over the ocean and the bomber was still under control between 14,000 and 15,000 feet. He returned to his seat and was able to limp the bomber back across the channel, landing at the fighter field at Metfield in Suffolk. Meathound was written off and salvaged for parts. USAAF
B-17F 42-39867 Hang the Expense II was one of 863 aircraft dispatched on Jan. 24, 1944, to attack targets in the Hamburg area. The mission was recalled because of bad weather, except for fifty-eight bombers that were crossing into Germany when the order was given. They elected to bomb a target of opportunity, the power station at Eschweiler, Germany. Hang the Expense II was hit by flak on the return trip, and the tail gunner was blown overboard. After returning to base, the bomber was rebuilt and the crew changed the name to Boeing Belle in hope that her luck would improve. The bomber went on to fly another hundred missions by the end of the war. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: Pilot 1st Lt. William D. Sellers, copilot 2nd Lt. Jack E. George, and five other crewmen lifted off the runway at Deenethorpe on Jan. 28, 1944, on a post-maintenance test flight of the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group’s B-17F 42-37722. At 20,000 feet the crew noticed the odor of aviation fuel. The plane was landed safely, but on rollout the flight engineer, MSgt. Vincent H. Hodis, saw fire in the bomb bay. The plane was stopped and the crew escaped unharmed. The fire burned through the ship, exploding the fuel tanks and ammunition on board and leaving this twisted mess. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: Pilot 1st Lt. William D. Sellers, copilot 2nd Lt. Jack E. George, and five other crewmen lifted off the runway at Deenethorpe on Jan. 28, 1944, on a post-maintenance test flight of the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group’s B-17F 42-37722. At 20,000 feet the crew noticed the odor of aviation fuel. The plane was landed safely, but on rollout the flight engineer, MSgt. Vincent H. Hodis, saw fire in the bomb bay. The plane was stopped and the crew escaped unharmed. The fire burned through the ship, exploding the fuel tanks and ammunition on board and leaving this twisted mess. USAAF
Having successfully attacked targets of opportunity in Brunswick, Germany, on January 30, 524th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, B-17F 42-31021 Whirlaway belly-landed at RAF Ash, a satellite of RAF Manston in Kent. Pilot Don McCall and his crew walked away from the landing and were able to return to combat. Whirlaway was salvaged a few days later. USAAF
Douglas Long Beach–built B-17F 42-38026 was accepted by the AAF on Nov. 19, 1943. The bomber left the United States on Jan. 6, 1944, for service with the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, at Deenethorpe. Christened My Day by its crew, the bomber suffered a gear collapse after the February 6 mission to the airfield at Caen, France. First Lt. Marion O. Hagan Jr. had flown My Day six previous times and was commanding the aircraft on the bomber’s eleventh mission (Hagan’s seventh in My Day) to Kiel on May 19. My Day was struck by a direct flak hit flying away from the target. The bomber disintegrated in the air and only tail gunner Staff Sgt. William W. Henson survived to become a POW. USAAF
The Pas-de-Calais V-weapons sites and port areas were the targets for the mission on Feb. 13, 1944. The Eighth Air Force put up 277 B-17s and 192 B-24s, escorted by 189 P-47 and 43 P-51 escorts. A total of 1,170 tons of bombs was dropped and the escort fighters claimed 6 kills for the loss of a single Mustang. B-24J 42-10085 was struck by flak and the crew ordered to bail out. Pilot 2nd Lt. Claude E. White brought the 566th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group’s Hmm, Whdda Gal back to Hethel, landing on one wheel with the number four engine on fire. USAAF
Near midnight on February 23, B-17F 42-29889 of the 525th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, based at Kimbolton, was being readied for the next day’s mission to Rostock, Germany, on the Warnow River near the Baltic Sea coast. Fuel spilled from the number one engine during a fuel pump change and the highly flammable liquid pooled under the aircraft. A short time later, a lamp fell off its stand, breaking the bulb; the resulting spark ignited the fuel. The bomber was a total loss. USAAF
First Lt. William R. Lawley Jr. from Denison, Texas, was flying Douglas Long Beach–built B-17G 42-38109 Cabin in the Sky from the 364th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group, on February 20. The mission was to bomb the airfield complex at Leipzig, Germany, and Lawley’s aircraft was hit by more than twenty fighters after leaving the target. The copilot was killed by a 20mm cannon shell, splattering blood over the windscreen and instruments and making forward visibility impossible, and two crewmen were too wounded to bail out. Severely wounded himself, Lawley fought off more fighters. Another engine caught fire. Lawley passed out from exhaustion and was revived by the bombardier. Another engine stopped from fuel starvation. He continued flying the bomber back to base and brought it in for a belly landing. This is what Cabin in the Sky looked like when she came to rest at Redhill Airfield. She was scrapped three days later. Lawley, a true American hero, was awarded the Medal of Honor on Aug. 8, 1944. USAAF
On March 5, the Eighth Air Force launched 502 B-17s for a raid on Berlin; however, poor weather over the German capital forced the bombers to look for targets of opportunity. The 401st Bomb Group struck targets in the Cologne area. Only able to lower one wheel, Lt. Don Currie in B-17G 42-31034 Bonnie Donnie circled while the crew removed the ball turret for the wheels-up landing. There were no injuries to the crew. Approximately three months later, on May 28, Bonnie Donnie’s luck ran out north and east of Leipzig, Germany. Coming off the target, the bomber was hit by fighters, starting a fire in the right wing that burned for a while before it was noticed. The rudder controls were also shot out. Pilot 1st Lt. George E. West held the plane level while the crew bailed out. The bomber exploded before West could bail out, and it is believed that flight engineer Technical Sgt. Francis L. Russell was blown out as well. Russell was found without a parachute. Tail gunner Staff Sgt. Michael Lefkin also did not survive the jump either; his parachute became a streamer and did not blossom. The remaining seven crewmen were taken prisoner. USAAF
On March 6, the Eighth Air Force launched 730 bombers, including the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group’s B-17G 42-37761 Blue Dreams, toward targets in Germany. As pilot 2nd Lt. Walter E. Wilkinson and copilot 2nd Lt. Val. B. Maghru were climbing the bomber for altitude, the waist gunners reported fuel streaming from the right wing. Wilkinson elected to return to base but was diverted to the fighter field at Steeple Morden because of departing traffic at Bassingbourn. In the rush to get the bomber on the ground, Wilkinson neglected to lower the landing gear and bellied Blue Dreams onto the ground. All ten crew were safe and returned to duty. USAAF
Vega–built B-17G 42-39876 Gloria Ann was assigned to the 569th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, at Framlingham. Gloria Ann was named for the fiancée of 42-39876’s original pilot, John J. Corcoran. On the March 6 mission to Berlin, Gloria Ann was flown by Lt. John A. Flottorp to attack the Robert Bosch Electrical Works in the suburbs of Berlin. The bomber formation was mauled by fighters and flak, and Gloria Ann was so badly damaged that she was never flown after this mission and was scrapped. Flottorp is seen here inspecting damage to the top of the bomber near the radio room hatch. USAAF
