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"Speedy" the Press plane, B17E

Posted: Fri May 15, 2015 9:42 pm
by Dan Johnson
Came across this photo and in the quest for more stateside 17s I had to have it.

Captioned on the back "Arriving at Orlando, Florida, May 9, 1943-Orlando AAF School of Applied Tactics, Speedy the Press Plane"

Can't make out the serial number but it's a nice photo of a B-17E

Image

Re: "Speedy" the Press plane, B17E

Posted: Mon May 18, 2015 5:53 pm
by Chris Brame
Zoomed in a bit:

Image

Last digit is 7; next to last is rounded on top so it ends in 27, 37, 67, 87, 97, or 07. That narrows it to 30 serials.

Checking through Baugher and eliminating the ones that don't fit, we get these 5 possibles:

41-2397 condemned Oct 31, 1944
41-2587 delivered Barksdale Feb 22, 1942, to McDill Mar 1, 1942, to Sarasota with 97th BG Mar 29, 1942, to McDill Apr 18, 1942, to Cheyenne May 21, 1942. Force landed at Orlando Jun 11, 1942. To Walla Walla Aug 7, 1942. Force landing at Pendleton, Oregon Aug 17, 1942. To Rapid City Oct 1, 1942, to Pocatello with 96th BG Nov 4, 1942, to Hendricks Mar 24, 1943. Crashed Dec 27, 1943 1/2 mi N of Hendricks AAB, FL. All 6 onboard killed.
41-2627 scrapped Oct 1944
41-9067 delivered to Geiger 301st BG Apr 3, 1942; transferred to Alamogordo Jun 18, 1942; transferred to Westover Jul 2, 1942; transferred to Lowry Aug 19, 1942; tranferred to Boise Sep 19, 1942; transferred to Oklahoma City Dec 18, 1942; transferred to Owen Dec 5, 1943(?); assigned to 2137 BU at Hendricks Mar 31, 1943; WO Jul 7, 1944; reclaimed for scrap Jan 3, 1946.
41-9167 delivered to Sebring May 4, 1942; wrecked 50 miles south of Apalachicola, FL May 12, 1942, repaired; transferred to Hendricks Nov 11, 1942; assigned to 3017 BU Hobbs Dec 3, 1943; To RFC at Albuquerque Jun 16, 1945.

What do you think?