Aero Vintage Books

Really nice storage field shot for Arledge Field
.
https://library.uta.edu/digitalgallery/img/20026251

I feel I may be stumbling into the quicksand here, but that B-17 behind 42-29888's tail is of considerable interest.

Can't see enough in that scan, but it appears to have paddle-bladed B-17F props, and yet we see what appears to be the ventral windows associated with the remote belly turrets on early B-17Es.

It also displays - at first glance anyway - what appears to be a camouflage scheme at least akin to those specified for RAF Coastal Command B-17s.

Steve

Let's take you thought one step further -- If I zoom in I can see clearly a 4 and last digit 2

From Fortress log, search Arledge and surprise surprise, 41-2412 fits....

Only B-17E listed for this field

I also believe off the left wing of this B-17E is 41-24346 - the Avenger with her nose art painted out

and I do declare that the B-17 off the right wing tip of the B-17E (in front of the B-24) is 42-29809 "Damn Yankee" as the nose art matches

https://photos.384thbombgroup.com/pictu ... /F42-29809

41-2412:

For B-17E 41-2412, the Freeman/Osborne listing shows delivered 11/10/41 at Salt Lake, to 6th AF 12/25/41; to the San Antonio Air Depot 3/21/42; to Guatemala 10/4/42 (6th AF??); returned to the U.S. to Tinker (OK) 8/3/44; to RFC at Arledge 11/23/44.

Interesting paint scheme variation if this is indeed that airplane. I wonder if Dan Hagedorn visits this forum...he might have some further information about 6th AF and Guatemala, etc.

Damn Yankee nose comparison

Tail number is readable, several other comparison points match

For the B-17E 41-2412, I did contact Dan Hagedorn about the history of these 6th AF aircraft and his response:

"Yep, she was a Sixth Air Force aircraft. Sixth had a major station for the long, lonely pacific patrol arc from there to the Galapagos for most of the war (San Jose de Guatemala was an alternate, on the coast) then they continued on down to either Talara, Peru or Salinas, Ecuador. No ASR. Very, very lonely patrols.

The first in a series of volumes of the Colors and Markings of the Sixth Air Force will be released by Model Zentrum in Poland next month, starting with the single-engine fighters and, eventually, to the multi-engine patrol bombers. The volumes are all complete, just waiting on the artist, sales and acceptance. Sure wish we had a better shot of this one. That is a very late scheme."

A bit more information, thanks to Dan.

If it’s 41-2412 it left Boeing without a radio call number painted on the tail, which would explain any “non-standard” aspects of that.

What puzzles me is the non-standard props. I think I’ve only ever seen one B-17F with B-17E-type props (41-24446, a field modification) but never (again, as I recall) a B-17E with F-type props.