On March 22, Capt. Charles W. DeWitt, flying P-47D 42-8530 from the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, was departing Duxford to escort bombers to the marshaling yards at Hamm, Germany. During takeoff, DeWitt stalled the fighter and it cartwheeled across the airfield. Despite how the Thunderbolt looks, DeWitt only suffered minor injuries and returned to flying a short time later. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: A Ju 88 fighter was downed over the Eighth Air Force’s 386th Bomb Group airfield at Great Dunmow, on March 22, 1944. B-26B 41-31627 was destroyed in the attack as well. The Eighth Air Force employed the 386th, equipped with Martin B-26B and C model Marauders, to bomb airfield V-weapon sites until the unit was transferred to the Ninth Air Force in October 1943. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: A Ju 88 fighter was downed over the Eighth Air Force’s 386th Bomb Group airfield at Great Dunmow, on March 22, 1944. B-26B 41-31627 was destroyed in the attack as well. The Eighth Air Force employed the 386th, equipped with Martin B-26B and C model Marauders, to bomb airfield V-weapon sites until the unit was transferred to the Ninth Air Force in October 1943. USAAF
Early in the morning of March 24, the 381st Bomb Group was departing Ridgewell to bomb Schweinfurt when Douglas Long Beach–built B-17G 42-38102 crashed 2 miles after takeoff. Second Lt. Kenneth T. Haynes Jr. and 2nd Lt. Ralph Bemis Jr. were at the controls. The bomber’s entire ten-man crew perished in the crash. USAAF
B-17G 42-31098 Penny’s Thunderhead was an alternate for the March 26 mission to Watten, Germany. Not needed, Lt. Carlton L. Wilson returned to Deenethorpe. During landing, the bomber’s left main gear folded under and the number two engine and nacelle were torn from the wing. It is interesting to note that the bomber’s individual aircraft record card lists this aircraft as missing in action on April 17, 1944. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: Boeing Seattle–built B-17F 42-29751 was delivered to the Army Air Forces on Feb. 9, 1943. After modification at the United Air Lines center at Cheyenne, Wyoming, the bomber left the United States for England on April 19, 1943. B-17F 42-29751 took up station with the 381st Bomb Group at Ridgewell. The bomber’s initial crew named her Miss Abortion, then later changed it to Stuff. Nearly one year later on March 31, pilot 1st Lt. Wayne G. Schomburg, Capt. Paul H. Stull Jr., and four other crewmembers took Stuff up for a test flight and had to feather the number two engine. On approach, the bomber became too slow in the turn from base leg to final and fell out of the sky. All six crewmen were killed. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: Boeing Seattle–built B-17F 42-29751 was delivered to the Army Air Forces on Feb. 9, 1943. After modification at the United Air Lines center at Cheyenne, Wyoming, the bomber left the United States for England on April 19, 1943. B-17F 42-29751 took up station with the 381st Bomb Group at Ridgewell. The bomber’s initial crew named her Miss Abortion, then later changed it to Stuff. Nearly one year later on March 31, pilot 1st Lt. Wayne G. Schomburg, Capt. Paul H. Stull Jr., and four other crewmembers took Stuff up for a test flight and had to feather the number two engine. On approach, the bomber became too slow in the turn from base leg to final and fell out of the sky. All six crewmen were killed. USAAF
5 GRAND : BOEING WORKERS PUT THEIR PERSONAL STAMP ON A BOMBER
In spring 1944, word was getting around that workers were assembling the components for the five thousandth B-17 built at Boeing’s Seattle factory since the attack on Pearl Harbor. This one statistic should explain how the “Arsenal of Democracy” was able to overwhelm the Axis; it was happening all over America as tanks and trucks, rifles and cannon, C-rations and uniforms, and ships and aircraft of all shapes and sizes were produced by factories large and small.
As word spread, a couple of workers in one of the shops thought they should autograph this special B-17 to show their association with the production milestone. Of course, management began posting placards on the components, instructing workers not to “graffiti” the subassemblies as they moved through the factory. Defacing government property was against the law and could not be tolerated. But when pieces that had been previously signed came down the line, most workers thought there would not be any harm in adding just one more. As Boeing management and the Army Air Forces’ plant representative saw what a morale booster this aircraft had become, the act of autographing the five thousandth bomber was approved and a full publicity campaign was started.
When she was complete, Boeing workers pushed this special bomber out of the factory. The following day, on May 13, 1944, B-17G 43-37716 was christened 5 Grand to mark this Flying Fortress as the five thousandth built since the Dec. 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor. All of the painted signatures made the bomber approximately 5 miles per hour slower than other B-17s. BOEING
As subassemblies of the five thousandth B-17 built at Boeing’s Seattle, Washington, factory since the Pearl Harbor attack moved down the line, employees wanted to be part of this record-setting bomber. One worker signed, then another, and then another. It was against policy, but once the company and the Army Air Forces realized the morale value, they encouraged it. BOEING
The bomber that would emerge was identified as B-17G 43-37716. It was pushed out of the plant by a throng of employees, and on May 13, 1944, they held a christening ceremony. Boeing employee Mrs. Gertrude Aldrich, whose son had been shot down in a B-17 and was a German prisoner, was selected to christen the bomber with a bottle of champagne broken over a metal plate placed between the guns of the chin turret. Mrs. Aldrich christened the bomber 5 Grand. Miss Alezena Palmer hung a good-luck wreath in the shape of a horseshoe, purchased by other employees, on the bomber.
The bomber departed Seattle for the United Air Lines modification center at Cheyenne, Wyoming. Here, she was brought up to B-17G Block 70 standards with the conversion of the tail turret from the factory-installed Steeplechase stinger tail turret into the Cheyenne tail turret, known for its increased visibility and wider field of fire. The other changes were all minor, according to the Air Technical Service Command’s Model Designations of Army Aircraft, and included “reinstallation of the trailing wire static discharger at the tail wheel, installation of fore and aft radio compass antennas, an oil reserve for the propeller feathering system, and dry clutch landing gear motors.” From the Cheyenne modification center, 5 Grand flew east to England. Arriving at SAD 1 (Strategic Air Depot at Honington), the bomber’s main landing gear collapsed and she skidded across the base on her belly. It took almost two months to repair the damage.
She flew her first combat mission on Sept. 17, 1944, as part of an 875-bomber attack on targets in Holland in preparation for the airborne assault on that country. She was assigned to the 338th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group, at Snetterton Heath and wore the markings of Square C on her tail and the squadron codes BX-H on the fuselage sides. 5 Grand had an exemplary service record, flying seventy-eight missions with only four aborts (Oct. 12, 1944—Bremen; Dec. 28, 1944—Coblenz; Jan. 7, 1945—Cologne; and Jan. 17, 1945—Hamburg). She hit all of the major targets, from the synthetic oil works at Merseburg, to the submarine and port facilities at Hamburg and Kiel, to the capital of Germany, the “Big B”—Berlin—four times. Her gunners were also credited with downing two Luftwaffe fighters.
After the conclusion of hostilities in Europe, 5 Grand returned to Boeing’s Seattle factory on June 29, 1945. War workers were treated to a reunion with the history-making bomber, and there was a move afoot to preserve the bomber in Seattle. The Reconstruction Finance Corp. (RFC) would have sold the bomber to the city for $350, but with the war raging in Japan and many people focused on the postwar world, interest died out. 5 Grand was sent to the RFC’s Depot 41 at Kingman, Arizona, where she joined 5,400 other Army Air Force combat planes. She was sold to the Martin Wunderlich Co. in June 1946 and scrapped by summer 1948, recycled to provide aluminum for the postwar economy.
