44-83440

[Steve Birdsall]

This interesting photo from the LIFE collection turned up on Facebook. Nothing specific, but maybe Atsugi and reportedly September 1945.



Dave Osborne’s data doesn’t seem to fit with it being in Japan in September 1945, and Joe Baugher’s list skips it.

[aerovin2]

My abbreviated history of the airplane taken from the record card:

44-83440 3-9-45 accepted/3-45 AFE (as per Mann's book, "U.S. Air Force in Europe" but it also might derive from "Far East"/10-45 BOLLING/10-45 TB-17G/6-46 ABERDEEN

[Steve Birdsall]

Another photo, presumably of the same B-17G, reveals the last couple of letters of a name, but I can’t immediately recall seeing it before.

[Chris Brame]

Maybe not the same? The tail number's a lot higher on the fin, like the 44-6xxx/8xxx series often were.

[Steve Birdsall]

I missed that, good point.

[Phixer09]

"Dave Osborne’s data doesn’t seem to fit with it being in Japan in September 1945"

The IARC records the aircraft assigned to Bolling Field Aug45 and departing the US 6Aug45. It returned to California by 23Oct45.