In January 1945, the decision was made to have the Flying Fortresses of the 1st and 3rd Air Divisions continue bombing oil industry targets as well as tank and jet fighter factories. The 2nd Air Division’s B-24 Liberators were to support the Allied advance by striking transportation targets to prevent the Germany Army from resupplying its forces at the front.
On February 3, the Eighth Air Force dispatched 1,437 heavy bombers to the heart of Germany. The Second Air Division’s B-24s, 434 in total, dropped more than 900 tons of bombs on the Magdeburg-Rothensee oil works and the marshaling yards nearby. The First and Third Air Divisions concentrated on targets in and around Berlin, attacking government buildings in the downtown area as well as railroad marshaling areas near Tempelhof. Twenty-five heavy bombers were lost, all to flak, while the escorting fighters claimed 21 aerial victories, 1 probable, and 7 damaged, with 17 aircraft destroyed on the ground and another 11 heavily damaged.
On February 14, B-17s from the First and Third Air Divisions attacked the marshaling yards at Dresden, Chemnitz, and Prague, with a follow-up raid on Dresden the next day. The Royal Air Force was bombing Dresden at night, and coupled with the American daylight raids, the continuous attacks started a firestorm that destroyed the majority of the city center and killed nearly twenty-five thousand people.
Later in February, the decision was made to carry out Operation Clarion to bomb hundreds of small-town railroad junctions to disrupt rail traffic and overwhelm repair crews. The idea was to prevent German Army units from being pulled away from the Western Front to reinforce troops battling the Soviet army in the east.
By this stage in the air war, the Eighth Air Force was routinely dispatching between 1,200 to 1,400 bombers per day, accompanied by more than 800 escort fighters, the majority of which were P-51 Mustangs. In addition to the Eighth Air Force, there were upward of 1,500 fighters and medium bombers from the Ninth Air Force in the skies over Europe attacking tactical targets.
The war for the Eighth Air Force ended on April 25, when there simply were no more targets to bomb. The Allied armies had overrun most of Germany, and the Air Force’s mission had switched to dropping food and medical supplies to Dutch citizens.
On April 30, Adolf Hitler took his own life in the Führer Bunker in the heart of Berlin. As Germany descended into chaos, the Soviet Army was tightening its noose around the capital city. On May 2, the Soviets captured Berlin. The German Army unconditionally surrendered to the Allies on May 8 and to the Soviets the following day in Berlin.
Freedom extracts a high price from both the oppressor and the liberator. It has been estimated that the victorious Eighth Air Force lost more than twenty-six thousand airmen, and more than twenty-one thousand were taken prisoner. There is no exact number, as statistics for both the Eighth and Ninth Air Forces in the European Theater were combined beginning in October 1943. When the Eighth Air Force’s casualty figures are combined with those of the Ninth Air Force and the Twelfth and Fifteenth Air Forces’ flying missions against Nazi Germany from the Mediterranean Theater, the casualty number for killed and wounded reaches more than forty-three thousand wounded or killed and more than fifty-one thousand taken prisoner. The term “bloody skies” is an accurate description of the aerial battlefield over Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II.
On Jan. 2, 1945, P-51D 44-15505 Little Rebel from the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, was landing at Duxford following the day’s escort mission. Flown by Capt. Donald C. Hart, the fighter cartwheeled, striking both wings and knocking off the propeller. Little Rebel was a complete loss. USAAF
The following day, Jan. 3, 1945, P-51D 44-15693 from the 84th Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, landed gear-up at Duxford after a training flight with Lt. Richard W. Taylor at the controls. This aircraft was subsequently repaired and finished out the war with the 82nd Fighter Squadron, also at Duxford. USAAF
Lassie Come Home, B-24J 44-40283, from the 753rd Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, crashed at Norwich on Jan. 14, 1945. Second Lt. Stanley E. Diehl and seven other crewmembers perished in the crash. The tail gunner survived with major injuries. USAAF
P-51K 44-11567 Dana Kay with the 1st Scouting Force based at Bassingbourn crash-landed on Jan. 15, 1945, with Lt. Wayne O. Fox at the controls. The P-51K was a D-model Mustang built at North American’s Dallas, Texas, factory with an Aeroproducts 11-foot, 0-inch propeller (as opposed to the P-51D’s 11-foot, 2-inch Hamilton Standard prop) and other minor changes. Exactly 1,500 P-51Ks of various blocks, including 163 F-6K photo-reconnaissance versions, were built. USAAF
B-17G 44-6618 belonged to the 323rd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, at Bassingbourn. Lieutenant Hoffman flew the bomber as deputy group leader on the mission to bomb the railyards at Paderborn, Germany. The left main gear collapsed under the weight of the bomber, and the propellers on the number one and two engines struck the ground. It took a month to repair the damage; 44-6618 returned to fly missions on February 19, attacking a chemical plant in Dortmund, Germany. USAAF