Factory-fresh B-17G 43-37716 flies in the Seattle, Washington, area shortly before delivery to the Army Air Forces on May 15, 1944. This aircraft was the five thousandth B-17 built at Boeing’s Seattle factory since Pearl Harbor and thus named 5 Grand. To commemorate the occasion, employees were encouraged to sign their names on the aircraft. Reportedly, the aerodynamic drag from all of the signatures caused the bomber to be about 5 miles per hour slower than a standard B-17. BOEING
During the mission on July 25, 1944, in support of the U.S. First Army’s Operation Cobra near Saint-Lô, France, 5 Grand was damaged by flak. The bomber was belly-landed upon returning to Snetterton. Note the absence of the ball turret and the bent propeller blades, and the squadron code BX-H for the 388th Bomb Squadron (BX), with “H” as the aircraft in squadron letter. BOB STURGES
B-17 5 Grand flew with the 338th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group, at Snetterton. The bomber’s air and ground crews gathered for a photo in July 1994. Front row (left to right): ground crew Pvt. Ross D. Kelley, waist gunner Sgt. Victor L. Ruthart, ball turret gunner Sgt. Walter J. Nagel, tail gunner Sgt. Frederick W. Meyers, radio operator Staff Sgt. Ruel D. Nelson, top turret gunner Staff Sgt. Michael J. Santianna, and ground crew Sgt. Nicholas J. Noolas. Back row (left to right): ground crew Cpl. Doyle Bonds, bombardier Lt. Leonard G. Conley, navigator Lt. Frank S. Carter, copilot Lt. Warren B. Hansen, pilot Lt. Bryce H. Jones, and crew chief MSgt. James Bates. In all, 5 Grand flew seventy-eight missions with a number of crews. USAAF COLL./NARA
Head-on view of 5 Grand as officers and airmen contemplate damage to the aircraft. BOB STURGES
Photo 1 of 2: Detail images of the bomber’s bent props. At the end of the war, 5 Grand was flown stateside and ended its days at the aircraft boneyard in Kingman, Arizona. BOB STURGES
Photo 2 of 2: Detail images of the bomber’s bent props. At the end of the war, 5 Grand was flown stateside and ended its days at the aircraft boneyard in Kingman, Arizona. BOB STURGES
Aircraft arriving in England were usually sent to a Base Air Depot (BAD)—in this instance BAD No. 2 at Warton—for final modifications for combat. These B-24s are ready for delivery and awaiting fuel. On the left, under the B-24 wing tips, is a B-24 with its nose turret removed; behind that is B-17E 41-9112, the bomber modified with Consolidated nose and tail turrets, twin 0.50-cal. remotely operated guns in the radio room, bifold bomb bay doors, and a bombardier’s cupola. The modifications were known as “Project Reed” and were done at the behest of the 92nd Bomb Group after its experiences in combat. USAAF
Because of a navigational error, the Second Air Division Liberators were forced to seek out targets of opportunity during the April 1, 1944, raid; thus, 101 B-24s diverted from their primary target and attacked Pforzheim in southwestern Germany. Twelve Liberators were lost on the mission and forty-two were heavily damaged, including B-24J 42-109810 Sterile Errol from the 330th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group, based at Hardwick. Fire in the right wing behind engine number three damaged the bomber to the point it had to be scrapped. USAAF
Photo 1 of 3: Capt. Albert R. Kuehl and five other crew members were test-flying B-17G 42-31513 on April 5 at Bassingbourn, home to the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group. After landing, the crew noticed the right wing was burning. Kuehl and copilot 1st Lt. Jewel F. Stevens Jr. activated the fire bottles for engines three and four, but that failed to extinguish the fire. Bassingbourn’s fire crew was unable to stop the spread of flames and the aircraft was a total loss. USAAF
Photo 2 of 3: Capt. Albert R. Kuehl and five other crew members were test-flying B-17G 42-31513 on April 5 at Bassingbourn, home to the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group. After landing, the crew noticed the right wing was burning. Kuehl and copilot 1st Lt. Jewel F. Stevens Jr. activated the fire bottles for engines three and four, but that failed to extinguish the fire. Bassingbourn’s fire crew was unable to stop the spread of flames and the aircraft was a total loss. USAAF
Photo 3 of 3: Capt. Albert R. Kuehl and five other crew members were test-flying B-17G 42-31513 on April 5 at Bassingbourn, home to the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group. After landing, the crew noticed the right wing was burning. Kuehl and copilot 1st Lt. Jewel F. Stevens Jr. activated the fire bottles for engines three and four, but that failed to extinguish the fire. Bassingbourn’s fire crew was unable to stop the spread of flames and the aircraft was a total loss. USAAF
B-17F 42-30613 Shoo Shoo Baby from the 535th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, at Ridgewell veered off the runway on takeoff, nosing over in soft ground on April 9, 1944. None of the crew was injured, and the bomber was carrying leaflets, so there was no danger of an explosion. Shoo Shoo Baby was stricken from the inventory on April 12, 1944, salvaged for parts, and scrapped. USAAF
Photo 1 of 3: On January 21, two 535th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, Flying Fortresses were involved in a ground accident at Ridgewell. B-17G 42-39906 Squat and Dropit took the tail off B-17G 42-39890 Return Ticket. Using a salvaged tail, Return Ticket was soon back in the air, only to be lost on the May 24 mission to Berlin. The bomber was hit by thirty to fifty fighters and exploded in the air, with five of the crew perishing and four taken prisoner. Squat and Dropit fared little better. On April 15, the bomber returned from a training flight with 1st Lt. William H. Bartlett at the controls and four other crewmembers on board. After rolling out, small flames were seen coming from the number one engine. Ground crews were unable to put the fire out and Squat and Dropit was a total loss; however, the crew escaped unharmed. USAAF
Photo 2 of 3: On January 21, two 535th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, Flying Fortresses were involved in a ground accident at Ridgewell. B-17G 42-39906 Squat and Dropit took the tail off B-17G 42-39890 Return Ticket. Using a salvaged tail, Return Ticket was soon back in the air, only to be lost on the May 24 mission to Berlin. The bomber was hit by thirty to fifty fighters and exploded in the air, with five of the crew perishing and four taken prisoner. Squat and Dropit fared little better. On April 15, the bomber returned from a training flight with 1st Lt. William H. Bartlett at the controls and four other crewmembers on board. After rolling out, small flames were seen coming from the number one engine. Ground crews were unable to put the fire out and Squat and Dropit was a total loss; however, the crew escaped unharmed. USAAF
Photo 3 of 3: On January 21, two 535th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, Flying Fortresses were involved in a ground accident at Ridgewell. B-17G 42-39906 Squat and Dropit took the tail off B-17G 42-39890 Return Ticket. Using a salvaged tail, Return Ticket was soon back in the air, only to be lost on the May 24 mission to Berlin. The bomber was hit by thirty to fifty fighters and exploded in the air, with five of the crew perishing and four taken prisoner. Squat and Dropit fared little better. On April 15, the bomber returned from a training flight with 1st Lt. William H. Bartlett at the controls and four other crewmembers on board. After rolling out, small flames were seen coming from the number one engine. Ground crews were unable to put the fire out and Squat and Dropit was a total loss; however, the crew escaped unharmed. USAAF
B-17G 42-31613 Sharon Kay took off from Podington on April 19, headed for aviation industry targets near Kassel, Germany. As pilot 2nd Lt. Carl W. Coker and copilot 2nd Lt. Edward F. Stapleton were climbing out, they found they could only retract the gear manually. The bomber joined up and attacked the target, but upon returning to Podington the pilots found they could not get the gear to come down. Coker and Stapleton bellied-in Sharon Kay, and the crew emerged unharmed. After lifting the bomber, it was determined that the wheel retracting motors had been installed on wrong gear legs. Torque from the incorrectly installed motors broke the retracting mechanism. Here, the lucky crew poses in front of Sharon Kay. USAAF
B-24H 41-29301 Nokkish from the 752nd Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, crashed at Horsham after being damaged while attacking the airfields at Paderborn, Germany (between Münster and Kassel). Although no Liberators were shot down during this mission, nine additional B-24s were heavily damaged. USAAF
Ford Willow Run, Michigan–built B-24H 42-52566 was accepted by the Army Air Forces on Dec. 20, 1943. The bomber departed the United States for service in England on Feb. 15, 1944. Known as Shack Date, the Liberator flew with the 786th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, at Attlebridge. Heavily damaged by flak on the April 19 mission to attack the airfields at Paderborn and Gütersloh, Germany (east of Münster), Lieutenant N. Furnace brought the bomber in for a gear-up landing. Flak had shot out the hydraulic system, both the number one and three engines were feathered, and rudder control was sketchy at best, yet all ten crewmen walked away from the crash. USAAF
Flight crewmen from the 525th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, at Kimbolton inspect the tail of Douglas–built B-17G 42-107146 Mairzy Doats after the bomber was mauled attacking the Pas-de-Calais and Cherbourg port areas on April 20.
