World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers were first seen on 28 Jul 1935 as E. Gifford Emery and Edward Curtis Wells' Boeing Model 299, flown by test pilot Les Tower. It was designed as a response to the United States Army Air Corps' 1934 demand for a multi-engined bomber, but Boeing had over-done it: the four-engined bomber was so expensive that the US Army instead went with the two-engined Douglas B-18 Bolo design. The evaluation, though tainted with a fatal accident, impressed some top brass regardless. Through a legal loophole, the USAAC ordered 13 B-17 bombers for testing on 17 Jan 1936. Between that time and the opening of the Pacific War in 1941, fewer than 200 B-17 bombers entered service with the USAAC. Some of the early production bombers went to the British Royal Air Force which began the European War without heavy bombers. In early 1940, 20 B-17 bombers were transferred to the RAF, which redesignated them as Fortress I bombers. Their first operation was against the German Kriegsmarine's port facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Germany on 8 Jul 1941, and their performance left much to be desired as bombs missed their targets and machine guns froze at the high altitude. While these early B-17 bombers were being relegated to reconnaissance and patrol roles, the experiences shared by the British crews helped Boeing tweak the design of later models; mainly, the British crews expressed the need for these bombers to carry larger bomb loads and better aiming equipment.

ww2dbaseThe United States entered the war in Dec 1941, and from the start she began building up air forces in Europe. The first 18 B-17E bombers arrived to equip the US 8th Air Force units in mid-1942, and flew their first mission against French rail yards on 17 Aug 1942. With the newly devised Norden Bombsight, this mission was much more successful than the British experience earlier in the European War.

ww2dbaseThe American direct involvement in war increased production of B-17 bombers dramatically; in fact, they are often considered the first mass-produced modern aircraft. Before the advent of long-range fighter escorts, B-17 bombers flew in box formations so that their machine guns could provide overlapping fields of fire to protect each other, though at a sacrifice of rigidity of flight paths, which led to increased dangers from ground-based anti-aircraft guns. These bombers, after many rounds of improvements, were now known for their durability. Many stories were told where major sections of the bombers, such as the tail fin, nearly destroyed but the crews still made their ways home safely.

ww2dbaseA typical crew of a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber consisted of 10 men. The commanding officer was the piot, and the executive officer was the co-pilot; these two officers received equal training, and their difference in status was largely only due to the luck of the draw. The bombardier was also an officer, manning the chin turret during flight but taking control of the entire bomber during the actual bomb run, even flying the aircraft at that time, via the connection between his Norden bomb sight and the auto-pilot system. The navigator, another officer, kept the aircraft path during the flight and manned the cheek guns when attacked. The flight engineer, a non-commissioned officer, was trained in the basic mechanics of the entire aircraft, and manned the top turret when attacked. The radio operation, a non-commissioned officer, handled communications and served as the first aid giver when necessary. Finally, the four remaining crew member, all non-commissioned officers, manned the ball turret, left waist gun, right waist gun, and the tail gun; although these bombers were durable, to call them "fortresses" was a exaggeration, thus the gunners served an important role in the defense of these actually vulnerable bombers.

ww2dbaseDuring WW2, 26 B-17 bomber groups served in Britain and 6 groups served in Italy. Beginning in 1943, they began a carpet bombing campaign against German industrial targets. Initially an alarming number of B-17 bombers were lost, but as the war went on, the depleting capabilities of German air defense made the bombing campaigns more effective. Many accused the Western Allies of conducting terror bombing during WW2, and many of the alleged terror bombing missions were conducted with B-17 bombers. On 15 Feb 1945, as part of the aerial operation against the German city of Dresden, 311 B-17 bombers dropped 771 tons of bombs, contributing to the killing of 25,000 people committed by both American and British bombers.

ww2dbaseSome B-17 bombers crash-landed or were forced down on German soil, and about 40 of them were put into service by the German Luftwaffe. They were designated Do 200 and were used in reconnaissance operations. A few of them kept their Allied markings and were sent to infiltrate Allied B-17 formations to report their position and altitude; initially successful, Allied airmen soon developed methods to challenge unidentified aircraft that tried to join their formations.

ww2dbaseSeveral B-17 bombers were also taken by the Soviets who flew them in combat missions despite having little experience with them. Soviet opinion toward the B-17 design was generally favorable. Some remained in Soviet service until 1948.

