A few new B-17 pictures

[Swifter]

Here's a pic of Madras Maiden in San Diego.

 

This aircraft was in Des Moines, IA the weekend of 6.24.2017 giving rides. Thirty years ago it was called "Chuckie" and owned by Doc Hospers. I had the good fortune of buying a ride in it at the Oshkosh bash in 1987. Just barely......such flights give us an appreciation for the experiences of flight crews 75 years ago.........

[wcdino685]

749th009.jpg749th012.jpg ...and the rest.

 

That top photo is willie III with CPT Charles E Newmeyers Crew. A/C 43-37567

[rosieres64]

Any one have pics of the YB-40's with the 92BG ?

I am also looking for a picture of a B-17F "Schickelgruber Shuttle Services Ltd", assigned to 92BG-407 BS. Crashed in France 6 Sep 1943.

 

Thanks

[TBMflyer]

Here is B-17G-25-BO "The Blazing Blue Blizzard" as the ground crew paints on the 23 mission marker. This one flew with the 524th BS, 379th BG. The vet who had this photo flew 13 of his 35 missions in this aircraft. The plane went missing on 9/8/44.

Mark

[renfield]

I know this is a known picture and has been reproduced in several books. The photo I have is marked on the back,"not for publication" and has a censors stamp. I think it is a first generation photo. One can only imagine what those young men are feeling as they live the last few minutes of their lives. Pretty sobering thought.

[renfield]

Here are a couple of B-17s in service with the Israeli air force. They actually flew bombing missions after their service with the USAAF.

[Swifter]

Any one have pics of the YB-40's with the 92BG ?

 

 

You may have already looked but.....an online search turned up a fair amount of sources on the relatively unknown XB-40 and YB-40 gunship versions of the B17.

This is a good one: http://www.tailsthroughtime.com/2015/08/the-boeing-yb-40-bomber-escort-and-its.html

 

Edward Jablonski's 1965 book "Flying Fortress" has some minimal info on the YB-40 as does the fall 2004 "special issue" of Flight Journal magazine.

[wcdino685]

FW5R_2.jpg This is a picture of FAST WORKER I have 8 photos of this plane and her crew. All the pictures have captions typed on the back. This picture was taken as the crew was waiting for the go ahead order and were killing time. Some of the crew pictures are kind of neat also, showing the flight gear, some of it RAF. With all of that I have no idea what BG they are with.

Steve

 

A/C 42-5177

 

359th Bomb Sqd 303rd Bomb Group

 

[B-17Guy]

I know this is a known picture and has been reproduced in several books. The photo I have is marked on the back,"not for publication" and has a censors stamp. I think it is a first generation photo. One can only imagine what those young men are feeling as they live the last few minutes of their lives. Pretty sobering thought.

 

Just hurts to look at that photo...

 

[wcdino685]

It looks like the life raft compartment has been blown open, damage to the tail and a bad gash to the body of the plane behind the waist gunner position. It looks like the damage that was inflicted to the ALL AMERICAN but she was not in the 100th. I wish I knew the story of this B-17.

Steve

 

here is your bird

https://100thbg.com/index.php?option=com_bombgrp&view=aircraft&id=10081&Itemid=326

[wcdino685]

EPSON067...glish_R4.jpgYes I did get a copy of "The Pride of Seattle-The History of the First 300 B17Fs" and that is what got me interested in B-17s in the opening months of the war. I just got this press photo of an English marked B-17. It is in the British Middle East Command. I do not know what model it is. As always thanks for all the input from the forum members.

Steve

 

This is a B-17 Mk1(B-17Cs)....No. 90 Squadron RAF...Had code WP from May 1941 - Sep 1950, Oct 1950 - Apr 1951

[renfield]

This is a nice picture of LOOSE GOOSE a B-17E that flew from bases in New Guinea. She eventually ended up back in the USA only to be scrapped.

[renfield]

This is a very nice picture of a B-17 formation. The photo was taken on 30 Nov. 1944.

[gwb123]

Just a reminder, if you pull photos from a book or an internet source, please include a link or a citation that acknowledges that source.

[renfield]

Every photo I post is a picture in my collection. I posses an actual period or original copy of each one.

[AZPhil]

Great pic's Guy's. I love the B17 . That might be because my Uncle was a Tail Gunner on one. I have more pic's of his and other but this one is a start

 

SNAFU B17 attached to the 384th BG

 

Semper Fi

Phil

[AZPhil]

General Travis after completing a Mission on the Mrs. Geezil of the 384th Bomb Group, 545th Bomb Squadron.

 

My Uncle Joe was a tail gunner on the Mrs. Geezil on April 13,1944 on a mission to Schweinfurt ball bearing factories when it was shot down. It exploded in mid air. 4KIA, 6 POW's. My uncle was a part of the latter and spent the rest of the war as a guest of Germany at Stalag 17B. I am still in contact with the left waist gunner Phillip Chaperon who lives in Portland Oregon . 96 and still sharp as a tack and told me the story that my uncle never spoke about.

Hence my love of the B17 and the 384th BG 8th AF.

