Aero Vintage Books

Another year has passed and the fabled Blue Goose remains . . . fabled. A footnote to the story is this press item, published on August 30, 1942, that is unique and interesting because it describes the Waskowitz plane as navy-blue rather than "baby blue". http://img-cdn.filefactory.com/embed/xl/62vu...

This is the best image I can get – there are clues there, but not enough for me to want to take a stab at the RCN. The original poster said his father was an instructor in flight engineer school.

Things are pretty quiet but an interesting photo of a couple of Chanute trainers turned up on Facebook posted by Steve Leyden, whose father took the photograph.

http://img-cdn.filefactory.com/embed/xl/5241aebvlyok.jpg A high-resolution version of the NARA Kodachrome image of Redmond Annie turned up recently. Unfortunately, the serial number is still unclear, but I believe I can read enough of it to establish that it’s a Douglas Long Beach B-17F, serial beg...

I agree that some earlier published information has since been clarified or corrected, but I believe Roger was refering to the Spaatz October 1942 order that you also quoted. So far I’ve identified at least ten early 306th Bomb Group B-17Fs that had the yellow fuselage rings, with examples from all ...

http://img-cdn.filefactory.com/embed/xl/1jyyl1wkmx8c.jpg The other day somebody posted a sideview on Facebook of what a particular early 306th Bomb Group B-17F – 41-24501 – might have looked like. Apparently there are no photos of the plane, which was shot down in January 1943. The artist had portr...

He picked 41-2449 up new in Portland on Jan 15, 1942. His notes in the margin say "PICKUP Boeing - 3 aircraft" Boeing records show 41-2499 being "delivered" on 10 January 1942, "destination" MacDill. Unfortunately they don't have a record of who signed for it, but two other B-17Es were delivered th...

Excellent. I guess the fact it was flopped put some people off.

No, I won't be bidding. Good luck if you do!

It looks like 41-9194 got to the 19th Bomb Group's 435th Bomb Squadron as an ASV-equipped replacement in July 1942. An engineering report dated 6 July notes that "94 is the serviceable ship of the squadron" but no further explanation. This is the first photo I've seen of this one. It was transferred...

http://img-cdn.filefactory.com/embed/xl/6xkb03ebkkf4.jpg Turns out this is Sgt William N. Ewing from the 342nd Bomb Squadron, 97th Bomb Group. He was a waist gunner and flew the August 17, 1942 mission with Lt George D. Burgess in 41-9042, The Berlin Sleeper . I’m not sure whether he was always par...

http://img-cdn.filefactory.com/embed/xl/3lcwklod4rnw.jpg Another 97th Bomb Group B-17E with a modified waist gun was this one, 41-9174 from the 340th Bomb Squadron. On the left is Major Paul W. Tibbets and next to him Sgt Chester C. Love, then John Hall in front of the waist window, and Sgt Arthur ...

Flight engineer Sgt John F. Vlad from Kokomo, Indiana is very likely one of the unidentified enlisted men.

http://img-cdn.filefactory.com/embed/xl/31bn703qhy6g.jpg Lately I’ve been trying to put names to faces in LIFE’s treasure trove of Margaret Bourke-White photos. I’m particularly interested in this crew posing with the 97th Bomb Group’s 41-24412, Flying Flit Gun . Margaret Bourke-White came up with ...

And another fragment . . . LIFE's Margaret Bourke-White photographed by fellow photographer Lee Miller. No details but reportedly Northamptonshire in 1942 and almost certainly a 97th Bomb Group B-17.