ww2dbaseFive bomber groups of the US 5th Air Force operated B-17 bombers in the Pacific Theater, with a peak of 168 bombers in Sep 1942. After some time of ineffective high altitude bombing, some of the B-17 bombers adopted "skip bombing", a technique usually practiced by medium bombers rather than heavy bombers. When skip bombing, the aircraft flew at very low altitudes over water; as the bombs were released, they struck the water at a shallow angle and bounced into the sides of targeted ships. The technique of skip bombing scored several sinkings.

ww2dbaseWhen WW2 ended, a total of 12,700 B-17 bombers were built. Peak US Army Air Forces inventory, in Aug 1944, was 4,574 worldwide. Besides Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed (via subsidiary Vega) also contributed to that total. After the war General Carl Spaatz commented that "[w]ithout the B-17, we might have lost the war."

ww2dbaseAfter the war, some B-17 bombers made their way to Israel via the black market, some were acquired by collectors in form of museums, while most of them were melted down for scrap. The most famous of the surviving B-17 bomber at the time of this writing is arguably the 25-mission veteran of European Theater "Memphis Belle", which is now at National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton, Ohio, United States for restoration and display in the near future.

B-17 Flying Fortress Timeline

SPECIFICATIONS

B-17G

Machinery	4 Wright R-1820-97 'Cyclone' turbosupercharged radial engines rated at 1,200 hp each
Armament	13xBrowning M-2 12.7mm machine guns, 8,000kg of bombs (usually 3,600kg for short range missions or 2,000kg for long range missions)
Span	31.62 m
Length	22.66 m
Height	5.82 m
Wing Area	131.92 m²
Weight, Empty	16,391 kg
Weight, Loaded	24,495 kg
Weight, Maximum	29,710 kg
Speed, Maximum	462 km/h
Speed, Cruising	293 km/h
Rate of Climb	4.60 m/s
Service Ceiling	10,850 m
Range, Normal	3,219 km

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2.  Hobilar says:
23 Sep 2007 04:20:39 AM

Contrary to popular belief, the B17 `Memphis Belle was NOT the first USAAF aircraft to complete 25 missions over Europe during World War II.

That honour apparently belongs to the B17 `Hells Angel of the 303rd Bomber Group based at Molesworth.

Whilst `Memphis Belle was the first to complete 25 missions AND return to the United States, `Hells Angel went on to fly a further 48 missions before returning home.

4.  BILL says:
25 May 2009 11:20:10 AM

The B-17 required 55,00 man hours to build in 1941. By 1944 it took 19,000 man hours to build.
During World War II the Willow Run plant hit a peak production of 462 B-17's built, that's an average of 63 minutes per bomber.
Today only 12 B-17's still fly, out of the 12,732 that were built.

5.  BILL says:
24 Jun 2009 08:16:33 AM

The B-17s had dropped more bombs than any
other U.S. aircraft, but at a high cost the
number of B-17s lost in operations numbered 4,750, or 37% of the 12,732 aircraft built.
Did you know that: The editor for the local
Seattle Times, wrote the caption "15 ton Flying Fortress.",The Boeing Co. registered
"Flying Fortress" as a corporate trade-mark.
The 5,000th B-17 built was named 5-Grand and
was signed by factory employees, before the
aircraft entered service.
It retained its Boeing employee autographed
markings, and drew curious crowds wherever it went. The B-17 completed 78 missions and
returned to the United States in June 1945.

9.  Bill says:
9 Nov 2009 08:41:06 PM

Floyd McCoy request dated: 10 Aug 2009
154 PM

Dear Sir:
Thank you for your interest and your Service
During World War II.
Most of my information, comes from Aviation
Magazines such as Wings and Airpower what I have, go back to the 1970's and information that was available at that time.
Other info on 5 Grand she had 35,000
signatures.
My Father worked in the defence industry, but
all my Uncles served in the Army.
You can E-mail me at pdenomie@pahrump.com
haven't put any info on the B-17, since June
2009.

11.  Bill says:
19 Nov 2009 03:59:14 PM

B-17 Bomber production:

1,000 B-17's parked wingtip to wingtip would
extend almost twenty (20) miles.

The total production of 12,731 would also
extend (250) miles.

1,000 B-17's, they would carry 2.5 million
gallons of aviation fuel,carry 10,000 crew-
men, to deliver 2,000 tons of bombs.

One B-17 cost $204,370 in 1940's dollars,the
same B-17 today, would cost $2,452,440 in 2008 dollars to build.

Aircraft production was 24/7 during W.W.II
For the United States the war lasted about
2,433 days.

