Warbird Information Exchange

I am seeing some data on 1 b-17 being at Ladd Field Alaska for cold testing at that time, 38-215 transfered to 36th BS, stripped of testing gear, loaded with a war load out of Umnak Field in May, crashed in July still wearing her day glow test pain.

http://www.geocities.com/tempelhof.geo/marksreport.html

I posted this a while back on the B-17s that arrived in Hawaii on December 7th:

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All right, Mister Dorfmann, start pullin'!
Pilot: "Flap switch works hard in down position."
Mechanic: "Flap switch checked OK. Pilot needs more P.T." - Flight report, TB-17G 42-102875 (Hobbs AAF)

38-216 apparently was also at Ladd Field for "Cold Testing" but crashed in Nevada on Feb 6, 1941, no survivors.
. So if this data is correct, she was splattered on a mountain top in Nevada on Dec 7.
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contribut ... d/4442.htm

On 7 Dec 1941, there were 12 B-17Ds based at Hickam Field in the 11th and 5th BGs. Incoming from Hamilton Field, CA, were six B-17Es (7 BG, 88 RS) and 2 B-17Es and 4 B-17Cs (19 BG, 38 RS).

See the Baugher source within the Appendices in:

Leatrice Arakaki and John Kuborn's 7 DEC 1941: THE USAF STORY [Hickam AFB, HI: PacAF Office of History: 1991; reprinted Washington DC: GPO; 1992, 2000]

The above book is on line at:
http://contrails.iit.edu/history/7Decem ... index.html
Check Appendices in part IV... for serial numbers of incoming B-17s and crew list...and their source noted in the acknowledgements.

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

Is there a typo in my source or yours?
TIA,
David Aiken

I have found two sources that say essentially the same thing about 38-216,

On February 6, 1941, while on a flight to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, USA, this aircraft was destroyed in a crash at Ragged Top Mountain, 19 mls (31 km) west of Lovelock, Nevada; there were no survivors among the crew of eight."
http://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contribut ... d/4442.htm

and

216 crashed near Lovelock, NV while enroute to Wright Field Feb 6, 1941. All 8 killed.
http://home.att.net/~jbaugher/1938.html

seems rather cut-n-dried as there is a lot of matching detail between references.

Thanx, Holedigger,
The aircraft history record card has a survey date which is unreadable...almost...perhaps this is the problem?

There is a NY Times report, dates, 7 and 8 Feb 1942, that a B-17 piloted by Capt Richard S Freeman was lost on 6 Feb 1942, 20 miles from Lovelock, NV at Ragged Top Mt.

Thanks for your great help,
Cheers,
David

History...chasing dates....the web makes it easier to find data, but easier to copy mistakes as well. Like Wikipedia, good for a basic source, but I try not to quote them unless I can find supporting evidence that has not been copied FROM Wikipedia! I have been chasing one of the other "B"s and found conflicting dates and crash info as well!

Here is the correct information:

B-17B # 38-216 crashed at Ragged Top Mountain, about 19 miles west of Lovelock, Nevada on 6 February 1941.

I have the Accident Report right here in front of me.

The pilot was Captain R.S. Freeman;
Freeman Field, Seymour, Indiana, was named after him.
He was the base commander at Ladd Field, Alaska, at the time of his death.

For a detailed summary of this accident see
Page 2, Volume I
FATAL ARMY AIR FORCES AVIATION ACCIDENTS
IN THE UNITED STATES, 1941-1945



TonyM.

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"Welcome back Mr. Lasky."

Howdy Tony,
The crash report is wonderful! Thanks!
Do you have any info which could reveal any B-17B's unit and location on 7 Dec 1941?
TIA,
David

Been drilling down through B-17 accidents close to that date to try to locate home bases and units. Doesn't nail down the Dec 7th date, but it is relevant data fro tracking movement.
38-222 3rd BG, 6thBH France Field CZ, 6/20/41
38-217 6thBS 29thBG MacDill Field 9/9/41
38-262 49th BS Wright Field (Accident at Langley) 10/3/41
38-267 49th BS 2nd BG Geiger Field (accident at Langley)
37-369 13th RS Bangor ME, 12/19/41

All this data found at
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/search.htm

Here is a list of USAAC unit/AC Type(general type only) locations as of Dec 6, 41. Good data to help narrow search parameters if anyone else is crazy enough to data mine!!!

http://paul.rutgers.edu/~mcgrew/wwii/us ... ec.41.html

The TOTAL number of units cited as having "B-17" are PERHAPS more than the number of B-17 prototype thru B-17Bs left in the western hemisphere...on 7 Dec 1941. The REST of the production [B-17C/D and B-17E] were -on 7 Dec- in the PI, Hawaii, four in repair at Hamilton Field, and in the 7th BG preparing for oversea shipment.