A few of my random pics

[Elroy13]

The sound, smell and sight was incredible!!! (Thunder Over Michigan)Saturday we geared up for our routine in the show. Sitting in the radio room looking out the window at Chuckie to our left and Liberty Belle to our right. Seeing engines starting to turn over, props spinning...exhaust stacks belching smoke...and hearing each 17 check in. Once in the air it got even better. As each ship came around show center in single file, I could see several 17's out in front already coming around and looking back seeing a few more cutting in for center. But on Sunday I wanted to see it from the ground! Sitting back on Sunday gave me goose bumps! If you could just forget where you were......it was almost like being in the countryside of England at an airbase during the war. And everyone was was talking about the same things! When we arrived on Sat morning there was only seven B-17s....All the crews new that Fuddy Duddy was suppose to be the 8th one! Out in the distance you could hear someting behind the trees. All of the sudden Fuddy Duddy POPS of from behind the trees on final! All of the crews were jumping up and down yelling with excitement!!! Next thing you know they were comparing it to being on base after a raid, waiting for that one last 17 to come home! It was really an unforgetable experience for me. One that i will never forget! I just hope we can do it again with more than eight!!!
The high light for me was out photo shoot after Saturdays run. My Grandfather was a waist gunner in the 390th BG. With me being in Thunderbird in formation with the 390th's Liberty Belle....it was just the icing on the cake.

[Cking]

Thanks for the discription. Hear is another
"Green with envy!!!!!"

Rgds Cking

[Dan K]

Yup, keep the photos coming.

My mom's cousin flew right seat with the 390th (569th BS) but was KIA in April, 1944. When was your grandfather's tour of duty?

[Elroy13]

He was in the 569th starting in later '43, i believe. I had a good friend of mine paint my A-2 flight jacket up from the 390th BG. All of the leather patches are hand painted.


The guy at the leather shop sewed the shoulder patches on the wrong sleeves. I had them fixed after these pix were taken.

[Dan K]

Excellent stuff.

Here's a link to some research a fellow has done on the crew of Mom's cousin, Lt. William Pflug.

http://members.tripod.com/richardwhite1/id66.htm

The site is mostly about Jim Eppenberger, the navigator, who was relative Billy Pflug's best buddy on the crew (Billy is front row, second from left in the photo). Their regular ride was "Johnny Walker," but were in a different aircraft when they went down on 4/24/44. A flak hit over Friedrichshafen took off much of the left wing, the plane rolled inverted and blew up--about 7 or 8 seconds of he** and then eternal rest.

If your grandfather was there as late as March or April of '44, they might have passed each other in the chow line.

[Elroy13]

Thanks for the link Dan, I will check it out. I have my Grandfathers 390th book. Its the main book with pics of the base and all the men. You can purchase a copy from the 390th museum in Pima, Az. I was there about two years ago..Its very nice and growing a bit also. www.390th.org