Four months later, on August 26, Mairzy Doats was attacking the oil refineries at Gelsenkirchen, Germany, with 2nd Lt. Edwin C. Spencer in command. Crossing the enemy coast, the number two engine blew itself apart, throwing a cylinder through the top of the cowl, and the pilots were unable to feather the prop. Spencer left the formation and immediately turned for home. As he turned, the engine caught fire and the bomber began to lose altitude. The bombs were salvoed and 60 miles off the coast of Holland the Mairzy Doats was ditched with ball turret gunner Staff Sgt. Richard N. Mosier and tail turret gunner Sgt. Charles J. Marlatt the only men rescued. USAAF
Shortly after takeoff from its home field of Raydon on a bomber escort mission to Luxembourg, 1st Lt. Carl W. Mueller lost power in Republic P-47D 42-25506 Dove of Peace. The Thunderbolt from the 350th Fighter Group, 353rd Fighter Group, landed at Appletree Farm, Copdock, Suffolk. Both man and machine returned to duty. USAAF
B-17G 42-39997 Big Mike was shot up during the May 1 attacks on the marshaling yards at Troyes and Reims, France. One engine and the hydraulic system were shot out, and 1st Lt. Ned W. Renick landed the bomber at the 533rd Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group’s home base at Ridgewell. Having no brakes, the bomber overran the end of the runway. The crew walked away from the crash landing, and 42-39997 was repaired and renamed Frenchy’s Folly. The bomber flew missions until the end of the war, when it was flown stateside on May 30, 1945. USAAF
Second Lt. Byron P. Yost was on a local familiarization flight on May 2 in P-38J 42-67960 when the Lightning’s left engine quit at 29,000 feet. Yost attempted to recover from the spin, but could not stop the fighter’s rotation and parachuted from the plane at 17,000 feet. P-38J 42-67960 came to rest near Thrandeston Church in Suffolk, and Yost landed safely and returned to duty. Two and a half months later, Yost was killed in a mid-air collision while flying P-38J 42-67980 and strafing the marshaling yard at Saincaize, France. USAAF
With his left engine stopped and his right engine making power, Sherwood M. Gillette brought P-38J 42-67987 in for a belly landing at Honington on May 2. Man and machine were assigned to the 383rd Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, 67th Fighter Wing. USAAF
Capt. Douglas L. Winter, copilot 1st Lt. James R. Turner, and two crewmen took off from Ridgewell on May 5 at 9:30 a.m. on a local flight. An hour and a half later, both engines on the right wing quit and the aircraft lost power and altitude, coming down on Larkins Farm, Twinstead, Essex. The bomber was completely destroyed but all four crewmen returned to service. USAAF
Two crewmen examine the damage done to a 390th Bomb Group B-17 during the May 7 raid on Berlin. Exactly 600 B-17s were dispatched to Berlin, with 8 shot down and 265 damaged. While the B-17s were bombing the “Big B”—Berlin—322 B-24s were attacking Münster and Osnabrück, Germany. USAAF
Douglas Long Beach–built B-17G 42-107091 Forbidden Fruit was assigned to the 728th Bomb Squadron, 452nd Bomb Group, based at Deopham Green. Flown by Capt. Edward M. Skurka and copilot Lt. H. S. Krosnowski, the bomber took a direct flak hit in the tail on the May 9 mission to Cherbourg, France, blowing off the tail gunner’s compartment and killing Staff Sgt. John R. Tinker. Without rudder or elevator control, the pilots crash-landed at the 447th Bomb Group’s base at Rattlesden. As the bomber careened across the Rattlesden runway, it struck a crash truck, killing one of the men. The remaining nine men on Forbidden Fruit’s crew were uninjured and returned to duty. USAAF
B-17G 42-38005 Stormy Weather from the 509th Bomb Squadron, 351st Bomb Group, left its base at Polebrook to lead the group to Berlin on May 24. Pilot Capt. Robert B. Clay and 1st Lt. Fank Hatten were at the controls when the number two propeller ran away. Stormy Weather left the bomber formation near Neumünster, Germany, headed for neutral Sweden. Unable to make Sweden, eight of the crew took to the silk over Denmark. Clay and Hatten tried to land at the airfield on Island Als, Denmark, but did not make it, clipping telephone wires and cartwheeling the bomber in a field. All ten of the crew were rounded up and taken prisoner. USAAF
Ground crews try to extinguish a smoldering fire behind engine number one on the 735th Bomb Squadron, 453rd Bomb Group’s Ford Willow Run–built B-24H 42-95353 Zeus. Pilot 2nd Lt. Lester Baer landed at Old Buckenham airfield on May 30, having bombed the air depot at Oldenberg, Germany. The left main gear collapsed and a fire started in the wing. Note that the number three propeller is feathered, likely from a flak hit during the mission as fighter opposition was minimal that day. USAAF
On approach to Old Buckenham after the May 30 mission to Oldenberg, Germany, pilot 1st Lt. Wilbur L. Earl and copilot 2nd Lt. Robert A. Johnson began battling an engine fire. Getting the bomber down, the left main gear collapsed and B-24H 41-28645 Golden Gaboon was engulfed in flames. All ten crewmen escaped unharmed and returned to duty but the Golden Gaboon was scrapped soon after. USAAF
Preparing for the day’s mission to attack tactical targets in France in preparation for the June 6 D-Day invasion, bombers of the 613th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, were running up at their home base of Deenethorpe. Second Lt. Lawrence E. Fitchett and crew were sitting in B-17G 42-107043 Fitch’s Bandwagon, preparing for the bomber’s eleventh mission, when 2nd Lt. Cleatus G. Lemmons’s B-17G 43-37511 Jill’s Jalopy jumped its wheel chocks and rammed 42-107043. Fitch’s Bandwagon was damaged beyond repair, but Jill’s Jalopy was repaired and returned to service. USAAF
At the end of a training flight, 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, B-17G 42-107097 Sweet Melody was on approach to Molesworth in high winds. The pilot, 2nd Lt. Donald D. Stark, thought he was going to overshoot the landing and stalled the bomber short of the runway. When the Flying Fortress slid onto the paved runway, the main landing gear was torn off and the tail wheel collapsed. All ten crewmembers returned to duty, but Sweet Melody was subsequently scrapped. USAAF
B-24H 42-52499 Jerilyne Sue from the 789th Bomb Squadron, 467th Bomb Group, returned to Rackheath from the June 19 mission to attack German V-weapon sites in the Pas-de-Calais area. Flak knocked out the number two engine—note the feathered number two propeller—and the left main gear collapsed on landing. Damage was so great that the aircraft was scrapped two days later. USAAF
OPERATION FRANTIC: SHUTTLE MISSIONS FROM ENGLAND TO RUSSIA
After much political wrangling, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to a series of “shuttle missions” in which U.S. bombers would take off from bases in England and Italy, bomb targets deep inside Nazi-occupied territory, and then fly to bases in the Ukraine. The hope was that on the return trip the German air defenses would be confused and therefore ineffective, and greater damage would be inflicted.
The Eighth Air Force units involved would be bomb groups from the Third Air Division: 95th from Horham, 96th from Snetterton Heath, 100th from Thorpe Abbotts, 388th from Knettishall, 390th from Framlingham, and the 452nd from Deopham Green. Fighter groups escorting the bombers would include the 4th from Debden, 352nd from Bodney, 355th from Steeple Morden, and the 357th from Leiston.
After dropping their bombs, the heavy bombers landed at Poltava and Myrhorod Airfields, and the fighters set down at Pyriatyn Airfield, all in the Ukraine. The first shuttle missions were flown by the Fifteenth Air Force from bases in Italy, attacking the marshaling yards at Debrecen, Hungary, on June 2, 1944, and the airfield at Galati, Romania, on June 6. On June 11 they flew the reverse mission, with the bombers and fighters departing Ukraine and bombing the Focsani Airfield in Romania.
The second shuttle mission was flown by the Eighth Air Force to bomb the synthetic oil works at Ruhland and the marshaling yard at Elsterwerda, Germany, on June 21. That night, after the bombers, fighters, and their crews were bedded down, more than seventy Luftwaffe He 111 and Ju 88 bombers supported by flare-dropping He 177s wreaked havoc on Poltava Airfield. During the attack, forty-seven Flying Fortresses were completely destroyed and the remaining twenty-six were damaged to varying degrees. The following morning the flyable B-17s were evacuated to airfields farther east. That evening, June 22–23, the Luftwaffe returned to finish off the remaining bombers that, by then, had been moved, saving them to fight another day.