Production of Heavy Four-Engine Bombers:
United States 35,301
England 15,936
Germany 1,180
Italy 24
Japan 8

12.  Bill says:
19 Nov 2009 06:22:52 PM

Losses per month correction:
331 men killed and 308 aircraft destroyed
that's about 11 men and 10 airplanes a day.
From December 1941 through August 1945, the
U.S. Army Air Forces lost 14,903 pilots,
aircrew and other personnel plus 13,873
airplanes inside the Continental U.S. Total
aircraft accidents 52,651, with 6,039 with
fatalities.
That's about 1,170 aircraft accidents a month
about 40 per day!
Another 1,000 aircraft disappeared en route.
43,581 were lost overseas due to combat
missions, accidents and other losses.
Against the Western Axis.
In the summer of 1944 the AAF lost 1,100 to
1,500 aircraft per month in the European and
Mediterranean theaters of operation.

13.  Bill says:
20 Nov 2009 07:46:58 PM

Bomber Production

Continued from #11
19 Nov 2009 03:59:14 pm

Russian four-engine bomber Petlyakov Pe-8
*********************************************Petlyakov Pe-8's made the first night bombing raid against Berlin on Aug.10,1941
five (5) of the (8) aircraft reached their targets against the German capitol.
It is unclear how many Pe-8's were built
some sources say 79, more reliable russian
sources say between 93 and 96 aircraft.
It was an advanced aircraft for its time
comparing well, at least on paper to its
Allied contemportary American and British
heavy bombers.
The Pe-8 was built in small numbers, and
made no major contribution to the Soviet war
effort However, it operated as a long-range transport and made a number of trips from the U.S.S.R. to the U.S.A. and was also used
in different opernational rolls.
In the post-war period,the Pe-8 continued to
operate with Aeroflot into the 1950's before
being retired.

Note*
The U.S.S.R. inturned three Boeing B-29's
that made emergency landings on Soviet
territory after bombing raids against Japan.
These three aircraft were flown,tested and examined by pilots and engineers.
Reverse-engineered, they were the basis for the U.S.S.R.'s Strategic Bomber Force in the
Post-War World the Tupolev Tu-4 code named
(Bull) by NATO.

49.  David Stubblebine says:
28 Oct 2013 11:13:00 PM

Re: Comment #48: The aircraft was actually named “Touch the Button Nell II” a B-17G-30-DL
#42-38117 of the 535th BS, 381st BG operating from RAF Ridgewell, Essex. On July 4 1944, after a successful bomb run on the airfield at La Riche near Tours, “Touch the Button Nell II” suffered unknown mechanical failure(s) and went down near Persac, France. Seven of the crew were lost:
1. 2nd Lt. Bobrof, Bob B.; Pilot
2. 2nd Lt. Devono, George J.; Co-Pilot
3. 2nd Lt. Cole, Charles D. ; Navigator
4. 2nd Lt. Goodman, Bernard (NMI); Bombardier
5. T/Sgt. Dell, George W.; Engineer-Top Turret Gunner
6. Sgt. Polski, Edward F.; Ball Turret Gunner
7. S/Sgt. Snyder, Thomas E.; Tail Gunner

Surviving crewmembers were:
T/Sgt. Word, Clinton S.; Radio Operator
S/Sgt. Hitchcock, Kenneth F.; Waist Gunner
[seems to be short one waist gunner; normal B-17 crew was 10 (?)]

78.  David Stubblebine says:
1 Jun 2015 06:39:28 PM

To Anonymous #77:
The 12th & 15th Air Forces operating in the Mediterranean Theater lost 27 B-17s between Dragoon’s D-Day (15 Aug 1944) and the end of the month but it appears none of those losses were directly associated with Operation Dragoon, since Dragoon’s Order of Battle did not include any B-17 squadrons.

85.  David Stubblebine says:
28 Sep 2015 03:00:25 PM

Jason (above):
The B-17 that crashed at Daventry appears to be B-17-G-100-BO s/n 43-38973 of the 305th Bomb Group based at Chelveston, no known nickname. Returning from a night leaflet-drop mission to Kassel, the plane struck a support wire for a radio mast which tore off the wing. The plane crashed near Daventry, England killing all 9 on board. Source: http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/12978

98.  David Stubblebine says:
30 Apr 2016 08:38:48 PM

Ms. Saywell:
Thank you for providing better information on the fate of your grandfather’s airplane. I am happy to stand corrected. I tried to retrace my steps that led me to post that the mission was a night time leaflet drop but I cannot find that information again. My earlier source appears to have been updated as well (which is good).

