B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies

Delivered Denver 17/1/44; 1SAG Langley 14/2/44; Morrison 23/3/44; Assigned (PFF) 49BS/2BG Amendola 26/3/44; transferred 348BS/99BG Tortorella {2m}; 340BS/97BG Amendola 4/44; Missing in Action Blechhammer 13/9/44 with Farryle Waters, Lent, Young, bennett, White, Smith, Gaston, Talley, Hubbard, Thiele; crashed Gross Strehiltz; Missing Air Crew Report 8729.

Delivered Cheyenne 30/12/43; Barksdale 11/1/44; Savannah 16/1/44; Morrison 18/1/44; Assigned 416BS/99BG Tortorella 28/1/44; {6m} transferred 429BS/2BG Amendola 28/3/44; Missing in Action Memmingen, Ger; 18/7/44 with Millard Pedigo*, Co-pilot: Francis Barrett, Navigator: Mark Glasgow, Bombardier: Sid Hurwitz*, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Poplawksi*, Radio Operator: Bill Aeschbacher*, Ball turret gunner: Angelo Martucci, Waist gunner: Paul Johnson, Waist gunner: Sam Byers,Tail gunner: Gene Eisner (10INT); later * escaped from Switz; crash landed Dubendorf, Switz; Missing Air Crew Report 6863. MAMMY YOKUM III.

Delivered Denver 20/9/43; Gr Island 6/10/43; ass 331BS/94BG [QE-S] Rougham 9/10/43; sal 2/6/45. LUCKY 13.

Delivered Denver 10/8/43; Long Beach 13/8/43; Assigned 401BS/91BG [LL-K] Bassingbourn 26/9/43; Missing in Action 1m Munster 10/10/43 with Earl Verrill, Co-pilot: Joe Rose, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Roy Jackson, Radio Operator: Ross Repp, Ball turret gunner: Gilbert Taft, Waist gunner: Paul Lorman, Waist gunner: Stan Lepkowski,Tail gunner: Bob DeGhetto (8 Prisoner of War), Navigator: Art Horning (EVD-returned UK 30/1/44), Bombardier: John Lilley (KIA-chute caught on stabilizer); mech fault lost two engines, #4 & #2, crash landed Brocklanderweg, near Apeldoorn, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 941. TENNESSEE TODDY.

Delivered Denver 28/8/43; Scott 16/9/43; Assigned 544BS/384BG Grafton Underwood 7/11/43; transferred 547BS [SO-N]; transferred to 364FG Leiston, Sfk, UK. 11/43; Returned to the USA Bradley 14/7/45; 4185 BU Independence 17/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 18/12/45. HELL’S MESSENGER.

Delivered Tulsa 27/2/44; Hunter 4/3/44; Homestead 8/3/44; Assigned 20BS/2BG Amendola 17/3/44; Missing in Action (62m) Moravska Ostrova 29/8/44 with Bill Garland, Co-pilot: Leo Zupan, Navigator: Albt Novak, Bombardier: Bill Hayett, Radio Operator: Chas Griffin, Ball turret gunner: Jesse Barker, Waist gunner: Ralph DeWitt, Waist gunner: Bob Hoadley (8 Prisoner of War); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Irving Katz, Waist gunner: Russ Payne (2 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, #1 on fire and supercharger went out on #2, while attacks ko’d #3; crashed between Metylovice & Frýdek-Místek, Czech Republic today; Missing Air Crew Report 7987. SNAFUPERMAN.

Delivered Long Beach 29/10/43; ass 533BS/381BG [VP-R/T] Ridgewell 13/1/44 as BIG MIKE; on mission to Leipzig Pilot: George Hansen, Radio Operator: Ed Senk (KIA); sustained severe battle damage on Rheims mission 2/5/44, but repaired by many volunteers over weeks, including fitting an F-model wing on a G aircraft. When it passed all tests, assigned back in action completing 100 missions, before returning to States, 121 BU Bradley 30/5/45; 4168 BU Sth Plains 21/10/45; Scrapped: Kingman 28/11/45. FRENCHY’S FOLLY.

Delivered Long Beach 19/5/43; Cheyenne 4/6/43; Kearney 30/6/43; Dow Fd 12/7/43; Assigned 416BS/99BG Navarin 15/6/43; Oudna 4/8/43; Tortorella 11/12/43; transferred 340BS/97BG Depienne 14/11/43; Cerignola 11/12/43; Amendola 16/1/44; Missing in Action Brod 2/7/44 with Ed Ferro, Diro, French, Hunt, Raynard, Moore, Oswald, Smith, Dellinger, Roeth; enemy aircraft, crashed Komarom. Missing Air Crew Report 6617.

Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/44; Kearney 10/5/44; Grenier 26/5/44; Assigned 571BS/390BG [FC-O] Framlingham 27/5/44; Missing in Action Berlin 18/3/45 with Gene Freeman, Merrill Hire, John Rapp, Sam Greenleaf, Leon Gaylord, Ed Hughes, Ray Fry, Joe Ostler, Gene Burlingame (9 Prisoner of War); flak hit on #1 engine, crashed Dreilingen, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 13139. LITTLE MORON.

Delivered Denver 18/1/44; MacDill 2/2/44; Morrison 9/3/44; Assigned 840BS/483BG Tortorella 13/3/44; transferred 346BS/99BG Tortorella 31/3/44; Missing in Action {43m} Ploesti 22/7/44 with Sid Carr, Bell, Glenn, Lemingh, Strash, Neel, Nepil, Runyon (8 Prisoner of War); Flynn, Ahr (2 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Bucharest; Missing Air Crew Report 6948.