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My grandfather was the first pilot assigned to command 41-2499, later named Jungle Jim.
I've seen some pictures, but the internet has swallowed some of them and I can no longer find them.

Does anyone have any scans they can share? If anyone has any physical photos like the one from here https://www.aerovintage.com/forum/viewt ... f=1&t=4944 I'd be interested in purchasing one

I also found this.
https://www.aerovintage.com/forum/viewt ... 499#p10490

To help fill in the gaps that Steve mentions, Grandpop's flight log shows him picking up the B-17E in Portland on 10 March 1942, flying it to March Field (outside S. Francisco) to Kelly (San Antonio), to MacDill. He was supposed to take part in the defense of Java (his notes in the margin say. "On the way to Java'), but Java fell before they got out of CONUS.

His orders were changed, he left MacDill on 01 Feb., taking the southern route to Africa, Middle East, and to CBI. First stop was Waller Field, Trinidad https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Waller_Air_Force_Base, then to Belem, Brazil, Natal (Brazil), Freetown (Sierra Leone), Takoradi, Accra, and Kano, Khartoum, Aden, Karachi, Colombo, Bangalore, Asanasol (Pop's notes say combat). All this in a little more than a month.

Some good information in there that fills in how the ferry flights were routed. Thanks for posting this and I hope some good photos will turn up.

Just for what it's worth...March Field is adjacent to Riverside in southern California.

I would recommend for him to pick-up this book

"Racing the Sunrise: Reinforcing America’s Pacific Outposts, 1941-1942" by Glen M Williford as a good start to read about these flights.

He could also Google "Project X", B-17

Project X was the code name for these Heavy Bomber reinforcements

For example, 41-9234 was a project X aircraft that had a similar journey, starting at Hamilton.

https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/b-17/41-9234.html

A lot of these B-17's that did not make it to the Pacific also became part of the Halpro Group, based in Palestine, they bombed with mixed B-24 formations North African targets in early 1942

Those B-17Es have always been of particular interest to me, but the plot just seems to be getting thicker.

A fellow researcher, the late George Wyatt, came up with this: "in phone conversation with Bill Wilver over the holidays he told me that 12475 was named "Jungle Jim", He crewed the a/c w/Keenan as pilot going overseas. They made a forced landing in a jungle clearing in Venezuela, hence the name. Cordaro, engineer-TT gunner, painted the name on the a/c."

Janice Olson was also contacting veterans and came up with this for 41-2499: "January 16, 1942: Arrived in India. Fountain, pilot". (She did not identify her source.) There was a further note, "On the 28th April, in Allahabad".

So we have some confusion. More than we need!

41-2499 was one of the aircraft that ultimately went to the 513th Bomb Squadron and would have had a RAF fin flash and large tail number - if we can confirm that tail number it would be a good start.

I'm happy to try to sort this out.

Steve Birdsall wrote: ↑Thu May 06, 2021 1:07 pm Those B-17Es have always been of particular interest to me, but the plot just seems to be getting thicker.

A fellow researcher, the late George Wyatt, came up with this: "in phone conversation with Bill Wilver over the holidays he told me that 12475 was named "Jungle Jim", He crewed the a/c w/Keenan as pilot going overseas. They made a forced landing in a jungle clearing in Venezuela, hence the name. Cordaro, engineer-TT gunner, painted the name on the a/c."

Janice Olson was also contacting veterans and came up with this for 41-2499: "January 16, 1942: Arrived in India. Fountain, pilot". (She did not identify her source.) There was a further note, "On the 28th April, in Allahabad".

So we have some confusion. More than we need!

41-2499 was one of the aircraft that ultimately went to the 513th Bomb Squadron and would have had a RAF fin flash and large tail number - if we can confirm that tail number it would be a good start.

I'm happy to try to sort this out.

Steve, some of that info sounds familiar, I'll have to look through my emails with Dad and see if any of those names have come up before. Probably be easier if I just point him to the forum and get him to sign up. Without digging, I know that Janice is correct on her info.

I'll dig through and get back on when I have some info.

My father's ship was 41-2499; I have his complete flight log, from May 1937 when he was a cadet at Randolph Field until he was removed from flight status for heart arrhythmia in June of 1951.