106.  David Stubblebine says:
3 Jun 2016 09:41:16 PM

NC:
Sadly, I was not able to find any photographs of B-17F #42-29748. I did confirm that this airplane flew with the 96th BG, 338th BS out of Snetterton-Heath. I could find only one source that listed a name for this aircraft, however, and that source listed the name simply as “Paradise Lost” (not Paradise Lost II). This is not the final word on that but that is what I found. This plane was shot down by German fighters on a raid to Kiel, Germany on 13 Jun 1943 where one-third of the bombers were lost. The loss of this crew is described in Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) #15631 that lists the names of all 10 crewmembers and their fates. S/Sgt Henry L Metzner is listed among those who were killed. There were two survivors who were both taken prisoner and returned to the United States after the war. They were S/Sgt William M Godfrey from California who was held in Luft-Stalag 3 and S/Sgt Lewis C Maxwell from Tennessee who was held at Stalag 17B.

114.  David Stubblebine says:
18 Sep 2016 01:18:46 PM

Matt:
B-17F 42-30764 was a training aircraft that never left the United States and did most of its service at Amarillo Field in Texas, which was one of the principal bomber training bases. It was sold for scrap in Oct 1945.

118.  David Stubblebine says:
7 Nov 2016 07:34:13 PM

Mr. Hamilton (above);
B-17E with serial number 41-2463 was called “Yankee Doodle” flew with the 19th Bomb Group before transferring to the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bomb Group. This aircraft crashed on take-off at Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides due to mechanical failure, 2 Aug 1943. 2 were killed and the plane was damaged beyond repair. The pilot during the crash was Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek.

120.  David Stubblebine says:
16 Nov 2016 10:55:36 PM

Mr/Ms Pritz (above);
According to the American Air Museum in Britain (part of the Imperial War Museum), Fortress number 44-6477 was a B-17G delivered from the Long Beach plant in Aug 1944 and was assigned to 862nd Bomb Squadron, 493rd Bomb Group at Debach in Suffolk, England on 8 Sep 1944 but was soon transferred to the 832nd Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group at Sudbury. The plane may have been named “Blue Grass Girl II” and had side numbers of 3R-V. The bomber returned to the US on 8 Jul 1945 and scrapped 22 Nov 1945.

125.  David Stubblebine says:
4 Dec 2016 12:42:08 PM

Monte Gordon (above):
Dave Osborne’s excellent B-17 Fortress Master Log lists two B-17s named Flak Shack: B-17F s/n 42-30305 of the 100th Bomb Group based at Thorpe Abbotts (another source lists the name as Flak Schack) and B-17G s/n 43-37619 of the 306th Bomb Group based at Thurleigh (name listed as Flack Shack). 42-30305 crashed shortly after take-off on a practice mission on 16 Jul 1943 with 7 killed and 3 injured. 43-37619 was lost to flak on the mission to Oranienburg, Germany on 10 Apr 1945 with 1 killed, 4 POW, and 4 evaded (MACR 13878 mistakenly lists the s/n as 42-37619).

132.  David Stubblebine says:
28 Dec 2016 01:58:27 PM

Mr. Bernacchio (above):
I tried to send you an email in response to your comment but the address you provided came back as “Undeliverable-Account Does Not Exist.” Contact me at http://ww2db.com/david.stubblebine and I will re-send that email. Thanks.

137.  David Stubblebine says:
19 Mar 2017 02:26:53 PM

Mikey (above):
B-17G 42-97479 “Belle of Liberty” with the 92nd Bomb Group crashed near East Kirkby, Lincolnshire 30 Dec 1944 with 9 KIA. The American Air Museum in Britain has a pretty good page on this aircraft that includes some crash-site photos: http://www.americanairmuseum.com/aircraft/10554.

144.  David Stubblebine says:
22 Apr 2017 08:36:51 PM

To Anonymous (above):
The tail number is a direct derivative of the aircraft’s serial number: add a 4 to the front of the tail number and you get the serial number, in this case 43-38174. The 43 means the airplane was part of an order approved in 1943 and, according to Dave Osborne’s most authoritative B-17 Master Log, this plane was a B-17G model that was delivered to the Army in Apr 1944. It was initially assigned to the 401st Bomb Group at Deenethorpe in Northamptonshire, England. But the 401st’s Tail Code was the Triangle-S rather than the Triangle-G in your photo (you did not say the G was within a triangle but I bet it was). Also, the squadrons in the 401st had Fuselage Codes SC, IN, IW, or IY rather than XK. So it would seem the aircraft in your photo was transferred out of the 401st at some point. Tail Code Triangle-G was for the 305th Bomb Group and Fuselage Code XK was for the 365th Bomb Squadron, which was part of the 305thBG, stationed at Chelveston, also in Northamptonshire. This aircraft survived the war scrapped or sold as surplus in June 1945.