On July 2, the Eighth Air Force sent its P-51 fighter escorts from Russia on a sweep of airfields in the Budapest, Hungary, area in advance of a Fifteenth Air Force bombing raid. The flyable B-17s returned to England via Italy on July 5.
The Fifteenth Air Force flew two more shuttle missions on July 22 and August 4, respectively, and the Eighth Air Force flew the last three on August 6, September 11, and September 18. Mistrust between the Army Air Forces and the Soviets, poor infrastructure at the Ukrainian bases, and eventually the lack of requirement for shuttle missions because of the ever-moving front-lines put an end to Operation Frantic.
On June 21, 1944, after flying a shuttle mission from England to attack targets deep inside Germany, the American bomber formations landed at the Poltava Airfield, Ukraine, Russia. That night, Luftwaffe bombers attacked the airfield, destroying forty-seven B-17s and igniting much of the base’s fuel supply. The Luftwaffe bombers were guided by an aircraft dropping flares on the airfield. The attack lasted two hours. USAAF COLL./NARA
B-17G 42-97935 was transferred to the 452nd Bomb Group at Deopham Green on May 24, 1944. The aircraft was painted with its new unit’s markings and began flying missions. On June 21, B-17G 42-97935 was part of the Operation Frantic shuttle mission to bomb the synthetic oil plant at Ruhland, Germany, then continued east to land at Potlava, Ukraine, Russia. That night the Luftwaffe attacked the field, destroying many of the bombers. USAAF COLL./NARA
B-17G 44-6160 escaped total destruction; however, its port outer wing panel would need some attention. It did fare better than the 339th Bomb Squadron’s B-17G 42-102686 in the foreground, which burned out during the nighttime attack. USAAF COLL./NARA
The one hundredth Bomb Group Flying Fortress 42-102653 was delivered to the Army Air Forces on March 23, 1944. The bomber was flown across the Atlantic Ocean and assigned to the 339th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group at Snetterton on May 1, 1944. With the 339th, the plane was assigned fuselage codes QJ-A and destroyed in the Luftwaffe attacks on June 21—less than three months after delivery. Note the numerous holes in the rear fuselage and tail caused by shrapnel from exploding bombs. In the background to the left sits only the tail section of B-17G 42-102650 from the 452nd Bomb Group, also destroyed in the attack. USAAF COLL./NARA
P-51D 44-14852 Lottie from the 83rd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, came to grief when the brakes froze while landing at Poltava Airbase. Pilot Lt. Andrew R. Innocenzi suffered only minor cuts and bruises in the landing. USAAF COLL./NARA
Douglas Long Beach–built B-17G 42-38056 Queen Bea was parked at Glatton, home of the 750th Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, when another B-17 returned from the raid on Rouen, France. B-17G 42-31620 Skunk Hollow, flown by Lt. Franklin H. Morrell and Andrew B. Whiten, suffered a brake failure on landing and careened off the runway, striking Queen Bea. Both bombers were completely consumed by fire. USAAF
B-17G 42-102393 Diana Queen of the Chase suffered a gear collapse while taxiing on soft ground after a training flight on June 27. Part of the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, based at Deenethorpe, Diana Queen of the Chase flew her first mission on April 19, 1944, to Kassel with the crew of 1st Lt. George E. West, and her last and 103rd mission on April 20, 1945, to the marshaling yards at Brandenburg, outside of Berlin with 2nd Lt. Lloyd C. Harveson’s crew. USAAF
On June 29, Second Lt. John H. Hansen’s B-24H 42-94812 from the 862nd Bomb Squadron, 493rd Bomb Group, based at Debach was one of forty-two Liberators assigned to attack aviation industry targets at Fallersleben, Germany (east of Hanover). Seconds after dropping its bombs—note the bomb bay doors are still open—Hansen’s plane was struck by flak between the fuselage and number three engine, which ignited the fuel tanks. The bomber exploded, killing everyone except for the copilot, 2nd Lt. Sidney A. Benson, who was blown overboard. Benson landed in the Wolfsburg area, where he was beaten and shot at by civilians. The German “Report of Capture of Members of Enemy Air Forces” lists Benson as “captured, injured.” Benson, from Marblehead, Massachusetts, died in the hospital from his injuries. USAAF
On the mission to the synthetic oil refineries at Magdeburg, Germany, B-24H 42-95035 Call Me Later from the 579th Bomb Squadron, 392nd Bomb Group, was mauled by flak. Pilot 1st Lt. Norman J. Hunt and copilot 2nd Lt. Peter B. Roetzel brought the bomber back to England for a forced landing near their home base at Wendling. Three of the crew were wounded, including bombardier 2nd Lt. Francis J. Sullivan, navigator 1st Lt. Orville W. Shelton Jr., and 1st Lt. Walter W. Gichan, who had been riding in the nose turret. All of the men eventually returned to duty, but for Call Me Later the war was over. USAAF
On June 29, pilot Maj. Leon Stann and copilot 2nd Lt. Donald F. Frazier flew B-17G 42-102911 from the 613th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group’s home base at Deenethorpe to Greenham Common. Upon approach, Major Stann saw that he was too high and went around. After landing successfully on the second try, the bomber’s brakes gave out. Attempting a ground loop, the bomber careened off the end of the runway and lost the number three engine after striking a drainage ditch. The Flying Fortress caught fire and burned out. None of the four men on board were injured in the crash. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: B-17G 42-39932 Sweat’er Out was struck from behind by B-17G 42-31037 Pistol Packin’ Mama at the 401st Bomb Group’s base at Deenethorpe as the bombers were preparing for the raid on Bernberg, Germany. Sweat’er Out was too heavily damaged to salvage and was scrapped. Quickly repaired and returned to combat status, Pistol Packin’ Mama was lost on the July 20 mission to Leipzig; the navigator, radio operator, and tail gunner were killed, and the remaining six crew members were taken prisoner. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: B-17G 42-39932 Sweat’er Out was struck from behind by B-17G 42-31037 Pistol Packin’ Mama at the 401st Bomb Group’s base at Deenethorpe as the bombers were preparing for the raid on Bernberg, Germany. Sweat’er Out was too heavily damaged to salvage and was scrapped. Quickly repaired and returned to combat status, Pistol Packin’ Mama was lost on the July 20 mission to Leipzig; the navigator, radio operator, and tail gunner were killed, and the remaining six crew members were taken prisoner. USAAF
Returning from bombing the V-weapon sites in the Pas-de-Calais area, 350th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, B-17G 42-97272 Duchess Daughter was rolling out on landing at Molesworth when the copilot retracted the gear instead of the flaps—an easy mistake to make based upon the cockpit switch layout. None of the crew was injured, but Duchess Daughter was subsequently scrapped. USAAF
B-17F 42-30266 Lucky Strike from the 569th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, was going around after an unsuccessful landing attempt, stalled, and crashed onto a farm. All nine crewmen were killed. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: First Lt. John M. Houston III’s B-17G 44-6148 Smashing Thru from the 534th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, took off from Ridgewell on July 13 to bomb an aircraft engine factory outside Munich, Germany. Climbing for altitude, the overloaded bomber lost two engines. Houston turned back toward Ridgewell but was losing altitude fast. He set Smashing Thru down in a cornfield, unaware that a train track ran through the field. The bomber skidded across the field and over the tracks, impacting on the far side of the embankment. Houston and copilot 2nd Lt. William M. Scrujjs Jr. were both badly burned but survived the crash. The remaining seven crewmen perished in the crash. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: First Lt. John M. Houston III’s B-17G 44-6148 Smashing Thru from the 534th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, took off from Ridgewell on July 13 to bomb an aircraft engine factory outside Munich, Germany. Climbing for altitude, the overloaded bomber lost two engines. Houston turned back toward Ridgewell but was losing altitude fast. He set Smashing Thru down in a cornfield, unaware that a train track ran through the field. The bomber skidded across the field and over the tracks, impacting on the far side of the embankment. Houston and copilot 2nd Lt. William M. Scrujjs Jr. were both badly burned but survived the crash. The remaining seven crewmen perished in the crash. USAAF
Pilot Charles E. Morgan’s Ford Willow Run–built B-24H 42-95020 Lonesome Lois with the 701st Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, suffered a nose gear collapse when landing at RAF Beccles, in Suffolk, England, on July 13. USAAF