Photo 1 of 3: The 1st Air Division sent 206 B-17s to attack the oil industry at Sterkrade on Jan. 22, 1945. Five bombers were lost on the mission and 144 returned with various amounts of damage, mostly from flak. B-17G 43-38125 Mary Makers served with the 615th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, and crashed while climbing out and before reaching the English Channel. First Lt. Robert M. Deen and his eight crewmen on board all survived. After five days rest, Deen and his crew returned to duty on January 28 for the mission to Cologne. USAAF
Photo 2 of 3: The 1st Air Division sent 206 B-17s to attack the oil industry at Sterkrade on Jan. 22, 1945. Five bombers were lost on the mission and 144 returned with various amounts of damage, mostly from flak. B-17G 43-38125 Mary Makers served with the 615th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, and crashed while climbing out and before reaching the English Channel. First Lt. Robert M. Deen and his eight crewmen on board all survived. After five days rest, Deen and his crew returned to duty on January 28 for the mission to Cologne. USAAF
Photo 3 of 3: The 1st Air Division sent 206 B-17s to attack the oil industry at Sterkrade on Jan. 22, 1945. Five bombers were lost on the mission and 144 returned with various amounts of damage, mostly from flak. B-17G 43-38125 Mary Makers served with the 615th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, and crashed while climbing out and before reaching the English Channel. First Lt. Robert M. Deen and his eight crewmen on board all survived. After five days rest, Deen and his crew returned to duty on January 28 for the mission to Cologne. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: B-17G 44-8483, assigned to the 600th Bomb Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, arrived at the bomb group’s base at Nuthampstead on Dec. 2, 1944. The bomber flew twenty-five missions before the end of the war, and is seen here with a collapsed tail wheel following the January 22 raid on oil targets at Sterkrade, Germany. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: B-17G 44-8483, assigned to the 600th Bomb Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, arrived at the bomb group’s base at Nuthampstead on Dec. 2, 1944. The bomber flew twenty-five missions before the end of the war, and is seen here with a collapsed tail wheel following the January 22 raid on oil targets at Sterkrade, Germany. USAAF
B-17G 43-37899 Rack and Run from the 835th Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group, belly-landed on Feb. 6, 1945, after attacking the marshaling yards at Chemnitz near the German border with Czechoslovakia. Returning to Sudbury in bad weather, pilot 2nd Lt. William von Platen was forced to go around for a second landing attempt. While aborting the first landing, the bomber’s landing gear was retracted but not lowered for the second attempt. The bomber belly-landed and suffered only minor damage. It was subsequently repaired and returned to service. USAAF
Lt. Harry L. Roe Jr. was attempting a landing in poor weather when P-51K 44-11675 from the 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group, got away from him. The fighter cartwheeled and caught fire. Roe returned to duty, but 44-11675 was scrapped. USAAF
H2X radar-equipped Pathfinder B-17G 42-97636 was built by Lockheed-Vega in Burbank, California, and delivered to the Army Air Forces on Jan. 13, 1944. The bomber served with the 91st Bomb Group at Bassingbourn and the 351st Bomb Group at Polebrook before being transferred to the 615th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, at Deenethorpe on Aug. 26, 1944. Capt. Paul E. Campbell was flying the bomber on Feb. 16, 1945, when the right main gear collapsed on landing. Repaired, 42-97636 was subsequently transferred to the 305th Bomb Group at Chelveston, where she served out the remainder of the war. The bomber was salvaged with other surplus Flying Fortresses in Germany in April 1946. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: Veteran of more than 100 missions, B-17G 42-38050 Thunderbird from the 359th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, based at Molesworth, returned from the Feb. 15, 1945, mission to Dresden, Germany, with a fire in the number four engine accessory section. Ground crews quickly extinguished the fire and Thunderbird returned to service flying 10 more missions for a total of 112. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: Veteran of more than 100 missions, B-17G 42-38050 Thunderbird from the 359th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, based at Molesworth, returned from the Feb. 15, 1945, mission to Dresden, Germany, with a fire in the number four engine accessory section. Ground crews quickly extinguished the fire and Thunderbird returned to service flying 10 more missions for a total of 112. USAAF
Returning from the Feb. 3, 1945, raid on the synthetic oil refineries at Magdeburg, Germany, Ford Willow Run–built B-24L 44-49279, flown by 1st Lt. John R. Arrington Jr., crash-landed near Ashwellthorpe, Norfolk. The bomber was assigned to the 564th Bomb Squadron, 389th Bomb Group “Sky Scorpions,” based at Hethel. Arrington and others from his crew did not survive this off-field landing. USAAF
P-51D 44-13686 Rugged Rebel was assigned to the 364th Fighter Group stationed at Honington when it landed long and ended up in the ditch seen here on Oct. 17, 1944. The Mustang was repaired and returned to service with the 1st Scouting Force and was lost on the Feb. 3, 1945, escort mission to Berlin and Magdeburg, Germany. Lt. John J. Allen bailed out of the fighter over Neuringe, Germany, near the border with Holland. He was attempting to walk toward Allied lines when he was captured by German border guards and taken prisoner. USAAF
NEUTRAL SWEDEN OR SWITZERLAND?