146.  David Stubblebine says:
3 May 2017 10:11:21 PM

Gene Maurer (above):
The 364th Bomb Squadron was part of the 305th Bomb Group and flew from RAF Chelveston in Northamptonshire during the dates you listed. I could find no crew lists for them, however. You can request a copy of your father’s service record from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and you may be able to get copies of the Bomb Group’s crew lists from NARA as well. See http://ww2db.com/faq/#3

151.  David Stubblebine says:
6 Jul 2017 09:58:59 AM

To 'findmethatbomber' (above):
To track down your great grandfather's B-17G you would need the aircraft’s serial number. This is the same as the tail number (painted on the tail) except that all B-17 serial numbers started with a 4 and all tail numbers omitted that 4. Sometimes an aircraft can be traced through its name but this is far more problematic. Armed with the serial number, Dave Osborne has put together a B-17 Master Log that is a truly remarkable work and will list the disposition of the aircraft. If you do not have the serial number, getting it may require scouring the squadron records, which are not all online and not centralized except as paper pages at the National Archives.

Also, the idea of 'his' airplane is misleading. Crews stuck together and were usually identified by the pilot's name but there were more crews than aircraft so they flew in different airplanes every flight. Crews often had a favorite or primary airplane but there were frequent assignments to different planes.

157.  David Stubblebine says:
23 Jul 2017 09:11:10 PM

Jon Crane (above):
According to Dave Osborne’s excellent B-17 Fortress Master Log, there were two B-17s named “Miss America” but only one assigned to the 306th Bomb Group at Thurleigh. That was B-17G 42-97896. I have no combat records for this aircraft but the 306th BG was the longest serving B-17 group in Britain during the war and saw lots of action. The novel and film Twelve O’Clock High were based on this group.

160.  Alan Chanter says:
18 Aug 2017 03:32:47 AM

B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Grand Ole Yank’ (42-102673) was reportedly operated by the 571st Bomb Squadron of the 390th Bombardment Group “Wittan’s Wallopers”, part of the 13th Combat Wing of the 3rd Air Division, US Eighth Air Force. Based at Framlingham (Parham), then known as US Air Station 153, she failed to return from a mission to Goerne in Germany on the 14th of January, 1945. Although the airfield closed in the early 1960s a local preservation group has restored the control tower and established a Bomb Group Memorial Museum which opened in 1981. The museum and the site of the airfield is best gained from the A12 past Wickham Market; turning off to Marlesford, then following the museum signs.

161.  David Stubblebine says:
18 Aug 2017 09:42:35 AM

Actually, the American Air Museum in Britain website has a very good photo of this aircraft (42-102673) that shows the name painted on the nose as ‘Good-O Yank.’ I know the name shows up in some logs and databases with variations of this, but a 1944 photograph that shows both the aircraft name and serial number in one image is pretty solid evidence.

162.  Alan Chanter says:
19 Aug 2017 01:16:39 AM

I wondered how long it would take before someone spotted my Typo - Well done David.

164.  David Stubblebine says:
6 Sep 2017 09:52:19 AM

To Sue (above):
B-17G 42-31507 was destroyed before it received a name. This aircraft had no name.

181.  David Stubblebine says:
1 May 2018 10:51:47 PM

Penny Mankins (above):
Dave Osborne’s excellent B-17 Fortress Master Log lists no plane named “Faye Day” but that doesn’t mean there wasn’t one. Plane naming customs were pretty loose and names were often unrecorded. To learn more about the plane, more starting information is required, like aircraft serial number, tail number (same thing, really), squadron or group number, or where stationed. Crews did not always fly the same planes either but usually flew with the same crew which were identified by pilot name so knowing that would be a good clue too. It would also be worth it to request a copy of his service record from the National Archives. See https://ww2db.com/faq/#3.

