Aero Vintage Books

Tuffy, 41-24574, flew with the 43rd Bomb Group from Australia and New Guinea.

I’m interested in anything about the movements of this B-17F between when it returned to the U.S. in November 1943 and when it went to Altus for salvage in August 1945.

A photo of it taken at Lockbourne turned up recently on eBay, but there were no details at all in the caption. The photo was date-stamped August 1945 but that may be just the date it was filed away.

Any help will be very welcome. I thought I had an old photocopy of the IARC but if I did I can’t find it.

I've always thought it was odd, given the variety of armament modifications done to 5th AF bombers, that B-17Fs weren't modified to accept .50 cal nose guns in a manner similar to field mods done by the 8th AF.

Dave Osborne's list has this:

41-24574 Del Cheyenne 12/8/42; Hamilton 9/11/42; Ass 63BS & 403BS/43BG Mareeba, Aus 14/11/42; Milne Bay, NG 23/11/42; Mareeba, Aus 21/1/43; Port Moresby, NG 11/5/43; RetUS Rapid City 9/11/42 (398BG training at Walker Fd, Kan); RFC Altus 30/8/45. TUFFY.

To be honest, I've never quite understood that entry in Dave Osborne's list. I know he worked from the IARCs, with input from Roger Freeman and many others (including me). The 398th was employed as an OTU before going overseas - from July to December 1943 - and was at Rapid City from June 1943 until early April 1944.

That is part of the problem with the Master index -- way too many short-cuts.

There was a bunch of Bomb groups that staged through Rapid City in 1943 and any one of them could have used this aircraft as a temporary training aircraft.

The best way is to order the Rapid city AAF CD and see what show's-up -- I did this with Sioux City and found a radio school that was still using B-17B's & D to train (radio procedures) until August 1944
CD B2487 looks interesting

http://airforcehistoryindex.org/data/000/176/955.xml

INTENDED FOR TRAINING IN HEAVY BOMBARDMENT AIRCRAFT. 28 SEP 42, FIRST B-17 AIRCRAFT ARRIVED

Full index for B2487

http://airforcehistoryindex.org/search.php?q=B2487

Full index for B2488

http://airforcehistoryindex.org/search.php?q=B2488

Steve Birdsall wrote: A photo of it taken at Lockbourne turned up recently on eBay, but there were no details at all in the caption. The photo was date-stamped August 1945 but that may be just the date it was filed away.

Is the Lockbourne photo the one in the first post? If not, do you have a link to the completed auction? I looked through nearly 600 completed listings yesterday and didn't find it.

Did find another Alexandria trainer photo, so I ain't complaining!

Chris Brame wrote:

Steve Birdsall wrote: A photo of it taken at Lockbourne turned up recently on eBay, but there were no details at all in the caption. The photo was date-stamped August 1945 but that may be just the date it was filed away.

Is the Lockbourne photo the one in the first post? If not, do you have a link to the completed auction? I looked through nearly 600 completed listings yesterday and didn't find it.

Did find another Alexandria trainer photo, so I ain't complaining!

600 complete listings from e-bay in one day -- you got me beat....

No, I never saw the original listing . . . then stumbled on this while I was looking for something else.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1945-Press-Phot ... 7675.l2557

As you'll see, the caption doesn't really help. Maybe the photo was used in a newspaper story but I haven't found it.

Aha. "B-17" wasn't in the listing. The search did turn up another Lockbourne ship, this time an E:

Nice work Chris. Ramp Rooster is likely a combat veteran too, judging by that enlarged gun window in the nose.

Found these early birds as well - neither E was a combat vet.