Imagine you’re flying over Germany in a B-17 or B-24 and you’ve just been hit by fighters or flak. You’re losing hydraulic pressure, an engine is out, a fire has started somewhere behind you, and you’ve got wounded crewmen on board.
Depending on where you are in the skies over Nazi Germany, your choices are bleak. You can turn around and fight your way back to base as an unescorted straggler. You could bail out and risk being killed in the jump or by angry German citizens, or at the very least spend the rest of the war as a prisoner. You can bail out and hope to evade capture, returning to Allied lines. Or you could turn your crippled bomber north to Sweden or south to Switzerland, where you’ll be interned and soon repatriated. Those were difficult choices, and there were many variables that went into such a decision. For nearly 400 aircraft commanders, the choice to limp to neutral Sweden or Switzerland was the only option. Exactly 155 American aircraft went north to Sweden and 166 went south to Switzerland.
Sweden’s first American internee, B-17F 42-3217 Georgia Rebel from the 535th Bomb Squadron, 381st Bomb Group, based at Ridgewell, arrived on July 24, 1943. Assigned to attack the industrial area of Heroya, Norway, Georgia Rebel was badly damaged by flak and pilot 1st Lt. Osce V. Jones believed his crew stood a better chance of survival in Sweden. Jones belly-landed the bomber near Vannacka, Sweden, and the entire ten-man crew was interned.
The first Eighth Air Force aircraft to land in Switzerland was B-17F 42-30080 High Life from the 100th Bomb Group (Square D). The bomber had flown twelve missions and was met by fighters at Nuremburg on the approach to Regensburg, Germany. The number three engine was feathered and number two was streaming oil; returning to Thorpe Abbotts was unlikely. The pilot, 1st Lt. Donald K. Oakes, and his copilot, Flight Officer Joseph C. Harper, pointed High Life toward neutral Switzerland. The bomber was belly-landed at Dübendorf Air Base, Switzerland, and the crew was interned. High Life was dismantled and studied by the Swiss Air Force.
When the war ended nearly two years later, seventy-two of the aircraft in Switzerland were flown to the American depot at Burtonwood, England, and the balance of the aircraft sold for scrap. In Sweden, the flyable American aircraft were sent back and the damaged planes scrapped. Of the flyable aircraft, Sweden acquired four P-51 Mustangs, seven flyable B-17s, and two B-17s for spare parts. The flyable B-17s were converted into airliners by Saab for the Swedish Intercontinental Air Traffic Ltd. airline, which flew the ex-bombers on scheduled routes to North and South America. The bomber-airliner conversions were soon replaced by DC-4s, which offered greater capacity and passenger amenities. One of the former Swedish airliner-configured B-17s was 42-32076 Shoo Shoo Baby, the 91st Bomb Group veteran that landed in Sweden on May 29, 1944, after dropping her bombs on Posen, Germany.