185.  David Stubblebine says:
28 May 2018 07:15:56 PM

Erik (above):
The B-17G piloted by 2Lt George F Wilson, Jr. and lost over the French coast 8 Jul 1944 appears to have had serial number 42-102445, which means it had tail number 2102445. The plane flew with 601st Bomb Squadron, 398th Bomb Group out of Nuthampstead. The plane was lost on a raid to bomb V-1 launch sites. All crew members bailed out and survived, except Lt Wilson who was killed outright by a direct flak hit and went down with the aircraft. See Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 7217.

187.  David Stubblebine says:
29 Jun 2018 10:06:54 PM

Richard (above):
For reasons stated in my separate email to you, I believe it is FAR more likely this aircraft had a 9-man crew than it is that a whole person was overlooked in the records. 9-man B-17 crews were not uncommon.

211.  David Stubblebine says:
12 Jun 2019 08:21:22 PM

Anonymous (above):
Sorry, I am not aware of any photos of the B-17 Donna Lou II. Dave Osborne’s Fortress Master Log only lists one B-17 with the name Donna Lou II, B-17F 42-30439 that flew with the 94th Bomb Group, 410th Bomb Squadron out of Bury St Edmunds (Rougham) with side markings GL-S. It was received at Bury St Edmunds 9 Jul 1943 and was declared war weary 31 May 1945 and salvaged (meaning it was stripped for parts and scrapped).

215.  David Stubblebine says:
25 Jun 2019 02:27:56 PM

Anonymous (above):
Going on nothing but an aircraft name can be a tough search since the naming of aircraft was a pretty casual affair. Names changed often and often went unrecorded. That said, Dave Osborne’s excellent B-17 Master Log lists no B-17 with the name “Axis Nightmare” – there might have been one, it just isn’t listed in the log. There is a restored B-25 flying today with that name and RAF markings, owned by the TriState Warbird Museum in Ohio. There was also a B-24D with this name that was lost over China in Feb 1945. But I could not find a record of a B-17 with this name.

223.  David Stubblebine says:
9 Feb 2020 08:05:19 PM

Rick (above):
The very authoritative B-17 Master Log by Dave Osborne lists B-17G #42-97904 as “Lady Jeanette (Janet).” Several other sources copy the bulk of Osborne’s entry for this plane without copying the “Janet” reference. His parenthetical “Janet” appears to be his attempt to translate the French name Jeanette rather than the name of the aircraft. All other sources list the aircraft’s name only as “Lady Jeanette.” There is an authoritative and detailed description of the loss of this aircraft at: https://www.argunners.com/secret-world-war-ii-b-17-lady-jeannette/

235.  David Stubblebine says:
28 Jun 2020 07:05:25 PM

Patt Bilow (above):
I was able to find very little more than what is in the article you cited. The aircraft was a B-17F with serial #42-30530. There was an accident report filed but I cannot access it. Besides this, the rest of the records I could find offer fewer details than the article.

253.  David Stubblebine says:
25 Mar 2022 05:12:00 PM

HRS (above):
I would have sent you an email but you left no email address. I show records for two B-17’s named ‘My Ideal.’ One was B-17G #42-97156 that may have been named ‘Yo is My Ideal’ of the 94th Bomb Group, first with the 410th Bomb Squadron and then with the 333rd Bomb Squadron. Suffered battle damage over Berlin 26 Feb 1945 and made a forced landing in Luxembourg. The other was B-17G #43-37767 that also had the name ‘Star Eyes’ (either before or after ‘My Ideal’ or at the same time; records are unclear. MACR lists “Nickname: None”). Assigned to 339th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group. On raid to Brunswick 2 Mar 1945, suffered a mid-air collision with B-17G #44-8697 with both planes going into the North Sea and 18 killed.

258.  David Stubblebine says:
5 Jun 2022 02:21:59 PM

Jerry (above):
According to Dave Osborne’s B-17 Master Log, there were 3 B-17s named “Kickapoo Joy Juice” and one named “Kickapoo.” Kickapoo, #41-24447 with the 91BG, 401BS, was lost on a raid to Wilhelmshafen 26 Feb 1943 when a flak hit caused fire in #4 engine and the plane crashed into the North Sea. 10 killed.

282.  David Stubblebine says:
21 Mar 2024 02:03:38 PM

Butch Maynard (above):
I Googled the exact text of your comment and got the answer (I think). The 8th Air Force bomber with the most combat missions is thought to be B-17G “Nine-O-Nine” #42-31909 with the 91st Bomb Group at Bassingbourn with 140 missions. This bomber flew back to the United States in 1945 with over 600 patched holes in the skin stemming from battle damage.