I'll offer the following as excerpted from my September 2007 B-17 News (
http://www.aerovintage.com/b17news7.htm) Some photos there also.
In the process of putting together the page on the film Command Decision recently, I dug into my files for information on the B-17G reportedly used in the film, 44-83842. One of my best sources for postwar B-17 information has always been the late Malcolm Gougon, who spent many research slowly compiling information that is now priceless, at least to me. His records indicate the following about 44-83842: It was sold as surplus out of Altus AAF in May 1947 to Bob Sturges (dba Columbia Airmotive) of Troutdale, Oregon, and registered as NL1212N. In February 1948 he sold it to aircraft broker Charles Babb operating from the Grand Central Air Terminal in Southern California. Babb leased it to Warner Brothers for Fighter Squadron in the spring of 1948 and then to MGM for Command Decision. The airplane retained the gun turrets at this time. It was then sold in late June or early July to Israeli interests represented by Al Schwimmer, who had already smuggled three B-17s out of the U.S. bound for Israel. A crew tried to fly NL1212N out of the country during the second week of July. During the first week of July arrangements were made by a company named "World Air Ferries" at White Plains, New York, to purchase 6,500 gallons of avgas to be used to fuel two B-17s and four A-26s. (By the way, the four A-26s referred to here actually have been four Douglas A-20s, N5066N through N5069N, purchased in July 1948 and destined to Israel but interned at Miami instead in August 1948).
When NL1212N showed up on July 11 at 0800, it was marked with the bogus registration of NL7712M. It was fueled and, after a short test flight, immediately departed bound for the Azores. It suffered some engine problems and ended up landng at Halifx, Nova Scotia, where it was imppounded. After a minor international incident, it was released for a return flight to the U.S. on July 16. During that flight, which apparently had the B-17 headed east instead of southwest out of Halifax, ended early when three cowlings blew off the B-17 and it returned to Halifax. After repairs, the Canadians only would authorized a depature if the B-17 was escorted back to the U.S., arrangements for which were made for a July 18th departure. Shortly before midnight on the 17th, though, the airplane departed Halifax without permission and ended up in the Azores.
There, Portugese authorities impounded the airplane and crew, the crew later being released to return to the U.S. The airplane's fate is not confirmed, but the best sources would indicate that it was shortly afterwards covertly obtained by the Dominican Republic. Some reports suggest that it was flown into the Domincan Republic in 1951 and became part of its air force flying as FAD 2301. However, Dan Hagedorn's excellent Central American and Caribbean Air Forces notes the arrival of a B-17G in the Dominican Republic in mid-September 1948, which makes more sense in the timeline. Two sources suggest this B-17G later carried the Dominican air force serial of FAD 2301. It remained in service until at least July 1954 but its ultimate fate is unknown.
With reference to the above and also Dan Hagedorn's excellent book, I would be remiss in not mentioning the Dominican B-17s. Dan's information on these airplanes suggest as many as four B-17s were eventually attached to the Dominican air forces, as follows:
"...two completely stock Boeing (Vega) B-17Gs, complete with functional turrets, guns and bomb bays (ex 44-85756/N9205 and N9206), these also being flown into Andrews Field illegally on 24 February 1947 by U.S. pilots Barry Wympy and Atkins, apparently solo! They arrived bearing only the insignias '9205' and '9206'. Strangely, '9206' departed Ciudad Trujillo briedly on 1 March, destination unknown, and it would appear that this was replaced by another aircraft flown into the DR illegally by Edward Browder, Jr. in August (1947). A U.S. embassy report dated 22 September 1948 stated that yet another B-17 arrived two or three days previously, but this may have been '9206' returning. However, by January 1949, US intelligence counted only two B-17s 'in excellent conditon' on CAMD strength."
In my research, I come to a different conclusions about '9205' and '9206'. Offering too much of a coincidence to be ignored, there were two surplus B-17Es released by the Canadian RCAF in early 1947, and marked only with the RCAF serials of 9205 and 9206 (41-2438 and 41-9142). A. Marino, the noted Argentinean aviaiton historian, records that these airplane were delivered to Argentina in March 1947 after a ferry flight that included a stop at Ciudad Trujillo. The following year civil registrations were assigned, the two becoming LV-RTO and LV-RTP, respectively. This would suggest that the appearance in the Ciudad Trujillo in March 1947 was during their delivery flight to Argentina. Both were old B-17Es, and both had been modified by the RCAF to carry mail and neither had turrets nor guns installed.
Based on this conclusion, I think it's reasonable to presume that the Dominican B-17s were only 44-83842, possibly 44-85756, and maybe a third unidentified B-17, though this to me is doubtful. More research is needed, but this is a reasonable conclusion based on sketchy information.