Liberators and Flying Fortresses from the Eighth and Fifteenth Air Force line the perimeter of Dübendorf Airfield, Switzerland. When faced with near-certain death, having to limp a damaged bomber back across hundreds of miles of hostile, enemy-held territory, or being interned for the duration of the war, a small fraction of crews elected to divert to neutral Switzerland or Sweden. More than fifty American bombers can be seen in this view. EAA LIBRARY
His plane peppered with a dozen flak holes, one of which put out an engine, and a number four engine that was losing oil pressure after being attacked by fighters, 2nd Lt. Raymond Hoffmann diverted B-17G 42-31669 Shoo Shoo Baby to Switzerland on April 24, 1944. The 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, Flying Fortress limped in to Zurich, where it was interned. B-17F 42-3434 So What? from the 364th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group, is parked in the background. EAA LIBRARY
Another arrival in Swiss territory on April 24, 1944, was B-17G 42-31993 Gen’Ril Oop. Piloted by 2nd Lt. Edward G. Cunningham, the number one engine was lost, the number two was leaking oil at an alarming rate, and the bomb bay doors were stuck open after attacking aviation industry targets around Friedrichshafen, near the Swiss, Austrian, and German borders. In the background sits 2nd Lt. Joseph Thornbury’s Douglas–built B-17G 42-107021, which landed at Dübendorf on April 13 with the number two propeller feathered. EAA LIBRARY
On July 11, 1944, the Eighth Air Force launched 1,176 bombers against targets in Germany. First Lt. Herbert S. Altman’s B-17G 42-102651 Piccadilly Ann II from the 710th Bomb Squadron, 447th Bomb Group, was one of eight Eighth Air Force bombers to land at Dübendorf, Switzerland, that day. After the war, the bomber was returned to the United States and scrapped at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, in 1946. EAA LIBRARY
B-24H 42-94785 Struggle Buggy from the 489th Bomb Group was one of sixty Liberators that attacked the railyards at Saarbrücken, Germany, on Aug. 11, 1944. Hit by flak over the target, two of the bomber’s engines quit, and its wing fuel tanks were punctured. With the aircraft simultaneously losing power and fuel, the crew’s best hope for survival was to set course for Switzerland. Struggle Buggy was interned at Dübendorf and sits in the grass with Fifteenth Air Force B-24J 42-51974 Sissy Lee in the background. EAA LIBRARY
B-17G 42-107092 Freckles was the only 401st Bomb Group aircraft to seek shelter in Switzerland. On July 31, 1944, Eighth Air Force B-17s were sent to attack targets in and around Munich, Germany. Flown by 2nd Lt. Jay D. Ossiander, Freckles’ number two engine began throwing oil on approach to the target. Crossing into the target area, the number three engine was hit. Neither propeller would feather and both continued to windmill, causing tremendous drag. Subsequently, the number four engine started to overheat. The navigator set a course for Yugoslavia, and when it became clear that country would not be reached, Freckles was pointed toward neutral Switzerland. The bomber was escorted to Dübendorf, where it landed safely, and the crew was interned for the duration of the war. EAA LIBRARY
B-24H 41-28967 Spotted Ass Ape served with the 458th Bomb Group based at Horsham St. Faith. The bomber served as a brightly colored formation assembly ship and gathered the aircraft of the 458th Bomb Group for more than sixty missions. After returning from forming up the March 9, 1945, mission to the marshaling yards at Münster, Osnabrück, and Rheine, Germany, the pilot’s right brake pedal broke off as the aircraft rolled down the runway. Lt. William B. Cheney attempted to slow the bomber, which left the runway at more than 100 miles per hour. Crossing the grass, the careening Liberator impacted a hardstand, which snapped off the main landing gear. The bomber was written off and subsequently scrapped. USAAF
B-17G 43-38305 was assigned to the 860th Bomb Squadron, 493rd Bomb Group “Helton’s Hellcats,” stationed at Debach. This unit flew its first fifty missions in B-24 Liberators before transitioning to the B-17 in September 1944. The bomber caught fire during a maintenance activity, and although crash crews responded quickly, the nose of the Flying Fortress was completely destroyed. The bomber was salvaged for parts and the remainder scrapped. USAAF
Crash crews begin separating a pair of 78th Fighter Group P-51 Mustangs that tangled on landing at Duxford on March 14, 1945. The aircraft involved were P-51D 44-72036 Normie (right side visible with HL fuselage codes), flown by 2nd Lt. Marvin C. Bigelow, and P-51D 44-15524 (with vertical tail missing) flown by 1st Lt. Donald R. Montieth. The pilots survived the incident, but both aircraft were written off. USAAF
