Wartime B-17D Swoose photos I haven't seen before

[Chris Brame]

From an eBay auction - the ventral "bathtub" is still there, and I see a Western Airlines DC-3 in the background, so this must be in California when it returned from the Pacific in 1942. These suckers are not only sharp, they're BIG!:












Great detail on what was left of the paint job on the undersides.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-WW2-The-Swoos ... 2c9f9b01fd

[DH82EH]

Thanks for posting those Chris.
She looks brand new, probably just like they are going to display her

Seriously, some excellent details in those pics.

Andy Scott

[APG85]

Neat pictures!
Speaking of "The Swoose"...status? Has the restoration been put on hold?

[JohnB]

Back in May, 2011, I saw them both at the NMUSAF restoration shop.
I asked the restoration manager about the Swoose and he said that they were to finish the Memphis Belle first.
The Belle's turrets and engines were finished then along with a good deal of the airframe. They must be almost done now.

So perhaps one of these days....

[jdvoss]

Great wartime photos!! The photos must have been taken on one of the Swoose's stateside visits as I recognize the airport to be that of Burbank, CA. The mountains in the background are a dead giveaway to the location.

JDV

www.fuselagecodes.com

[SaxMan]

You can really get a feel for how worn the plane was from its experiences. Just the fact that it survived the first 30 days of the war was a wonder.

[Pat Carry]

Neat pictures!
Speaking of "The Swoose"...status? Has the restoration been put on hold?

Currently there is no work taking place on the Swoose. I hope I'm still around in 15 (?) years to see it finished.

[wyocubdriver]

Anybody know what color the belly is painted in those pictures? It looks to be black or a very very dark grey. Thoughts?

Last edited by wyocubdriver on Thu Aug 20, 2015 4:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[mustangdriver]

Dark Gray.

[gemmer]

IMHO it was black, and when the Swoose was repainted when Kurtz reclaimed it after the war, it was black again.

[BK]

Back in May, 2011, I saw them both at the NMUSAF restoration shop.
I asked the restoration manager about the Swoose and he said that they were to finish the Memphis Belle first.
The Belle's turrets and engines were finished then along with a good deal of the airframe. They must be almost done now.

So perhaps one of these days....

I took the resto tour two months ago and was told no work was being done on aircraft not related to the new hangar. The Belle is to be done in time for some anniversary related to the plane. I got the feeling it would be 2-4 more years for the Belle. Then on to the Swoose, and they haven't decided whether to keep the current artwork or not. This is a change as in the past they said the artwork would definitely be stripped and repainted.

[gemmer]

The Swoose and some 19th BG cousins

[Joe Scheil]

Can any B-17 serial folks chime in on the identities of the planes in the pictures...?

Simply love the early 17 since I saw one blow the entire Japanese Fleet out of the water in the movie "Air Force".


By the way, you can find the book "Queens Die Proudly" on EBAY
which is the story of the "Swoose", and is a very good read. What is remarkable was the tragedy of the Philippines and perhaps
the memory of the lost families there inspired a desire to continue to use that plane, the last remnant of the prewar glory of
Clark Field for the entire war. Her preservation, and the remaining details of her life are in my opinion, one of the most important
artifacts of the war.

actually found a couple, one with B-17e Dust jacket... if someone wants them...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/QUEENS-DIE-PROU ... 25aa9d3c7c

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Queens-Die-Prou ... 51c27cc9c8

Also period...a Hubbell Print....issued on a calendar by Thompson Products....

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Boeing-B-17C-Fl ... 567a225dc6

[gemmer]

Pix in the order posted

1-3: The Swoose 3097
4: 3067 crash on take off Darwin
5: 3067 prewar visit Darwin
6: Unknown serial no. Darwin or Java
7: 2072 shot up after mission to Davao
8: 3061 destroyed Java
9: Darwin boneyard
10: 3095 at Clark. Kelly's original ship
11: 2072 shot up nose
12: 3097 Swoose
13-18: Wrecks at Clark
19: 2072 rebuilt, used as transport, crashed 6/14/43

Duane

[Invader26]

Picture #5 with B-17 [67] sitting near terminal building is at Archerfield Airport, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. As a matter of interest I owned a hangar for 20 years that now sits exactly on the aircraft's parking bay. I felt the ghosts....