B-24J 42-110084 Don’t Cry Baby from the 565th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group, based at Hethel made an emergency landing at Challock airfield in Kent on July 17. While attacking the marshaling yards at Belfort near the border between France and Germany, oil lines to the number three and four engines were shot away. In the photo, the number two and three propellers are feathered, and upon landing the bomber’s nose gear folded under. All ten of Don’t Cry Baby’s crew walked away from the crash. USAAF
First Lt. James C. Harrington was flying P-51B 43-6845 from the 358th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group’s base at Steeple Morden to Honington on July 18. Harrington forgot to put the landing gear down, and just as the plane was settling onto the runway the control tower fired red flares to indicate a problem. Harrington was unable to accelerate up and out of the landing and bellied the fighter in. The Mustang was written off. USAAF
B-17G 42-31106 Goering’s Nightmare from the 338th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group, was landed gear-up by Lt. Kenneth W. Hamric and copilot Lt. Daniel V. Kelley. The bomber slid to a stop at its home base of Snetterton Heath after the 90-plane raid on Regensburg, Germany, on July 21. That day, a total of 1,110 Eighth Air Force B-17s and B-24s were dispatched to bomb aviation, ball bearing, and airfield targets, and the bombers were escorted by a mix of 795 P-38s, P-47s, and P-51s. Lieutenant Hamric had the crew bail out before he brought the bomber in for a crash landing. Everyone survived and the crew returned to duty. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: B-17G 42-97622 Paper Dollie had its right landing gear collapse because of flak damage after returning from the May 24 raid on Berlin. On July 23, Paper Dollie was one of eighty-two Flying Fortresses dispatched to bomb the airfield at Creil, France. Running low on fuel and unable to find an alternate landing strip, pilot Flight Officer Cecil M. Miller ordered the crew to bail out. Seven landed safely and two died in the jump, including Miller. Now pilotless, Paper Dollie continued flying for a short while before crashing at Bishop’s Waltham in Hampshire. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: B-17G 42-97622 Paper Dollie had its right landing gear collapse because of flak damage after returning from the May 24 raid on Berlin. On July 23, Paper Dollie was one of eighty-two Flying Fortresses dispatched to bomb the airfield at Creil, France. Running low on fuel and unable to find an alternate landing strip, pilot Flight Officer Cecil M. Miller ordered the crew to bail out. Seven landed safely and two died in the jump, including Miller. Now pilotless, Paper Dollie continued flying for a short while before crashing at Bishop’s Waltham in Hampshire. USAAF
After the July 25 mission to bomb targets in the Saint-Lô area in support of U.S. troops, B-17G 42-102453 Princess Pat returned to Molesworth and came in too high. Instead of going around, 2nd Lt. Oliver B. Larson decided to land long. Unable to stop before running out of pavement, the bomber overran the end of the runway and nosed up when it hit soft ground. The bomber, part of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, did not return to service and was scrapped. None of the crew was injured in the crash. USAAF
B-17G 42-107039 Ice Cold Katy from the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, at Deenethorpe was also supporting U.S. troops in the Saint-Lô area on July 24. When an oil line to the propeller dome broke, the number one propeller could not be feathered and began to windmill. Eventually the windmilling propeller wore down the spindle and dropped off the engine. Here, 1st Lt. Richard C. McCord, right, discusses the repairs necessary with MSgt. Clarence Neylan. After completing 108 missions, Ice Cold Katy returned to the United States after the end of the war and was sent for storage at Kingman, Arizona, where she was eventually scrapped. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: Returning from the July 28 mission to bomb the Ecouché Railroad Bridge (60 miles from the coast, south of Falaise) in France, B-26B 41-31902 Crime Doctor from the 553rd Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, returned to Great Dunmow with its hydraulics shot out. Pilot Leroy C. Meyers belly-landed the bomber, and although the crew escaped unharmed, the Marauder was written off. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: Returning from the July 28 mission to bomb the Ecouché Railroad Bridge (60 miles from the coast, south of Falaise) in France, B-26B 41-31902 Crime Doctor from the 553rd Bomb Squadron, 386th Bomb Group, returned to Great Dunmow with its hydraulics shot out. Pilot Leroy C. Meyers belly-landed the bomber, and although the crew escaped unharmed, the Marauder was written off. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: Lifting off from Honington on July 30, 1st Lt. James R. Korecky stalled P-51D 44-14034, which impacted the tail of B-17G 42-107266. Both aircraft were destroyed, Korecky was killed, and two men on the ground were seriously injured. Korecky was based with the 384th Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, at Honington. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: Lifting off from Honington on July 30, 1st Lt. James R. Korecky stalled P-51D 44-14034, which impacted the tail of B-17G 42-107266. Both aircraft were destroyed, Korecky was killed, and two men on the ground were seriously injured. Korecky was based with the 384th Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, at Honington. USAAF
B-24H 41-29604 Fearless Fosdick from the 701st Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, stationed at Tibenham made an emergency landing in a recently plowed corn field in Westley Waterless, Cambridgeshire, after the August 1 mission to attack tactical targets in France. Fearless Fosdick’s left main landing gear was bent rearward in the landing, doing major damage to the wing spar and other internal areas. The bomber was salvaged the following day. USAAF
Photo 1 of 4: While attacking railway targets in the Paris area, 569th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, B-17G 44-6099 was severely damaged by flak. The right wing was badly damaged and metal fragments from the exploding flak shell peppered the fuselage in the bomb bay and radio room. Pilot Lt. Eugene E. Bivins limped the bomber back to Woodbridge, where he made an emergency landing. The entire crew returned to service, but 44-6099 was scrapped. USAAF
Photo 2 of 4: While attacking railway targets in the Paris area, 569th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, B-17G 44-6099 was severely damaged by flak. The right wing was badly damaged and metal fragments from the exploding flak shell peppered the fuselage in the bomb bay and radio room. Pilot Lt. Eugene E. Bivins limped the bomber back to Woodbridge, where he made an emergency landing. The entire crew returned to service, but 44-6099 was scrapped. USAAF
Photo 3 of 4: While attacking railway targets in the Paris area, 569th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, B-17G 44-6099 was severely damaged by flak. The right wing was badly damaged and metal fragments from the exploding flak shell peppered the fuselage in the bomb bay and radio room. Pilot Lt. Eugene E. Bivins limped the bomber back to Woodbridge, where he made an emergency landing. The entire crew returned to service, but 44-6099 was scrapped. USAAF
Photo 4 of 4: While attacking railway targets in the Paris area, 569th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, B-17G 44-6099 was severely damaged by flak. The right wing was badly damaged and metal fragments from the exploding flak shell peppered the fuselage in the bomb bay and radio room. Pilot Lt. Eugene E. Bivins limped the bomber back to Woodbridge, where he made an emergency landing. The entire crew returned to service, but 44-6099 was scrapped. USAAF
B-17G 43-37622 Phyllis from the 527th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, had bombed the Focke Wulf factory at Hanover, Germany, on August 5. Hit by flak over the target, the badly damaged bomber ground looped on landing, losing its left main gear in the process, and struck B-17G 42-107169, which was parked nearby. Both aircraft were scrapped. Although the crew was battered and bruised, they all returned to service. USAAF
Headed from Chelveston with 112 other First Air Division B-17s, 305th Bomb Group Flying Fortress 42-37816, piloted by Lt. S. R. Graves, was damaged during the Aug. 7 raid on Nazi fuel dumps in France. Unable to make it back to England, Lieutenant Graves set the bomber down in a field south of Saint-Lô, France. The crew escaped unharmed, but the bomber was destroyed by fire. USAAF
Hit by flak in the bomb bay while on the bomb run over Magdeburg, Germany, 2nd Lt. John M. Buxton’s B-24J 42-50459 from the 714th Bomb Squadron, 448th Bomb Group, exploded in mid-air. The bomber crashed near the town of Gerwisch. Nine of the crew perished, while radio operator Cpl. Leo E. Stephens miraculously survived to become a POW. USAAF