Lt. Hal Jung of the 350th Fighter Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group, was assigned to P-51D 44-15671 Miss Ellen, named for his sweetheart back home in New York. On March 15, 1945, James H. Hopkins was lifting off from the 353rd’s base at Raydon when the fighter lost power, coming to rest off the runway in a pile of 108-gallon drop tanks. USAAF
Boeing–built B-17G 43-38425 Net Results was assigned to the 615th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, at Deenethorpe on Oct. 7, 1945. Net Results is seen in the skies over Europe on March 18, 1945, when the Eighth Air Force sent 1,329 Flying Fortresses and Liberators to attack targets in and around Berlin. A flak burst has blown a hole in the outer wing panel. Pilot 1st Lt. Elliott F. Cameron and 2nd Lt. Robert L. Davidson were able to bring the bomber back to base, were it was repaired and continued flying missions until the end of the war. Net Results returned to the United States and was scrapped at Kingman, Arizona, in 1947. USAAF
On March 21, 1945, the Eighth Air Force dispatched 1,408 four-engine heavy bombers to attack German airfields. This aircraft landed with its number two engine feathered and on fire; ground crews quickly attacked the raging fire on the left wing. The flight crew has yet to shut down the number three and four engines. Other B-17s can be seen in the pattern approaching the field to land. Out of the aircraft dispatched, 7 bombers were lost and 189 damaged—quite a reduction in losses as compared to missions in 1943 and 1944. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: B-17G 43-38594 Lady ‘B’ Good from the 749th Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, was flown by 1st Lt. Craig P. Greason on the Feb. 3, 1945, mission to Berlin. Heavily damaged by Me 262 fighters, Greason landed at Langemark, Belgium, rather than risk a flight across the English Channel. The number two engine’s propeller has been feathered, and from the streaks across the top of the nacelle, it would appear that the engine had been on fire during the flight. Subsequently, the bomber had its left wing replaced at the SAD 2 (Strategic Air Depot at Alconbury), with work beginning on March 18. Lady ‘B’ Good is seen at Alconbury on jacks with its left wing missing on March 30, 1945. After repairs, the bomber returned stateside in June 1945, stored first at South Plains, Texas. It was subsequently transferred to the Reconstruction Finance Corp. Storage Depot 41 at Kingman, Arizona, on Nov. 26, 1945, where the bomber was eventually scrapped. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: B-17G 43-38594 Lady ‘B’ Good from the 749th Bomb Squadron, 457th Bomb Group, was flown by 1st Lt. Craig P. Greason on the Feb. 3, 1945, mission to Berlin. Heavily damaged by Me 262 fighters, Greason landed at Langemark, Belgium, rather than risk a flight across the English Channel. The number two engine’s propeller has been feathered, and from the streaks across the top of the nacelle, it would appear that the engine had been on fire during the flight. Subsequently, the bomber had its left wing replaced at the SAD 2 (Strategic Air Depot at Alconbury), with work beginning on March 18. Lady ‘B’ Good is seen at Alconbury on jacks with its left wing missing on March 30, 1945. After repairs, the bomber returned stateside in June 1945, stored first at South Plains, Texas. It was subsequently transferred to the Reconstruction Finance Corp. Storage Depot 41 at Kingman, Arizona, on Nov. 26, 1945, where the bomber was eventually scrapped. USAAF
On April 4, 1945, the Eighth Air Force dispatched 1,431 heavy bombers, of which Little Miss Mischief was one of 443 First Air Division B-17s that raided the airfield at Fassberg, approximately 50 miles south of Hamburg, Germany. Notice that the front half of Little Miss Mischief is in a natural metal finish and the rear fuselage, from the production break to aft of the radio room, wears a camouflage finish. The mission to Fassberg was Little Miss Mischief’s last. However, her final mission could have been six months before had it not been for the maintenance crews of the Eighth Air Force.
On August 7, 1944, B-17G 42-31405 Wallaroo Mark II was heavily damaged in a landing accident. The bomber was written off and towed to the salvage area at RAF Heston, England. A little more than two months later, on Oct. 15, 1944, B-17G 42-97880 Little Miss Mischief took a direct hit from an 88mm flak shell in the underside of the fuselage above the ball turret on approach to Cologne, Germany. The bomber’s fuselage was blown in and the ball turret was totally destroyed by the flak hit. Pilot 1st Lt. Paul R. McDowell limped the 91st Bomb Group Flying Fortress back to Bassingbourn with only minor shrapnel injuries to his crew (see page 106).
