7190 on bulkhead - which B-17 is it?

[Chris Brame]

Found this photo on the Hokey A$$ Message Board old photo thread:

Number on bulkhead is 7190 - but which 7190?
42-97190 per Baugher: (457th BG, 748th BS, *Hitler's Milkman*) hit by flak during mission to Nijmegen, Holland Sep 17, 1944. Landed safely in Belgium. Plane was repaired and returned to active duty. Returned to USA Jun 4, 1945.
or
42-107190, Douglas-built G, no other info.
Or is it the c/n? If so, c/n 7190 would be 42-32076 aka Shoo Shoo Baby.

[beast44k]

By no means, do I think that I know what I'm talking about, but that doesn't look like a bulkhead gun station, possibly the right side gunner port...???

[aerovin2]

For what it is worth, I very much doubt the msn would be painted that prominently on the interior. However, I have not seen other examples of any number so prominent on the aircraft interior. It is interesting to note the "Vega" marking on the armor plating below the gun. Also, the airplane looks to be new or near new.

[DryMartini]

Just adding:
The 7190 is on BLK 6, in front of the ball turret.
It is a mid-late "G" model, with the 3 piece
side enclosure and staggered waist windows,
by the decking around the ball turret.

My guess is that, cluing off Scott, the number is a
Vega construction number. But since Vega only made 2750
B-17s total....

[warbirdcrazy]

Bill That is bulkhead 6 in front of the ball turret

[DryMartini]

That's what I said....



Thanks

[Steve Birdsall]

Yes, definitely a Vega B-17G. The photo below (quickly lifted from one of my Squadron books) shows a similar number in the battered waist section of the 91st Bomb Group's
42-97880, Little Miss Mischief.

[Chris Brame]

Might as well add this - it's one of the IGN B-17s from that documentary film Histoire d'une Carte:

I thought that was a date at first but those are rivets, not hyphens.

[C-47B]

Didn't Douglas paint their own four digit inventory numbers-which differed from the AAF S/N--on the aircraft just aft of the pilot side windows? Perhaps that is what these numbers are. Maybe there is a list of company numbers and their corresponding AAF S/N? There is an example of this on page 54 of Lloyd's B-17 In Detail and Scale.

[aerovin2]

Yes, the manufacturer's serial number (msn) was painted by Douglas on the nose and apparently by Vega on the bulkhead. I've been too lazy to look it up but now that I did, Vega msn 7190 corresponds to B-17G-30-VE 42-97825.

An internet search reveals that this airplane flew as Phyllis with the 379th BG and was ultimately scrapped at Kingman. Details are available in the 379th BG Anthology from this Amazon link: http://books.google.com/books?id=EF41L- ... 25&f=false

[hang the expense]

That's the first staggered waist with the three piece window I have seen.Learn something new all the time.