As you may guess, this is related to the Paducah B-17G. I found this shot of 42-102783 online:
Note the lack of a cheek gun mount. Next, the Paducah bird, which is possibly 42-102834(Edit - It's not; see Paducah thread update):
Again no cheek gun mount. Next, 42-102829:
Cheek gun that's darker than the rest of the skin.
My question: Were these cheek gun positions added at modification centers rather than the factory, so some planes didn't get them? Was this usually on trainer versions within the 42-102XXX block?
Over to the experts...
Last edited by Chris Brame on Sun Sep 27, 2015 5:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
I'm not sure there is one answer here. I think early B-17G production deleted the cheek guns that had been added to B-17F production because the thinking was that the chin turret would be sufficient. If you look at the very early Gs, they did not have the cheek installations. I believe after combat experience, they were added again at modification centers and were eventually added back into the production lines at the assembly factories.
I know there would be a good book entitled "Production History of the B-17 Flying Fortress" that would nail all this stuff down. With a lot more time and a lot more money, I'd write it.
Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
http://www.aerovintage.com
Here is another training command B17G without the cheek guns. Hadn't noticed it before. I've seen lots of images of OD/Gray G models without the cheek guns and always thought it was just the early birds and that the cheek guns were added at the modification centers initially.
Surprised to see the NMF birds without them. This is an Alexandria, LA based 17
For those interested... The cheek guns were not (re) added to the Boeing production line until aircraft 42-102800. If the aircraft did not go thru Cheyenne Mod Center and went directly to a ZOI training field, then the aircraft would not have have the cheek package installed.
There also must have been a shortage of Cheyenne pumpkins as well -- been finding a bunch of pictures of B-17G-50 thru 60 aircraft that went thru the mod center but no modified tails installed
Funny you should mention 42-102800; see these LIFE magazine images:
With cheek gun positions - which may put a big dent in my theory that 42-102834 is the Paducah B-17.
Terveurn, with the info you have available, have you ever found any record of a B-17G being donated to the Boy Scouts in Paducah, KY? Best ID clue I have is that it came from a depot in Memphis rather than Altus.
Just finished all the B-17G-50 / 60 BO's for my e-book
Not many of these aircraft went to Memphis and never left (most Memphis Municipal birds went to Keesler AAF or South Plains AAF for ultimate disposal)
There were two that never left Memphis:
TB-17G 42-102556 - Assigned Memphis Municipal: 11 July 1946 (note: this aircraft was from Aberdeen Proving ground and might have been a paper transfer)
TB-17G 42-102834 - SOC: 21 August 1946 (STNO: SU-A-135)
* * *
Memphis Municipal was also the home of the 4th Ferry Group and they ferried a lot of the ex-combat aircraft from Bradley AAF thru Memphis to South Plains AAF for storage
Thanks! 42-102556 sounds like a possibility since the Paducah plane doesn't have cheek guns. Baugher has it assigned to Aberdeen on July 7, 1946 so I had not noticed it before. I'll be looking forward to that e-book (and so will Scott, I bet!). What fields was it assigned to as a trainer?
NickV wrote:Hi Terveurn,
Thanks for the info. What does "STNO" stand for?
Someone once said it was the last four digits of the serial number, but that's not right.
And is there a list that decodes the "Project No."?
Thanks for your help. I need it...
NIck
Nick, you have probably already seen this, but Robert Mann's book on record cards states, for STNO:
"Meaning unknown but appears to be a control number for transfer of a plane from RFC to scrapper/salvager"
He also states that a master decode list for project numbers does not seem to exist, for what it is worth.
Scott Thompson
Aero Vintage Books
http://www.aerovintage.com
