Some vintage B-17 pics

[Nathan Milarta]

Since you guys like B-17s figured I'd post some pictures from my collection.

Enjoy,
Nathan

A Flight of B-17s from Hickam field on patrol January 1942.


B-17B:


B-17C #49 was one of the B-17's that flew into the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Seen here where she crash landed at Bellows.

[AIR DEPOT]

Nathan, I just e-mailed Steve Birdsall, but you might also be of help. I am trying to research a series if B-17E's, and hopefully find some photos of them. They are B-17E 41-2501 thru 41-2511. They were accepted by the USAAF at Portland Army Air Base. B-17E 41-2503 thru 41-2507 went to the Pacific theatre. The photos you posted are interesting, but I cannnot make out the serial numbers. Don Keller

[hang the expense]

I love the wild camo on the shark fin bird.I would guess the camo on the E model is RAF with the bird taken back over by the aircorps.The bird on Blackcat pass may have been painted this way as the RAF finflash was still evident recently.Somebody still needs to get that bird.Anyone want to guess where the top turret to this bird is currently?

[DryMartini]

I know! I know!
But since you told me the answer a while ago,
I don't feel it's sporting to say. Anyone else
have a guess?

[NickV]

Tom, I don't know and I'd love to know! Do tell!
Nick

[Steve Birdsall]

I think it's certain that B-17E 41-9234 was originally painted in a camouflage scheme used by the Royal Air Force maritime reconnaissance squadrons. Charles Darby's early photos of the wreck are the best evidence of this.

This wonderful photo taken by Janice Olson also supports the theory.



It's funny to look back at some of the wild and wonderful guesses about how FL461 got there, but the truth was far better than our fiction!

Don, I never received an e-mail from you, but I don't have much on those B-17s that you would not already know from Gene Salecker's book.

Steve Birdsall

* Fixed broken link 28 October 2009

[hang the expense]

Steve! What a fabulous pic! I have never seen that one before.Guess this was taken after Dave got to it.Hmmm

[hang the expense]

Tom, I don't know and I'd love to know! Do tell!
Nick

Can you guess now?CGlad to see you are on the forum Nick.

[b29flteng]

I love the wild camo on the shark fin bird.I would guess the camo on the E model is RAF with the bird taken back over by the aircorps.The bird on Blackcat pass may have been painted this way as the RAF finflash was still evident recently.Somebody still needs to get that bird.Anyone want to guess where the top turret to this bird is currently?

The camo appears to be the three tone camo that was applied for the pre-war war games. I think it consisted of Sand, Dark Earth, and Dark Green? I've seen photos of Air Guard Douglas O-38s with that camo .

[Steve Birdsall]

According to Dana Bell, (in AIR FORCE COLORS Volume 3), "at least ten B-17Es were repainted at the Hawaiian Air Depot in 1941/42".

He states that a "standard pattern" was applied and it was composed of "Sea Green, Rust Brown, and Sand over the factory finish of Olive Drab and Neutral Gray".

This would almost certainly apply to the furthest B-17 in Nathan's photo, which I believe is 41-2434.

There's fading traces of this same scheme on 41-2432, The Last Straw.

[hang the expense]

Hi Steve,Whats up with the belly guns sticking out where the turret is supposed to be?Did they not like the remote turret on this bird and remove it?

[Steve Birdsall]

Hi Steve,Whats up with the belly guns sticking out where the turret is supposed to be?Did they not like the remote turret on this bird and remove it?

Yep, this is the hand-held version . . . legend has it that the turrets were removed because they were rendered useless by splashed mud on takeoff from the sod fields on Java.

[hang the expense]

Thanks Steve.Interesting info on that.Hey Nick,Have you figured out where that turret is now? Its been right under our noses for some years now.

[gary1954]

Okay, so wtf....is it a secret. HANDS IN THE AIR...give it up.....and tell us where the turret is.....NOW!!!! This is fun.

[DryMartini]

What B-17 is owned by a guy named "Dave",
and who had the authority (or at least the ability)
to go to PNG and take whatever he wanted?