First Lt. Ernest R. Wilson from the 385th Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, was flying P-51D 44-13940 on August 16. Taking off from Honington, Wilson’s fighter lost power. He attempted to land in a farmer’s field but ran out of air speed and the plane stalled. The resulting crash completely destroyed the Mustang. Wilson was badly injured but later returned to service. USAAF
Heavily damaged in the tail and rudders during the August 24 mission to Rostock, Germany, B-24J 42-50567 Oklahoma Gal from the 704th Bomb Squadron, 446th Bomb Group, made it back to her home base of Bungay but suffered a gear collapse. All ten crew members returned to duty and the bomber was written off. USAAF
Capt. Gerard W. Rooney was assigned to escort bombers on the August 26 mission to Brest as part of the 385th Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, flying out of Honington. Shortly after takeoff, the Merlin engine in P-51D 44-13993 cut out and Rooney tried to set it back down on the remaining length of runway. The fighter skidded off the end, tore out the right main landing gear, and caught fire, destroying the P-51. Rooney was uninjured and returned to service. USAAF
On August 27, 1st Lt. Rodney E. Simcoke was flying the 385th Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group’s P-51D 44-13342 back from a bomber escort mission to the Berlin area when his fighter was jostled by heavy winds on final approach. The fighter’s left wing struck the ground and cartwheeled the Mustang, the impact completely destroying the plane. Simcoke was bruised but returned to duty. USAAF
B-24J 42-50626 My Gal Sal from the 506th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, at Shipdham was taking off on a training mission. Before becoming airborne, the nose gear collapsed, which in turn overstressed the left main gear that soon folded under. The Liberator is seen here at its hardstand being picked over for parts. All of the turrets have been removed, and the accessory sections on all four engines have been opened up to salvage useable parts. My Gal Sal was eventually scrapped. USAAF
Boeing–built B-17G 42-102957 Fearless Fosdick departed Deenethorpe as part of a 351-bomber raid on the synthetic oil production factories in the Merseburg, Germany, area. As the bomber climbed for altitude, a fire broke out, forcing the crew to bail out. The Flying Fortress from the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, nosed over and crashed outside of Leicester. USAAF
B-17G 42-97872 Rosie’s Sweat Box from the 614th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, was lifting off from Deenethorpe in very low visibility. For some reason the bomber lifted off, crossed the end of the runway, and settled back, impacting the ground. The bomber rolled up into a ball, and its 6,000-pound bomb load exploded, killing eight of the nine-man crew. The tail gunner later succumbed to his injuries. The wreck burned for hours, fed by fuel from the full gas tanks. USAAF
B-17G 44-6316 from the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, went off the runway after returning from the Sept. 12, 1944, mission to bomb the oil installations at Brüx, Czechoslovakia. Returning to Molesworth, this aircraft’s right main landing gear folded under and ground crews are seen rushing to extinguish a grass fire that has started under the number four engine. The bomber was repaired and flew a total of 42 missions before it was heavily damaged by flak on the Feb. 26, 1945 mission to Berlin. USAAF
B-17G 44-6485 Old Ironsides was undergoing maintenance on September 23 at the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group’s base at Deenethorpe. An oxygen leak was ignited when a mechanic was working around the top turret, and the resulting fire burned off the nose section of the bomber. Old Ironsides was scrapped. USAAF
Over the industrial area of Cologne, Germany, on September 27, B-17G 42-98004, part of 508th Bomb Squadron, 351st Bomb Group, and piloted by Capt. Jerome Geiger, was hit by an 88mm cannon shell. The projectile burst inside the fuselage, blowing a huge hole in the side and blasting the ball turret from the aircraft. Ball turret gunner Sgt. Kenneth D. Divil was killed instantly inside his turret and Sgt. John J. Kurtz was blown overboard. Kurtz was able to open his parachute and was taken prisoner when he landed. Geiger and copilot 2nd Lt. Winfield F. Muffett brought the bomber back to Polebrook, where the crew marveled at the fact they were still alive. Inside the fuselage, on the left, are copilot Lieutenant Muffet and tail gunner Sgt. Walter G. Ingison. Standing with his head inside the fuselage is waist gunner Staff Sgt. James M. Pierce. This aircraft was salvaged for parts. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: B-17G 42-38183 from the 524th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, at Kimbolton was one of 445 heavy bombers that attacked Madgeburg, Germany, on September 28. Hit by flak at 25,300 feet over the target, tail gunner Staff Sgt. Philip J. Maniaci thought the bomber was on fire. He bailed out and was taken prisoner, while the remaining eight crewmen rode the bomber back to Kimbolton. Unable to lower the landing gear, the crew jettisoned the ball turret and pilot 2nd Lt. Stanley E. Bailey and copilot 2nd Lt. Sumner M. Alpert brought the Flying Fortress in for a belly landing. After the plane slid to a stop, crews gathered around to assess the damage. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: B-17G 42-38183 from the 524th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, at Kimbolton was one of 445 heavy bombers that attacked Madgeburg, Germany, on September 28. Hit by flak at 25,300 feet over the target, tail gunner Staff Sgt. Philip J. Maniaci thought the bomber was on fire. He bailed out and was taken prisoner, while the remaining eight crewmen rode the bomber back to Kimbolton. Unable to lower the landing gear, the crew jettisoned the ball turret and pilot 2nd Lt. Stanley E. Bailey and copilot 2nd Lt. Sumner M. Alpert brought the Flying Fortress in for a belly landing. After the plane slid to a stop, crews gathered around to assess the damage. USAAF
B-24H 42-94857 Lonesome Polecat, 846th Bomb Squadron, 489th Bomb Group, based at Halesworth returned from the October 5 raid on the marshaling yards at Rheine, Germany (very close to the border with the Netherlands). The Liberator limped back to England and made a crash landing near Woodbridge. USAAF
B-17G 42-97504 Mary Lou from the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, at Bassingbourn was written off when her gear collapsed on October 13 at Kimbolton. The bomber had flown seventy missions.
It may appear that there are a lot of B-17s on their bellies. Before March 1944, aircraft were delivered with weak drive shafts on the landing gear retract motors. Insufficient hardness of the shaft caused shearing of the drive shaft and drive shaft keys under normal shock loads at the end of the retracting screw’s travel. After so many landing gear retractions and extensions, the shaft or the shaft keys would fatigue and allow the landing gear to retract, often as the bomber was rolling out or turning onto a taxiway. Aircraft in combat theaters were given priority for replacement parts, but the gear-up B-17s were happening at stateside training bases as well. USAAF
B-17G 42-102703 Pella Tulip from the 532nd Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, at Ridgewell was one of thirty-seven Flying Fortresses sent from the group to bomb the marshaling yards around Cologne, Germany, on October 14. Two minutes before they were to drop their bombs, a flak shell burst directly over the cockpit, blowing off the top of the compartment, wrecking the top turret, and pushing the bomber out of formation and into a dive. Severely injured in the blast were pilot 1st Lt. Charles W. Reseigh, copilot 1st Lt. David R. Rautio, and flight engineer/top turret gunner Technical Sgt. John M. Nushy. In addition to severe cuts and bruises to his upper torso, Reseigh’s leg was broken in the blast and he was too weak to pull the bomber from its death dive. Copilot Rautio awoke to find the bomber pointed toward the ground and was able to recover from the dive. In addition to having an open top cockpit, the number three and four engines were knocked out.
Top turret gunner Nushy, also wounded, pulled the pilot out of the cockpit and got him to the radio room where other crewmembers could attend to his wounds. Nushy then took the pilot’s seat and assisted Rautio in flying back to base—a four-hour journey.
A split second before the flak shell burst over the top of Pella Tulip, Rautio had ordered the navigator, Flight Officer Maryan Winicki, to don a flak helmet. Bending down to retrieve the helmet saved his life as shrapnel blew through the area where his torso had been. Nushy ducked out of his turret at the exact same second to check his oxygen equipment.
