Warbird Information Exchange

38-211 crashed on 22 Oct 1942 8 miles NE of Hendricks, FL (NY Times 24 Oct 1942). Could this be a 21RS aircraft?

38-212 was listed as 'salvage' 23 Sep 1943 at Hendricks, FL...but where was it on 7 Dec 1941? and what unit?

38-213 was listed as 'survey' at Tucson Field, 20 Nov 1942...

38-214 crashed in Arizona on 6 April 1942 5KIA, 2 bailed OK (NY Times 7 April 1942)

38-215 crashed 18 June 1942 at the west end of Umnak Island, AK while with the 36th BS...but was it with the 36th BS on 7 Dec?

38-216 wrecked at Ladd Field, AK on 5 March 1943. Unit and location sought for 7 dec 1941

38-217 wrecked on 20 Feb 1942, location and particulars are unknown.

38-218 wrecked at Geiger Field, WA on 2 May 1942, unit and particulars are unknown...but where was it on 7 Dec 1941?

38-219 was listed at condemned/ salvaged in Equador in Jan 1944 but where was it on 7 Dec 1941?

38-220 was lost ar San Jose Airport on 19 Jan 1942... where was it on 7 Dec 1941? Unit and base...

38-221 was condemned/ surveyed on 27 Oct 1943 in Panama... what about 7 Dec?

38-222 ditched in Millsbaugh Bay, FL on 20 June 1941. Enough said.

38-223 made it to Australia by 31 Oct 1944 when it was condemned. Yet, what about 7 Dec 1941?

38-258 was listed as 'wrecked' in Feb 1942 at Hendricks, FL...but where was it on 7 Dec 1941? and what unit?

38-259 was salvaged at Hendricks Field on 16 May 1944.

38-260 was salvaged at Sioux Falls, Sd on 9 Aug 1943...

38-261 was salvaged at Hendricks Field on 27 July 1943.

38-262 was condemned/ surveyed on 26 June 1943 in Panama... what about 7 Dec?

38-263 was surveyed on 27 August 1944 at Baltimore, MD... what about 7 Dec?

38-264 had a takeoff accident in Guatamala and condemned 18 March 1942.

38-265 was salvaged at Lowry Field, CO on 11 July 1945...but what about 7 Dec 1941?

38-266 crashed at Comfort, Texas on 14 Feb 1942

38-267 was surveyed on 6 March 1942 at Geiger Field, WA.

38-268 was salvaged at Hendricks Field, FL on 4 June 1943

38-269 was surveyed at Hendricks Field, FL on 4 Dec 1942.

38-270 was salvaged at Hendricks Field, FL on 30 Oct 1943

38-583 was salvaged at Lowry Field, FL on 6 Dec 1943

38-584 was salvaged at Hendricks Field, FL on 29 Oct 1943

38-610 was salvaged at Hendricks Field, FL on 5 Dec 1943

39-1 was salvaged at Hendricks Field, FL on 13 Sep 1943

39-2 was salvaged at Amarillo Field, FL on 4 August 1943

39-3 was salvaged at Amarillo Field, FL on 24 Sep 1943

39-4 was surveyed at Cincinnati, OH on 26 Jan 1945...but what of 7 Dec 1941?

39-5 was condemned in Alaska on 28 Aug 1942...but where was it on 7 dec 1941 and what unit?

39-6 was salvaged at Amarillo Field, FL on 4 August 1943

39-7 was salvaged at Amarillo Field, FL on 4 August 1943

39-8 crashed near Reading, MA on 18 July 1942 (NY Times 19 July 1942)

39-9 crashed on 16 Jan 1942 at Argentia, Newfoundland

39-10 was salvaged at Amarillo Field, FL on 4 August 1943

Where were ALL the B-17Bs on 7 Dec 1941?
TIA for guidance,
Cheers
David Aiken

34 B-17s had been pulled from various bases and assigned to Clark. Still trying to dig up which S/Ns they were.

To add to your query, David--was there a YB-17 in the Hawaiian Island area on 7 December? I have at least one reference that says there was a YB from the 38th Recon. Squadron there. I don't have the serial number at hand but I can get it tonight.

