B-17 combat survivors

Hamilton H-37500 · **Joined:** Wed Sep 26, 2012 3:06 pm **Posts:** 34

I've been trying to pull together a list of surviving B-17 airframes that are actual combat survivors. I know that none are airworthy, all of the examples flying today were delivered too late to see combat, and have been restored to military configuration from tanker or other post-war conversions.

The only true combat survivors that come to mind are Memphis Belle (certainly the most famous), The Swoose, and Swamp Ghost (so-called; was it ever originally named or painted with nose art?).

Which other aircraft on static display or in storage are actual combat veterans?

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 6:23 pm

Shoo shoo shoo baby at the Air Force Museum is a combat vet. One in Texas at an Air Force base is rumored to have combat time in the 15th Air Force. I think either Pink Lady or the airworthy one in Britain has some potential combat history. The Black Cat Gap example in PNG on a hillside is a combat vet...so are a few that technically exist but are unrecovered underwater... How is that for starters...?

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 6:43 pm

As I recall Chuckie has time as a pathfinder aircraft in Italy(?)

Wildchild · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:06 pm

There are more B-17's on hillsides or underwater in Italy or Pacific scattered throughout the world than you have fingers and toe's.

Won't be there for long though...

Pat Carry · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:15 pm

Wildchild wrote:

There are more B-17's on hillsides or underwater in Italy or Pacific scattered throughout the world than you have fingers and toe's.

Won't be there for long though...

100's in the English Channel and in the North Sea along with B-24's, P-47's, P-51's and untold numbers of British aircraft.

K5DH · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 7:54 pm

Pat Carry wrote:

As I recall Chuckie has time as a pathfinder aircraft in Italy(?)

Nope, sorry. Although she was definitely a H2X-equipped pathfinder, she spent the entire war as a training ship in the continental United States. I have her entire life's history somewhere on my computer (courtesy of the nice folks in the records office at Maxwell AFB, Alabama).

RAMC181 · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 8:17 pm

Certain combat vets:
40-3097 "The Swoose"
41-2446 "Swamp Ghost"
41-24485 "Memphis Belle"
42-32076 "Shoo Shoo Baby"
44-8846 "Half Pint" now called "The Pink Lady" (8AF, 351BG, 6 missions as pathfinder ship)

Possible:
44-8899 Assigned 8AF in February 1945, but seemingly vanishes until July 1945.

Wildchild · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 9:29 pm

Pat Carry wrote:

Wildchild wrote:

There are more B-17's on hillsides or underwater in Italy or Pacific scattered throughout the world than you have fingers and toe's.

Won't be there for long though...

100's in the English Channel and in the North Sea along with B-24's, P-47's, P-51's and untold numbers of British aircraft.

We need to get some money and buy a boat...

tulsaboy · **Posted:** Fri Apr 26, 2013 9:47 pm

According to the Registry, 44-6393 at March Field Museum was allocated to the 15th Air Force and was in combat, and was also Ira Eaker's personal bird...

JimH · **Posted:** Sat Apr 27, 2013 12:35 am

#3 on 909 is supposedly from shoo shoo baby

aerovin · **Posted:** Sat Apr 27, 2013 4:59 am

tulsaboy wrote:

According to the Registry, 44-6393 at March Field Museum was allocated to the 15th Air Force and was in combat, and was also Ira Eaker's personal bird...

Only rumored, never verified. It was assigned to 15th AF and went to Italy, possibly to sit in a replacement depot and never used, or went to a bomb group and disappeared in the records. Many have tried, no one has found documented evidence about what the 15th AF did with the airplane. We keep looking...

It was with the 15th AF from August 1944 to May 1945, and then it is known to have been assigned to Gen. Ira Eaker while based at Bolling Field near Washington, D.C, after May 1945. Since Eaker had been the commander of the Mediterranean Air Forces after his stint with the 8th AF, it is an easy jump to suspect 44-6393 was assigned as his transport during its 15th AF duty and he continued to use it after he returned to the U.S.

JohnB · **Posted:** Sat Apr 27, 2013 6:11 am

Author Bert Stiles flew missons as co-pilot in Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby.

kidjim25 · **Joined:** Wed Jul 21, 2010 9:57 pm **Posts:** 72

41-2595 b-17E Desert Rat/Tangerine combat vet from the CBI theater

aerovin · **Posted:** Sat Apr 27, 2013 10:52 am

kidjim25 wrote:

41-2595 b-17E Desert Rat/Tangerine combat vet from the CBI theater

Well...it flew to the theater as the XC-108A transport as part of the testing process, and was not particularly successful. Never flew combat as a bomber and returned to the U.S. after a brief period.

aerovin · **Posted:** Sat Apr 27, 2013 11:01 am

A shameless plug for Final Cut, a book that details the history of all the surviving B-17s, is in order.

http://www.aerovintage.com/final.htm

Warbird Information Exchange

B-17 combat survivors

Who is online