 

Semper Fi

Phil

[oldandboring40]

My father was navigator on the Banshee II. Recently I came across his pow id. Also here is a link to a stars and stripes article written by Andy Rooney when he went on a bombing mission on my dad's plane.     https://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/rooney/wilhelmshaven.html

[The Rooster]

On 11/15/2023 at 5:27 PM, oldandboring40 said:

My father was navigator on the Banshee II. Recently I came across his pow id. Also here is a link to a stars and stripes article written by Andy Rooney when he went on a bombing mission on my dad's plane.     https://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/rooney/wilhelmshaven.html

I am awestruck!!! Your Father!..... A very Brave Man! Have to give Andy Rooney some credit too! Although he prob didnt know what he was in for. Your Dad did thats for sure!!!

Wow!!! Thank you for sharing this and welcome to the forum!

[The Rooster]

I am posting this because I used to work with Earl Triebes in Chicago in the late 1990's.

In this photo he is flying  with Leaches crew on Mercys Madhouse. And he flew with other crews too.

The Leach crew did not have an assigned aircraft and flew I think I read 5 different aircraft.

 

Earl was a Navigator standing center.

 

Earl had a family and was in the graphic arts business in Chicago after the war. Became a medical illustrator and owned his own studio at one time and a small plane. He learned to fly. I worked with him at an art studio in Chicago and we had lunch a few times. He talked about Lt Goering, Jimmy Stuart he saw. He also mentioned the mid air collisions he saw sometimes when they were forming up. He was with the 303rd bombardment group and there are some anecdotes about Earl and some of the missions he was on, on the website. Earl was a good Man who I was fortunate to meet. He passed around 2000.

 

JOSEPH V. LEACH CREW - 358th BS
PFF B-17G 42-97557 Mercy's Madhouse (358BS) VK-X
(crew assigned 358BS: 30 Jan 1945 - photo: 01 Feb 1945)

(Back L-R) 2Lt Joseph V. Leach (P), 2Lt Earl E. Triebes (N), 2Lt John L. Olson (CP)

(Front L-R) Sgt Robert R. Wilburn (R), Sgt Thomas M. Roberts (WG), S/Sgt John W. Psota (Tog),
Sgt James H. Bridgeman (E), Sgt Junior W. Anderson (BTG), Sgt Oda F. Sulley (TG)

 

 

 

 

Earl Kneeling Far right

B-17G #44-8484 PFF (358BS) VK-W
41st CBW Lead (358BS) - Pilot 1Lt G.H. Fielder / CoPilot Capt J.F. McNamara

(Back L-R) 1Lt Harry F. Hopkins (TG/O), 1Lt Earl R. Beyeler (N),
1Lt George H. Fielder (P), 1Lt Raymond H. Gorham (B), Capt James F. McNamara (CP)

(Front L-R) S/Sgt Glenn J. Denning (WG), T/Sgt Neil C. Buie (R), 1Lt Earl D. Metko (N),
T/Sgt James E. Cavagnaro (E), 2Lt Earl E. Triebes (N)

 

[The Rooster]

On 11/15/2023 at 5:27 PM, oldandboring40 said:

My father was navigator on the Banshee II. Recently I came across his pow id. Also here is a link to a stars and stripes article written by Andy Rooney when he went on a bombing mission on my dad's plane.     https://www.pbs.org/weta/reportingamericaatwar/reporters/rooney/wilhelmshaven.html

41-24488 Banshee II

Assigned 369BS/306BG [WW-F] Westover 30/8/42; Thurleigh 13/10/42; (tran 367BS [GY-F]); Missing in Action Bremen 17/4/43 with Capt Bill Casey, Co-pilot: Ed O’Brien, Navigator: Bill Owens, Bombardier: Jim McCracken, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Wilson Elliott (5 Prisoner of War), Radio Operator: Lewis Ayscue, Ball turret gunner: Joe Borzym, Waist gunner: Morris Gecowets, Waist gunner: Frank Stetler, Tail gunner: Chas Raidline (5 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft KO’d three engines, crashed dyke near Greetsiel, Ger.; Missing Air Crew Report 15445. BANSHEE II.

[The Rooster]

On 6/30/2017 at 3:51 PM, TBMflyer said:

Here is B-17G-25-BO "The Blazing Blue Blizzard" as the ground crew paints on the 23 mission marker. This one flew with the 524th BS, 379th BG. The vet who had this photo flew 13 of his 35 missions in this aircraft. The plane went missing on 9/8/44.

Mark

History of
B-17 42-31720 / Blue Blazing Blizzard

Delivered Denver 10/12/43; Kearney 24/12/43; Prestwick 15/1/44; Assigned: 524BS/379BG [WA-M] Kimbolton 27/1/44; Bombardier: Bill Rau (KIA-pilot was Ernal Bridwell) 29/1/44 his ship landing at RAF Bradwell Bay; MIA Ludwigshafen 8/9/44 Pilot: Orvest Ellingson, Cliff Danielsen, Roy Manssen, Joe De Mure (4KIA); Joe Wells, Merrill Collins, Bob Harrell, Clair Young, Wallace Tipsword (5POW); flak, crashed Mannheim, Germany. MACR 8844. THE BLUE BLAZING BLIZZARD.

Source: Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log*

Last updated: 6. November 2018

[oldandboring40]

here are a few more of my dad's items from the war some of you might enjoy. Here is a pic of the nose art on his plane Banshee.