Rautio landed the bomber at Debach, the home of the 493rd Bomb Group. The bomber was stricken from the Army Air Forces’ inventory the next day.
Photo 1 of 2: B-17G 42-97880 Little Miss Mischief from the 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, was struck by a flak burst on the October 15 raid on the Nippes marshaling yards on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany. The bomber made it back to her home station at Bassingbourn, where ground crews surveyed the damage. The interior photo looks forward from the waist windows past the ball turret, into the radio room and bomb bay. Note the number 7246 on the starboard side of the radio room bulkhead. This is the manufacturer’s serial number, painted during assembly at the Lockheed-Vega factory. Maintenance crews split Little Miss Mischief’s fuselage at this bulkhead and bolted on the aft fuselage from a bomber that had suffered damage in the forward part of the aircraft. Interestingly, the donor aircraft was camouflaged while Little Miss Mischief was bare metal; thus, 42-97880 flew with a silver forward fuselage and a brown aft section (see page 142). USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: B-17G 42-97880 Little Miss Mischief from the 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, was struck by a flak burst on the October 15 raid on the Nippes marshaling yards on the outskirts of Cologne, Germany. The bomber made it back to her home station at Bassingbourn, where ground crews surveyed the damage. The interior photo looks forward from the waist windows past the ball turret, into the radio room and bomb bay. Note the number 7246 on the starboard side of the radio room bulkhead. This is the manufacturer’s serial number, painted during assembly at the Lockheed-Vega factory. Maintenance crews split Little Miss Mischief’s fuselage at this bulkhead and bolted on the aft fuselage from a bomber that had suffered damage in the forward part of the aircraft. Interestingly, the donor aircraft was camouflaged while Little Miss Mischief was bare metal; thus, 42-97880 flew with a silver forward fuselage and a brown aft section (see page 142). USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: While preparing for the October 19 mission to Mannheim, Germany, Cpl. Harvey N. Kaber was sent to B-17G 44-6517 to replace the ball turret gunner. Kaber had trouble installing the guns in the turret, and when inside the turret, he accidentally fired them. The bullets arced from the guns and impacted the right wing of B-17G 44-6504 from the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group. The wing of the bombed-up, fuel-filled Flying Fortress caught fire but was quickly extinguished by base firefighters. B-17G 44-6504 returned to duty but was lost on December 19, as the squadron was returning from a canceled raid; its intended target had been Stuttgart. The bomber’s remains can still be seen on West Hill in the Cheviot Mountains outside of Alwick, England. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: While preparing for the October 19 mission to Mannheim, Germany, Cpl. Harvey N. Kaber was sent to B-17G 44-6517 to replace the ball turret gunner. Kaber had trouble installing the guns in the turret, and when inside the turret, he accidentally fired them. The bullets arced from the guns and impacted the right wing of B-17G 44-6504 from the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group. The wing of the bombed-up, fuel-filled Flying Fortress caught fire but was quickly extinguished by base firefighters. B-17G 44-6504 returned to duty but was lost on December 19, as the squadron was returning from a canceled raid; its intended target had been Stuttgart. The bomber’s remains can still be seen on West Hill in the Cheviot Mountains outside of Alwick, England. USAAF
B-24J 44-40071 Sweat Box from the 66th Bomb Squadron, 44th Bomb Group, was one of 215 Liberators dispatched to attack the Mittelland Canal at Minden, Germany, on November 6. Thirty-one bombers were damaged in the attack. Sweat Box is seen here after landing back at its home base of Shipham. The Liberator was damaged beyond economical repair and parted out. USAAF
The First Air Division sent 190 B-17s to attack the marshaling yards at Münster, Germany, on Oct. 28, 1944. B-17G 42-97938 Twan-n-g-g-g was assigned to the 612th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, at Deenethorpe. The October 28 raid on Münster was Twan-n-g-g-g’s fortieth mission. Upon landing, the bomber skidded off the runway and was damaged beyond repair and subsequently scrapped. USAAF
Forward visibility in the P-51 Mustang is extremely limited and the standard procedure when taxiing the fighter is to S-turn or weave from side to side to enable the pilot to see what’s in his path. On November 9, 2nd Lt. Jackie D. Woodside in P-51D 44-15073 GI Buzz Buggy from the 383rd Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, came out the worse for wear when the aircraft encountered runway repair equipment at Honington. USAAF
Hit by flak over Coblenz, Germany, on November 10, B-24J 42-51250 from the 701st Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, almost made it safely home. Lt. Keith L. Frost flew the bomber all the way home to Tibenham but crashed upon landing. USAAF
Delivered May 19, 1944, B-17G 43-37764 was assigned to the 337th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group, at Snetterton Heath. During its career, the bomber was named The Candy Ann, 7 Up ’n Cider, and Boyd’s Boids for Lt. John K. Boid. Boyd’s Boids crashed on takeoff on November 11 across the tracks of the Norwich-Wymondham railway line on the mission to Osnabrück. USAAF
Returning from an escort mission to Merseburg, 2nd Lt. Ralph L. Hubley’s P-51D 44-14279 from the 383rd Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, based at Honington, ran short of fuel. Hubley attempted a wheels-down landing in a plowed field and the Mustang ended up on its back, killing him. USAAF
B-24J 42-50759 Shady Lady from the 715th Bomb Squadron, 448th Bomb Group, slid off the runway at RAF Lissett on November 27. The bomber was damaged by flak during the attack on the marshaling yards at Offenburg, Germany. Shady Lady was scrapped soon after. USAAF
During a night landing practice mission on November 28, pilot 1st Lt. Herbert P. Cox flared too high when landing at the 401st Bomb Group’s home station at Deenethorpe. B-17G 43-38267 Maximum Effort from the group’s 613th Bomb Squadron landed hard, collapsing the main landing gear and sliding to a stop. The chin turret buckled under and the ball turret was ground down during the slide. Maximum Effort was scrapped; Lieutenant Cox went on to complete a distinguished thirty-mission career. USAAF
B-17G 42-97557 Mercy’s Madhouse, a radar-equipped Pathfinder aircraft from the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, was returning from a training flight on December 7 when the right main gear folded up during the landing rollout. The bomber was repaired. At the end of the war it was flown to the Reconstruction Finance Corp. Storage Depot 41 at Kingman, Arizona, where it was scrapped. USAAF
P-51D 44-13557 Francis Ann of the 364th Fighter Group at Honington had just landed when P-51D 44-13557 Easy Does It touched down on the slick runway and careened up Francis Ann’s tail. The pilot of Francis Ann, Capt. Ellis J. Wheless, barely escaped with his life, as the nose of Easy Does It was pushing on the back of his armor-plated seat. USAAF
P-47D 42-74742 War Eagle/Snafu, flown by Lt. Severino B. Calderon, 78th Fighter Group, belly-landed at Duxford on December 15 after escorting bombers on the mission to attack the marshaling yards at Hannover, Germany. USAAF
P-51D 44-15516 Danny Boy 2nd from the 350th Fighter Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group, lost power on takeoff from Honington on December 29, with Capt. John H. Winder III at the controls. Winder returned to duty and the Mustang was scrapped. USAAF
B-17G 42-38101 Hurbert from the 327th Bomb Group, 92nd Bomb Group, at Alconbury, was severely damaged by flak over Merseburg, Germany, on September 11. Right before the bombs were to leave the ship, flak hit the number one engine. As the copilot was trying to feather the engine, the vertical stabilizer took the brunt of another flak hit. The windmilling propeller would not feather, and pilots 1st Lt. Russel J. Bundesen and 2nd Lt. Clyde L. Wren attempted to shake the prop loose by taking hard evasive action. Lieutenant Bundesen ordered the crew to “Stand by to abandon ship,” but radio operator Technical Sgt. Leonard D. Kennedy did not hear the follow-up order “Don’t leave the plane”; he jumped and was taken prisoner. Bundesen and Wren were able to limp the bomber back to England, landing at Podington. The bomber is seen here in December being salvaged for parts. USAAF