1943 Movie "Air Force"

[pokryshkin]

Readers, please be advised:
When there is new information, or when I get some new candle lit in the little balloon over my head, I update and modify my posts. Please, check on them occasionally, to see what new data or ideas have been received.

Thank you!!

PS - it LOOKS like "Scale Aircraft Modelling" is planning to publish the article - maybe even a series of articles - but needs built model photos.

Humbly,

Dennis L. "Dan" Katz

[pokryshkin]

Dik Shepherd has put yet another cat amongst the pigeons, and has got ME wondering: the fin on the taxying-out "10" has a missing vertical fin deicer boot; the only 2 aircraft at Sebring/Hendricks during June-August 1942 [for the filming of Air Force] (from what I have and what Dik Shepherd has) that received deicer boots are 39-006 (Boeing stay=B-17C Standard) and 39-007("Modernized" entry=PARTIAL modernization: flush waist positions, maybe even flush radio hatch position, BUT STILL BELLY "BLISTER.").
Clearly, the aircraft in all the later, individual aircraft scenes had to be and WAS "8584"/"10" but could 39-006"04" have been repainted temporarily, as "10," for the taxying-out scene, pending 8584's availability?
Dan Johnson has pretty good eyes, so could it be that"8584"was DELIBERATELY painted silver on the fin leading edge where deicers WOULD have been - and it's also pretty clear that "8584" was Mary Ann for MOST of the filming, but could it be that "9006" was made available for filling in where needed, just in case, as a backup aircraft? - REMEMBER: "9006" could be just as easily modified to "05564" for any scenes, like the final ones inflight, over the invasion fleet en route Australia, where deicer boots ARE visible, when "8584," modified to "05564," was in for maintenance or was unavailable for some other reason?

Please advise on this.

Sincerely,
"Confused in Georgia",
a.k.a.
Dan Katz

[pokryskin]

To sum up what we know so far:(as of9 April 2009 10:16PM EDT)
1: The film "Air Force" uses mostly modernized B-17B aircraft, and was
shot at Hendricks/Sebring between June and August 1942.
1a: A single YB-17 "05" is seen in initial flightline and later takeoff
sequences. In Dan Johnson's Hendricks AB book, , another is "00"
2: Aircraft seen in various sequences: "02", "05"(YB-17), "05"(B-17B?),
"07/"8261", "08"." "09", "10"/'05564'\8584", "12", "15"/"9001", "16",
"18"/"8211", .
3: B-17B Aircraft known to be at Sebring/Hendricks during filming, June
through August, 1942: 38-211"18", 38-212 , 38-259, 38-260,
38-261"07", 38-268 "79", 38-269, 38-270"17", Apparently 38-584
"10"/"05564,"
39-001"15", 39-003 , 39-006 "04", 39-007, 38-???/39-???"05"
...POSSIBLY at least ONE B-17C,
...and B-17D 40-3065, at Sebring from 6/20/1942 to 11/07/1942
...plus at least 2 YB-17s, "05," "00"(36-158 or 36-161?) Class-26-ed
(in June?)
4: B-17B aircraft lost after filming: 38-211"18" fatal accident 10/1942
5: B-17Bs in non-fatal accidents : 38-269"??" accident 10/1942
6: YB-17s and B-17Bs to Class-26 Amarillo and dates sent there:
6a: YB-17s: 36-149, to Amarillo 11/02/1942
36-151, to Amarillo 11/21/1942
36-154, to Amarillo 11/12/1942
36-155, to Amarillo 11/12/1942
36-158, to Amarillo 10/13/1942. possibly flightline "05"?
36-159, to Amarillo 11/19/1942
36-160, to Amarillo 11/19/1942
36-161, to Amarillo 10/09/1942, possibly flightline "05"?
6b: B-17Bs: 38-268, to Amarillo 8/07/1943, "79" in Amarillo '44 photo
39-003, to Amarillo 09/14/1943,
39-007, to Amarillo 07/16/1943,
38-584, to Hobbs 07/30/1943, to Class-26, 10/29/43
This represents the sum total of the information available as of 06:04AM EDT, September 14, 2009 about the aircraft used in the motion picture, "Air Force", at least to your humble (and humbled) researcher.
FURTHER Updates had been April 8, 2009/00:42 EDT (12:42AM)

I look forward to further updates and increases of our knowledge.

Sincerely,
Dan K.
This now represents the sum total of the information available as of 06:05AM EDT, September 14, 2009, about these aircraft.
Further, the number of "Plane-In-Group" Numbers on B-17B/C/D-fitted aircraft, equals the number of B-17B aircraft available at the time!
Do we just need to match S/Ns to Plane-In-Group numbers???
I wonder.....

[Dan Katz]

Another mystery solved!
There were, it seems, at least anywhere from 3 to 5 OTHER aircraft named "Mary Ann" in the USAAF - however, most if not all of these were of the "Bigass Bird" variety: mostly B-17Fs.

One of these aircraft WAS lost in the Pacific Theater, and I suspect THIS is where that story came from: somebody confused a B-17B Sharktail used in a film with a Big-tailed Bird B-17F that had the same name and was lost in combat around the same time.

Respectfully,

Dan K.