He picked 41-2449 up new in Portland on Jan 15, 1942 His notes in the margin say "PICKUP Boeing - 3 aircraft" His route down through the States and across the southern route is as my son, Asa19678 describes. Another note in the margin for 01 Feb 1942, after he had flown from MacDill to Borinquen, PR, reads "On way to Java" One thing Asa got wrong was the date of the fall of Java; by the time that happened, my dad was already in Bangalore, and the 7th was rerouting to Australia. I haven't read anything about the command decision to stay in CBI, but it's obvious.

I'm sorry, but Ms. Olsen's dates are slightly off. On 15 Jan 1942 the log reads Hamilton-S.A.D. (What is S.A.D?) On 28 April, the log shows Karachi-Delhi; Delhi-Allahabad was on the 29th, so, - close.

He was in fact part of the Halpro group, flew 1-2499 to there, but also had one of the 376th B-24s crap out on him. When I got back from WestPac, we sat in the kitchen, had some drinks, swapped stories. Engines failing one by one to target in Libya and back, until when he was back over Lydda field he was on one engine, ordered the crew to bail out over the desert past the runway. His radioman got trapped in the nose well, died in the crash. Pop said the whole way down, he kept telling himself, "Don't lose the ripcord, don't lose the ripcord." He broke several ribs and hurt his spine when he landed. Letters from crews of the 376th were quite critical of him over the crash. https://www.armyaircorps-376bg.com/missions.html Look at 12 & 15 June.

For his 80th birthday, I documented his bailout, from an entry in "Born in Battle", with the Switlik Parachute Co, presented him with his Golden Caterpillar pin; he actually teared up a little. I didn't find the actual ripcord, in a footlocker, until after he had died. I have it still.

It's no surprise to me that there was another B-17 named Jungle Jim; it was a popular cartoon in the 1930s, and later a film. So far as I know, Pop's ship never had any nose art, but there is a paucity of photos of 41-2499. He never told me how the ship got its name.

What does "Change" in the Remarks column of a flight log mean? Who made the flight log entries - a clerk? They're all typed. From what information?

-Fountain

Fountain wrote: ↑Thu May 06, 2021 8:42 pm On 15 Jan 1942 the log reads Hamilton-S.A.D. (What is S.A.D?)

Sacramento Air Depot. Thanks for the info!

This one just popped-up at DPLA

Looks like pre deployment

I don't think so; the picture of 1-2499 in Allahabad in early '41 shows it without the ball turret in the belly. I have no sense of when/how they did upgrades in the field, but this was clearly before it was back in CONUS, before the image with "jungle" camoflage at Hendricks Field.

But I thank you for the image. It's one of the few I have of my Dad's plane. I do have one he took from the nose of it, with the rising sun behind it, not particularly useful. On the back of the photo, in my Dad's handwriting, is simply "Old 17".

A while back, someone sent me an image of 1-2499 showing lettering just below the co-pilots window that read "Jungle Jim" No nose art, unfortunately.

Fountain wrote: ↑Sun Nov 19, 2023 7:30 pm I don't think so; the picture of 1-2499 in Allahabad in early '41 shows it without the ball turret in the belly. I have no sense of when/how they did upgrades in the field, but this was clearly before it was back in CONUS, before the image with "jungle" camoflage at Hendricks Field.

But I thank you for the image. It's one of the few I have of my Dad's plane. I do have one he took from the nose of it, with the rising sun behind it, not particularly useful. On the back of the photo, in my Dad's handwriting, is simply "Old 17".

A while back, someone sent me an image of 1-2499 showing lettering just below the co-pilots window that read "Jungle Jim" No nose art, unfortunately.

The first 100 (or so) B-17E did not have the sperry ball turret but a remote control turret.

You can clearly see the scanning windows on the Hendrix's photo.

The Camo pattern is from HAD

Fountain wrote: ↑Thu May 06, 2021 8:42 pmHe picked 41-2449 up new in Portland on Jan 15, 1942. His notes in the margin say "PICKUP Boeing - 3 aircraft"

Boeing records show 41-2499 being "delivered" on 10 January 1942, "destination" MacDill. Unfortunately they don't have a record of who signed for it, but two other B-17Es were delivered that same day - 41-2497 to 2/Lt Leslie B. Sigman and 41-2503 to 2/Lt Charles Franklin, so that fits.

That unusual tail camouflage remains a mystery, but seems to fit best with its desert service.