Because the front half of Little Miss Mischief was in excellent condition, the decision was made to remove the damaged rear section and splice on an aft fuselage from another bomber. The 441st Sub Depot, also located at Bassingbourn, scoured other salvage depots, eventually locating Wallaroo Mark II. This bomber’s aft section was complete and made a suitable donor. The repair job took 40 days to complete, and when done, Little Miss Mischief returned to fly another 29 missions before that final flight to and from Fassberg. According to the 303rd Bomb Group Association, the front half of this bomber flew 81 missions and the back half flew 110. USAAF
On April 5, 1945, the Eighth Air Force dispatched 1,358 bombers, of which 308 Third Air Division B-17s attacked the railyards at Nuremberg, Germany. B-17G 43-37895 Take It Easy served with the 571st Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, at Framlingham. On rollout after landing from the Nuremberg mission, Take It Easy’s right main gear collapsed, bending the right wing and destroying the number three and four engines. The bomber was subsequently scrapped. USAAF
The 322nd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group’s B-17G 42-31333 Wee Willie graphically illustrates the tragic side of the air war over Germany. Wee Willie was one of seventy-three B-17s dispatched to attack the marshaling yards at Stendal, Germany, on April 8, 1945. The bomber took a direct flak hit at 20,500 feet between the number two engine and the bomb bay, severing the left wing. Pilot 1st Lt. Robert E. Fuller and his eight other crewmen were trapped in the spiraling fuselage and perished in the crash. Wee Willie was the oldest G-model in the 91st Bomb Group at the time. USAAF
Mauled by Me 262 jet fighters in the skies over Hamburg, Germany, 2nd Lt. Carl L. Washburn Jr. brought his bomber back to England. Washburn’s Flying Fortress was hit by flak just prior to the bomb run, knocking out an engine. Straggling behind the formation, his bomber was attacked but the jets were driven off by escorting P-51 Mustangs. Washburn and his aircraft were from the 391st Bomb Squadron, 34th Bomb Group, based at Mendlesham, England. USAAF
Scheherazade, named for the mythical queen and subject of Arabian Nights/One Thousand and One Nights, was a Boeing–built B-17G, serial number 42-31225, delivered to the Army Air Forces on Oct. 4, 1943. The bomber was assigned to the 709th Bomb Squadron, 447th Bomb Group (Square K), and was in the original group of bombers deployed to the Eighth Air Force station at Rattlesden, England, in November 1943. USAAF
Scheherazade was the 447th Bomb Group’s second highest mission bomber, having flown 126 missions without aborting because of mechanical reasons. When these photos were taken, after its 117th mission on April 11, 1945, the bomber had flown 1,249 hours and dropped 314 tons of bombs. During its missions, Scheherazade was attacked by fighters on 10 missions and damaged by flak on 11 other missions. The bomber survived the war and returned stateside. It was scrapped at Kingman, Arizona, in 1947. USAAF
Crew chief for Scheherazade was twenty-five-year-old MSgt. Kenneth J. Johnson from Dane, Wisconsin.
Engineering staff responsible for keeping Scheherazade in the air included (from left): assistant crew chief Sgt. Carl F. Schiller, crew chief MSgt. Kenneth J. Johnson, squadron engineering officer Capt. Frew Ewing, assistant squadron engineering officer 1st Lt. Herbert Baird, and aviation mechanic Sgt. Michael J. O’Connell. USAAF
SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES
In preparation for the end of the war in Europe, the Army Air Forces’ Air Transport Command initiated the “White Project.” This involved the return of a combined eight thousand multi-engine bombers from both the European and Mediterranean Theaters. Bombers would fly back to the United States using either the northern route through Iceland, the Central Atlantic route crossing at the Azores Islands, or the southern route crossing from Africa to Brazil.
Once stateside, the bombers were delivered to massive storage complexes like the one at South Plains Army Air Field outside Lubbock, Texas. With the more capable, stronger B-29s and the coming jet fighters and bombers, the decision was made to excess the Flying Fortress and the Liberator. B-17s and B-24s were flown to and stored at twenty-eight surplus fields around the country, most notably Kingman, Arizona; Walnut Ridge, Arkansas; Ontario (Cal-Aero Field at Chino), California; Bush Field, Georgia; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Altus, Oklahoma. Surplus combat aircraft were then turned over to the Reconstruction Finance Corp. (RFC) for disposal.