I actually have a photo of the Sioux Falls B-17B that I'll post later.

Scott

So far I've only found serials for C's and D's at Clark. I'll keep looking

Aloha All,
The B-17Cs, Ds, and Es which came to/thru Hawaii by 7 Dec 1941 are known by serial:

Go to your "InterLibrary Loan (ILL)" department of your library to order:
http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/ow/25570162

Mitchell, John H.: "In Alis Vicimus: On Wings We Conquer" [The 19th and 7th Bomb Groups in the Southwest Pacific in the First Year of World War Two], GEM pub., Springfield, MO, 1990...long out of print. The late author and I worked hard on those Appendices.
HTH,
David

We've been talking alot of B-17B on the Aerovintage board. Might be worth bringing it up there.

As for the 19th BG, did you ever come across the name of Roderick Stewart? He supposedly was on one of the 17s that flew into Pearl and later flew 40 missions with the 19th. He ended up a Squadron Commander with an 8th AF BG. I can't connect him to any of the 17s that flew into Pearl however.

38-215 and 216 were detached from the 36th BS at Lowry Field for cold weather testing at Ladd Field in Alaska. 216 was the only B-17B to fly combat as the war broke out while it was still at Ladd. It crashed on one of those missions as I understand it.

Hi Dan,
2 Lt Stewart was bombardier aboard Robert Thacker's B-17E 41-2432.
HTH,
David

So a B-17 crashed in my backyard on Valentines Day 1942, thats the first I've heard of that. I was still trying to find out about the B-18 that crashed near here about the same time, and a Norseman (I think) a year later. What a gold mine if I can find some old cogger that remembers where!

Thanks for that info.

I picked up a used copy of "Queens Die Proudly" and it was signed by Roderick Stewart, 19th BG, 1942.

Thought it was a nice bonus to the book

The study continues...
On 15 August 1940, about 15 months before Dec 1941, the following units were slated to have B-17s (type unknown). Did they initially have B-17Bs and to which units did their inventory pass upon receipt of newer B-17s?
ie: who had what serial numbers ON 7 Dec 1941?

7BG and 88RS: 11 B-17
19BG and 38RS: 13 B-17
2BG and 41RS: 11 B-17
25BG and 21RS: 8 B-17


Joseph F Baugher cites:

A 41RS/2BG B-17B dropped bombs on a German U-Boat off of Newfoundland on 27 Oct 1941.

...what was the serial/markings?

Your help is really appreciated!
TIA,
David

Dan,

The 38th Recon Squadron was equipped with at least some Y1B-17s in the 1940-41 timeframe. I believe the 88th RS had a few as well. The 1/48th scale YB I'm building will either be #33 or #38 from the 38th RS.

That leads to my earlier question about a YB possibly being in the Hawaiian Islands at the time of the attack. One of my references has a photo of #33 (taken in 1940) with a caption that states she was camouflaged and was among the airplanes that arrived on 7 December. I don't really believe that to be correct, but I thought I'd put it out there for discussion.

Didn't someone write a book about the earliest Fortresses up to the introduction of the "E" model? If not, would it be something that anyone would be interested in seeing?

Scott

Go to your "InterLibrary Loan (ILL)" department of your library to order:
http://www.worldcat.org/wcpa/ow/25570162

Mitchell, John H.: "In Alis Vicimus: On Wings We Conquer" [The 19th and 7th Bomb Groups in the Southwest Pacific in the First Year of World War Two], GEM pub., Springfield, MO, 1990...long out of print.

Within the above volume are extremely rare photos made during the Dec 1941 assault and in the retreat from the Philippines. There are also several listing of B-17s by serial, etc which shall answer many more questions. The late author and I worked hard on those Appendices.
HTH,
David

Thanks for the heads-up David. I'll be visiting the library ASAP.

Scott

Found a listing for a bunch of "B's" that were "modernized" by Boeing and then redelivered in Aug, 41 if that helps any. Did they then redesignate the letter but keep the serial?

http://www.aerovintage.com/forum/viewto ... 227ac8a510