[pokryshkin]

To sum up what we know so far:(as 14 September 2009 06:47AM EDT)
1: The film "Air Force" uses mostly modernized B-17B aircraft, and was
shot at Hendricks/Sebring between June and August 1942.
1a: A single YB-17 "05" is seen in initial flightline and later takeoff
sequences. In Dan Johnson's Hendricks AB book, , another is "00"
2: Aircraft seen in various sequences: "02", "05"(YB-17), "05"(B-17B?),
"07/"8261", "08"." "09", "10"/'05564'\8584", "12", "15"/"9001", "16",
"18"/"8211", .
3: B-17B Aircraft known to be at Sebring/Hendricks during filming, June
through August, 1942: 38-211"18", 38-212 , 38-259, 38-260,
38-261"07", 38-268 "79", 38-269, 38-270"17", Apparently 38-584
"10"/"05564," 39-001"15", 39-003 , 39-006 "04", 39-007,
38-???/39-???"05"

...POSSIBLY at least ONE B-17C,
...and B-17D 40-3065, at Sebring from 6/20/1942 to 11/07/1942
...plus at least 2 YB-17s, "05," "00"(36-158 or 36-161?) Class-26-ed
(in June?)
4: B-17B aircraft lost after filming: 38-211"18" fatal accident 10/1942
5: B-17Bs in non-fatal accidents : 38-269"??" accident 10/1942
6: YB-17s and B-17Bs to Class-26 Amarillo and dates sent there:
6a: YB-17s: 36-149, to Amarillo 11/02/1942
36-151, to Amarillo 11/21/1942
36-154, to Amarillo 11/12/1942
36-155, to Amarillo 11/12/1942
36-158, to Amarillo 10/13/1942. possibly flightline "05"?
36-159, to Amarillo 11/19/1942
36-160, to Amarillo 11/19/1942
36-161, to Amarillo 10/09/1942, possibly flightline "05"?
6b: B-17Bs: 38-268, to Amarillo 8/07/1943, "79" in Amarillo '44 photo
39-003, to Amarillo 09/14/1943, tail in above photo
39-007, to Amarillo 07/16/1943,
38-584, to Hobbs 07/30/1943, to Class-26, 10/29/43
This represents the sum total of the information available as of 06:04AM EDT, September 14, 2009 about the aircraft used in the motion picture, "Air Force", at least to your humble (and humbled) researcher.
FURTHER Updates had been April 8, 2009/00:42 EDT (12:42AM)

I look forward to further updates and increases of our knowledge.

Sincerely,
Dan K.
This now represents the sum total of the information available as of 06:05AM EDT, September 14, 2009, about these aircraft.
Further, the number of "Plane-In-Group" Numbers on B-17B/C/D-fitted aircraft, equals the number of B-17B aircraft available at the time!
Do we just need to match S/Ns to Plane-In-Group numbers???
I wonder.....

[pokryshkin]

Here is a partial list of the serial number for B-17B airplanes retrofitted to B-17C configuration (flat waist window; convential radio hatch; ventral blister delete):

38-211
38-213
38-216
38-219
38-221
38-258
38-259
38-269
38-583
39-001
39-006

There is photo evidence of these airplanes with the modifications. Nine of them were involved in minor accidents and the AAF Form No 14 Aircraft Accident Reports contain the photos. I can provide the information such as accident date and microfilm call numbers later if anyone is really interested. I just don't have time right now to dig up the citations.

C-47B Crewmember

As we now know, 38-211"18" and 39-006"04" ARE up to B-17C Standard; 38-213 and 38-584 whose IARCs list a stay at Boeing between mid-July and mid-August 1941, are also very likely to be fully up to B-17C Standard.

However, photographic evidence shows that 38-216"2" has only flush waists; 39-001 in that Lowery Boneyard photo MAY be resting on a blister rather than a bathtub; and the others MAY have both flush waists and a flush radio, as 39-219 and 39-001 might just have; there is evidence of this level of modification as shown by the Hendricks Yearbook photo (courtesy Dan Johnson) of "12" on landing approach, clearly showing flush waists AND radio, yet with belly "blister"...!

Until clearer views of any of these aircraft are available, it must be assumed that any aircraft listed above that is NOT modified at Being but at San Antonio Air Depot, must be assumed to at most have flush waists and radio, but still having a belly "blister," unless photo evidence shows the belly "bathtub".

BTW, the highest 1940 USAAF Serial Number was 40-3162, an A-20A.

Respectfully submitted,
"Dan" Katz

[Chris Brame]

BTW, the highest 1940 USAAF Serial Number was 40-3162, an A-20A.

And for 1942, the highest was 42-110188, a B-24J - don't think we'll see those numbers again.

[C-47B]

Found this on WIX:



http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.o ... =3&t=40612


C-47B

[TAdan]

So, after seeing this thread and reading all of the excellent research you folks have done I had to ad Air Force to my Netflix list.

I watched the movie the other day. The early war aircraft footage was fantastic. I really enjoyed seeing the P-43's, early P-40's and P-39's. Of course the early B-17's looked great too. It was nice to see them in detail. I also enjoyed comparing Mary Ann to what I have seen of the Swoose at NMUSAF.

I thought the story line was pretty predictable, almost cliche, but I guess it was appropriate for the time.

[Chris Brame]

Unfortunately I was unable to view the photos from Air Force at the Hollywood memorabilia auction; the items sold were only viewable at the previews and not at the auction itself. Will try to find out how much they sold for.