Post 1940s Scrapping

[FoCoB17G]

I'm wondering where B-17s were scrapped after the 1940s. A few stuck around into the 50s or 60s before being scrapped, so where was that done?

[terveurn]

All of the aircraft storage (USAF, USN) was moved to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in the late 1940's.

So, all the scrapped B-17 from the 1950's came from DM

[aerovin2]

Litchfield Park was actually open for the Navy until the mid-1960s so the surplus Navy PB-1Ws were stored there but none were scrapped there as far as I know. (The Navy scrapped a number of B-17s and surplus PB-1Ws and PB-1Gs in the late 1940s/early 1950s at Norfolk and Corpus Christi and elsewhere to provide parts for the operating PB-1Ws.)

The surplus USCG PB-1Gs were stored at CGAS Elizabeth City but, again, I don't think any were scrapped there.

I think surplus USAF B-17s may have been scrapped at Pyote, TX, in 1953 when that base was closed. What was made flyable was flown to Davis-Monthan and stored. The same may have been true at some of the other storage bases such as South Plains (Lubbock) and Garden City, KS before the lucky B-17s were moved to Pyote in the the 1946-1947 period. A bunch of new B-17s were stored at several storage sites and not all were kept so presumably they were scrapped when those fields were closed or re-purposed. The RFC had a bunch of new B-17s at stored Altus and these were gradually sold for scrapping though the late 1940s, but these were gone by the end of the decade as the last batch of World War II war surplus B-17s.

The USN offered their surplus PB-1Ws in 1956, the USCG their surplus PB-1Gs in 1959. I don't think the USAF offered their surplus B-17s stored at D-M for sale until 1958 or so. The USAF kept one last DB-17P, 44-83525, at D-M on an informal display and it was eventually leased, then traded, to Tallmantz Aviation in 1968.

Eight or so B-17s were dismantled by Hamilton Aviation at Tucson for parts to support Bolivian B-17s in 1956 as part of a aid deal, and the some of the surplus USAF B-17s stored at D-M offered for sale between 1958 and 1960 may have been scrapped by the local scrapyards that bought them via auction. A good number of these, mostly DB-17Ps and VB-17Gs, went into the civil market when the scrap companies resold them to civil operators. There is a photo in Final Cut of a stored B-17 at D-M that looks like it would be sold out for scrap, but I can't say for sure since the ID of that B-17 has not yet be ascertained.

I've seen a few 1959 announcements of auction sales of USAF surplus B-17s offered as single sales at D-M but nothing where a group of B-17s were sold just for scrap. An interesting topic and one that bears further research.

[Chris Brame]

Were any B-17 remains sold for scrap out of Aberdeen? Several were shot up for weapons tests there.

[jmkendall]

Thanks Chris you got to Aberdeen before I did.

There is a letter from a former serviceman in a 70s or early 80s Air Classics where he tells of "several hundred" B-17s at Aberdeen being used for testing. He indicates that it was used by the USAF as a parts source to keep the fleet running in the 50s. He certainly was taking parts of of aircraft for his aircraft.

So, yes, scrapping occured at APG, even if it was destroyed airframes.

At least one B-17 ( and posted here somewhere) that was destroyed at APG in the mid to late 50s is indicated on it's record card to be scrapped in 1947/8. I suspect that a number of airframes marked for testing were formerly declared "salvaged/scrapped" when transfered.

I would love to get to the national archives and look through project notes to find photo's of these aircraft. There might even be an inventory list. I served in supply in the Army for a minute, and they back up every thing.

[terveurn]

I would love to get to the national archives and look through project notes to find photo's of these aircraft. There might even be an inventory list. I served in supply in the Army for a minute, and they back up every thing.

The Aberdeen CD (Reel A2618 Proving Ground Command) is useless

Except for some minor Mx on 44-44-85565 & 44-83684 and 43-37885 being declared excess - there is nothing on these CD's.

There is some interesting memo's -- like what was Aberdeen planning on doing with 300 F6F's

[jmkendall]

There are a couple of tricks to use

The first is to look for the sub units records.

The second is to look for the weapons projects files. Those usually have pics of the results of the weapons test on various aircraft, vehicles ect.

You need to speak Army Beurocracy. And with 39 years in the Army I kinda get it. I used to track serial numbers down for tacom when they disputed ownership of a tank or aircraft. Tacom was chagrined to find out that the government did indeed give several shermans away in the 40s and 50s "in fee simple". Meaning the government did not maintain actual ownership. There are a lot of different avenues to search. Some of the most spectacular finds I made were in out of the way resources. For instance I found a Transport Company that had moved several tanks and cannon around to various vfw post and whatnot. They maintained a file of serial numbers for each item moved.

But it is not for the faint of heart.

[FoCoB17G]

Does anyone know where B-17s in South America were scrapped? That might be interesting to learn about. I've certainly never heard about it...