Long Beach B-17F Factory Numbers

[Steve Birdsall]

The "Grim Reaper" is 42-2979, the sixteenth Douglas-built B-17F, as the number "16" on the nose suggests. She was assigned to the 97th Bomb Group in January 1943, transfered to the 2nd Bomb Group in November 1943, then to the 99th Bomb Group in March 1944. She flew one mission with the 99th, was transfered to the 483rd Bomb Group and was shot down over Yugoslavia on April 16, 1944.

Dick Drain and I managed to get this wrong for years, despite the fact that the answer was staring us in the face. It did get a bit complicated because the 97th was also using the "last two" of the serial number on the noses of aircraft, but that's another story.



And this is the 99th Bomb Group's 42-2980, Sadie Hawkins, a veteran of 46 missions with the 301st Bomb Group before being transfered to the 99th in November 1943. The "17" painted on the nose is the Long Beach factory number and the dog is "Blitzie".

Anybody got other examples?

[aerovin2]

Douglas used line numbers on their airplanes vs. manufacturer's serial numbers as most others did, and did not restart with a new series (i.e. B-17F to B-17G). Douglas built a total of 3,000 B-17s, 600 B-17Fs and 2,400 B-17Gs.

To me, the weird thing is that the line numbers were left on the airplanes after they were accepted for service. Having it on both airplanes in the above photos suggests it wasn't an exception, though later Douglas B-17s usually did not carry the numbers into service. There are other examples, particularly Lockheed B-17Gs, where the msn was also carried on the airplane into service.

I pulled three photos out to compare examples.

This first photo shows that Douglas changed from putting the line number aft of the nose to apply the line number just aft of the cockpit early in the production series. It is interesting to me that the glass nose in this photo has the beefed up structure and the nose gun mount at the factory, something I always thought was added on at a modification center or in the combat theater. This airplane was accepted on 4/30/43 and appears to only have been used for domestic training in the U.S. and ended up at Kingman in late 1945.



These two show May 1944 production at Long Beach of B-17Gs. This first one is of 44-6103, accepted on May 4, 1944, and assigned to the 457th BG. It was lost over Schweinfurt less than three months later, on July 21, 1944.



And one included just because it is a cool shot...

[Steve Birdsall]

Thanks for joining in Scott, nice photos.

It appears to me that the early production numbers were usually painted over, certainly in the Eighth Air Force, and sometimes in the Twelfth. The 97th Bomb Group's 42-2981, Snoozin' Suzan, would originally have had "18" on her nose, not 81 . . . that's one of the ones that derailed me before.



Now here's the 91st Bomb Group's Dame Satan, 42-2990, which would have left the factory with the number "27" on the nose.



An interesting if obscure part of the story.

[Steve Birdsall]

Here's another one . . . 42-3010 "Our Baby", serving as a trainer in Texas.

[AIR DEPOT]

Are the photos of the B-17Gs from your collection, or on a site somewhere? I am looking for a photo of 44-6106, which became "Gremlin's Hideout. It was piloted by a friend of mine, Roy Mousty.

[Steve Birdsall]

Another interesting example is 42-2982 Lady Luck from the 97th Bomb Group's 342nd Bomb Squadron, shot down on April 17, 1943 with Lt Harold Schirmer and his crew.



Fifth Wing Researcher Marty Upchurch found the photo - thanks Marty!

[Steve Birdsall]

Another very interesting photo from Marty Upchurch . . . this is 42-2981 Snoozin' Suzan in her later days, serving as a utility aircraft in the 99th Bomb Group.



Originally assigned to the 97th Bomb Group in January 1943, the B-17 was transfered to the 99th in November 1943. She flew 15 more missions before being "condemned" in May 1944. After repairs she continued serving with the 99th and was finally salvaged in May 1945.

It looks as if the original factory number, 18, has reappeared as the paint that once covered it was stripped off or just weathered away.

[Zemper]

A shot of the 1,000th B-17 from Douglas, #42-38113.