In June 1946, the RFC sold all of the aircraft at six fields in a sealed-bid sale. A total of 20,703 planes were to be reduced to their components and the raw metals recycled to be used in the postwar economy. Altus, Kingman, and Walnut Ridge held the majority of the former Eighth Air Force bomber aircraft. As the junkman recycled the thousands of aircraft, many famous planes were fed into the smelter. Gone were such Eighth Air Force veterans as the B-17s Bit O’Lace, 5 Grand, and American Beauty, along with B-24s The Carrier Pigeon, Linda Lou, and Boomerang.
Eighth Air Force aircraft were flown back across the Atlantic Ocean and sent to storage fields around the country. Boeing built this B-17G 43-38738 and delivered it to the Army Air Forces on Sept. 13, 1944. The bomber was assigned to the 614th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group, based at Deenethorpe, England, on Oct. 11, 1944, and was christened Be Comin’ Back. The bomber flew its first mission on October 15, attacking Cologne, and its last on April 20, 1945, striking the railroad marshaling yards at Brandenburg, Germany. Be Comin’ Back arrived at Kingman on Dec. 13, 1945. WILLIAM T. LARKINS
Panoramic photo among the thousands of aircraft at Kingman, Arizona, by photographer William T. Larkins on Feb. 7, 1947. Visible in the photo, from left to right, are a B-17G from the 91st Bomb Group (Square A), Eighth Air Force; a B-17 from the 463rd Bomb Group (Wedge Y), Fifteenth Air Force; B-17G 44-6545 from the 2nd Bomb Group (Circle Y), Fifteenth Air Force; B-17G 44-8206 from the 390th Bomb Group (Square J), Eighth Air Force; B-17G 44-8643 from the 447th Bomb Group (Square K—insignia not visible in this photo), Eighth Air Force; and a B-17G from the 96th Bomb Group (Square C), Eighth Air Force. WILLIAM T. LARKINS
Ford–built B-24M 44-51533 meets its end at Kingman, Arizona. The scrappers used a large steel blade suspended under a Lima crane. When the cable break was released, the blade guillotined the bombers into small sections that were then pushed into a furnace with a bulldozer. What came up to the cutting pad as a complete aircraft ran out the back of the furnace as molten metal to form 1,500-pound aluminum ingots. More than five thousand Army Air Force aircraft met their end at Kingman. MERLE OLMSTEAD
Factory-fresh B-17G 44-8844 arrived at Framlingham to serve with the 571st Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group, on Feb. 27, 1945. The bomber is seen after landing with the starboard main gear retracted following the April 12 mission to bomb the railroad depot at Landshut, northeast of Munich, Germany. This Flying Fortress was repaired and flew missions through the end of the war, returning stateside on Sept. 29, 1945. The bomber was later scrapped at Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, in 1947. USAAF
War-weary P-51B 43-6593 was flown by the 78th Fighter Group as the unit transitioned from P-47 Thunderbolts into Mustangs. Note the “WW” code on the vertical tail above the serial number, denoting this as a war-weary ship. The fighter nosed-up on landing, striking the propeller, bending the right main landing gear, and twisting the right outer wing panel. At this point in the war, the war-weary fighter was salvaged for parts and subsequently scrapped. USAAF
On April 14, 1945, the 2nd Air Division dispatched 336 B-24 Liberator bombers to attack German strongpoints and flak batteries at Bordeaux/Royan, Pointe Coubre, and Pointe Grave, France. In total, the bombers dropped 1,017.5 tons of bombs with the loss of only two bombers from the 389th Bomb Group. Those planes are seen going down near Royan, the bomber on the left (B-24J 42-50774 Stand By) with its bomb bay and number three engine on fire and the bomber on the right (B-24J 42-51233 Bigast Bird) missing its rear fuselage. This photo was annotated for the July 1945 Army Air Force publication Impact.
B-24J 42-50774 was flown by 2nd Lt. William N. Ansel and 2nd Lt. James O. Smith. Of the crew, Ansel, radio operator Technical Sgt. Frank J. Suelflow Jr., and engineer Technical Sgt. Walter F. Culig perished in the crash. The remaining six crewmembers returned to duty.
