B-17G 99th BG 346th BS Photos Of "VV"

[manayunkman]

I think this plane was shot down on July 22, 1944 during a Ploesti raid.

 

Checked last night on my phone but couldn't find anything.

[manayunkman]

A close up of the nose art.

 

They must not have had any women near their base.

 

 

 

[5thwingmarty]

V V was the abbreviation for Vicious Vixen. I will check my 99th BG database this weekend and let you know what info I have. Do you happen to have the serial number of the plane?

 

Marty

[manayunkman]

Thanks for the name.

 

I'll ask the vets daughter if she ever heard of it.

[doinworkinvans]

Here is an article from 1983 from the 99th bomb group historical that has a somewhat complete list of aircraft....Vicious Vixen is mentioned with a name "Sopp" .....could have been a crew memeber

 

https://www.99bombgroup.org/newsletters/198307-WWII-99th-Bomb-Group-Newsletter-July-1-1983.pdf

 

 

click link and once on page press Ctrl+F and a small search bar will appear and type vixen

[manayunkman]

Thanks DWIV, good to see the connection in writing.

[5thwingmarty]

I have a scan of another photo of the are on V V. It matches the art in these two photos. According to my 99th info, the tail number of V V started with 46 but I don't know the rest of the number or even what the original reverence for this was. In the 99th BG database Donald Sopp flew 38 sorties with the 346th BS as I believe a navigator. Five of these were on planes that had tail numbers starting with 46 and are not identified as having names or art on them, so one of them could have been the V V. Hopefully Manny can find a bit more info to identify the serial of the V V.

[manayunkman]

Here is the only tail number picture in the album.

 

I'm not sure when the pictures were taken either.

 

 

 

[manayunkman]

That is not the same tail as VV.

[5thwingmarty]

Per Joe Bauer's website, this plane (46033) was just a stateside trainer attached to the 88th BG at Avon Park.

[manayunkman]

He was in the 88th.

 

Thanks

[manayunkman]

You can see something painted under the nose art.

[5thwingmarty]

The 88th BG was a strictly stateside training group. Once they had created all the groups they needed to send overseas they used groups like the 88th BG to train crews how to function within groups before sending them overseas as replacement crews.

 

I believe what is visible below and to the right is "V V" but only the first quotation mark and letter V are visible. Here is my photo of the art on the plane.

 

What is really interesting to me about your photos is it looks like the plane has a two-toned camo paint job, and not just a few blotches like on the Memphis Belle or panels from different component suppliers like the vertical tails, or the gun windows added at sub-depots on many B-17Gs.