B-24J 42-51233 was flown by 2nd Lt. Edward W. Bush and copilot 1st Lt. Roy H. Anderson. All ten men on board Bigast Bird died in the crash, which some 389th Bomb Group pilots attribute to smoke flares dropped by B-17s from above. USAAF
B-24J 44-40317 Ruthless Ruthie from the 854th Bomb Squadron, 491st Bomb Group, was written off at its base of North Pickenham from damage suffered on the mission to destroy the railroad junction at Fischern in southern Germany. The bomber came to rest on April 17, 1945. USAAF
P-51C 43-25066 was built at North American’s Dallas, Texas, factory and delivered to the Army Air Forces on June 7, 1944. The fighter was flown to Columbus, Ohio, and then on to Newark, New Jersey, where it was put on a ship as deck cargo and transported to England, departing on June 22. The fighter arrived on July 4, 1944, and was assigned to the 383rd Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, at Honington. It was here, on April 22, 1945, that 2nd Lt. Dean L. Jessen belly-landed the fighter. USAAF
Lt. Fred Magnello was at the controls of B-17G 43-38864 Demobilizer (fuselage code JW-L) from the 326th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group, at Podington when the bomber crash-landed on May 2, 1945, at its home base. It appears that the right main gear folded up on landing rollout, as both engines on the right wing were making power at the time of the accident. With the war essentially over at this point, the bomber was scrapped after the accident. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: P-51C 42-103363 Lucky Leaky II of the 352nd Fight Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group, crashed in a field 1.5 miles northeast of Radleigh on May 2, 1945. The fighter was considered war weary and used as a squadron hack that was restricted from flying combat missions. Lt. John E. Davenport belly-landed the fighter, which, from the left side, looks repairable. From the right side, it can be seen that the radiator and oil cooler ripped out of the dog house scoop as the fighter careened across the plowed field. Note the rear-view mirror and Malcolm Hood cockpit canopy that greatly increased visibility of the high-back Mustangs. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: P-51C 42-103363 Lucky Leaky II of the 352nd Fight Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group, crashed in a field 1.5 miles northeast of Radleigh on May 2, 1945. The fighter was considered war weary and used as a squadron hack that was restricted from flying combat missions. Lt. John E. Davenport belly-landed the fighter, which, from the left side, looks repairable. From the right side, it can be seen that the radiator and oil cooler ripped out of the dog house scoop as the fighter careened across the plowed field. Note the rear-view mirror and Malcolm Hood cockpit canopy that greatly increased visibility of the high-back Mustangs. USAAF
Photo 1 of 2: Pilot Hubert W. Woodruff was landing B-17G 44-6507 Lucky Patch from the 527th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, at Kimbolton on May 3, 1945, when the landing gear collapsed. Note how the chin turret has caved in the underside of the nose compartment. The bomber was salvaged. Note the 379th Bomb Group B-17s parked on hardstands in the background. USAAF
Photo 2 of 2: Pilot Hubert W. Woodruff was landing B-17G 44-6507 Lucky Patch from the 527th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group, at Kimbolton on May 3, 1945, when the landing gear collapsed. Note how the chin turret has caved in the underside of the nose compartment. The bomber was salvaged. Note the 379th Bomb Group B-17s parked on hardstands in the background. USAAF
Lt. William J. Cobb put P-51D 44-14190 Boogie’s Burner on its back in a May 16, 1945, landing accident at Honington. The fighter was assigned to the 384th Fighter Squadron, 364th Fighter Group, and previously flew as Denver Belle. USAAF
A ground collision involving two 390th Bomb Group Flying Fortresses at Framlingham on May 17, 1945. On the left is B-17G 43-39124 Chapel in the Sky (568th Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group) flown by Murrell Corder. As the Fortress was coming in, it veered off the runway and Corder ground-looped it in an effort to prevent it from crashing headlong into a group of parked planes. As 43-39124 spun around, it made contact with the right wing of 43-38196 Satan’s Second Sister, from the 570th Bomb Squadron. USAAF
While on a routine training flight on May 17, 1945, pilot 1st Lt. Harry J. Cole and copilot 2nd Lt. Vance L. Ferguson were at the controls of B-17G 44-8683 from the 561st Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, based at Knettishall. The flight encountered poor weather and while returning to base struck the southern face of Great Whernside, a mountain near the village of Kettlewell. In addition to the pilots, navigator 2nd Lt. James M. Young, flight engineer Sgt. Hoyt E. Dixon, and radio operator Dario Battista were killed in the crash. USAAF
Lt. Gerald H. White was flying B-17G 44-8451 Butch when it came to grief on June 21, 1945. The bomber was landing at Snetterton Heath, home to the 337th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group. As the plane slid across the ground, it caught fire and burned out. USAAF
Lt. Robert L. Sheck Jr. ground-looped P-51D 44-14774 while landing at Raydon on July 24, 1945. Named Butch 3rd, the plane served with the 351st Fighter Squadron, 353rd Fighter Group. USAAF