Happy 75th Birthday

[Second Air Force]

I neglected to start this thread yesterday, but belated birthday wishes to the Flying Fortress!

Here are a couple of 2nd Bombardment Group photos of Y1B-17s during the earliest days of USAAC service:





The first formation flight--could anyone in those airplanes that day have imagined a thousand Fortresses over Europe seven years later?

Happy birthday, old girl, and a tip of the hat to all who conceived, designed, built, flew, fought, and maintained the B-17.
Scott

[05564]

Thanks for the reminder , and the great photos!!! One question, in the first photo , what is that above the nose? It looks like a small open window.

[GRob324]

Thanks for commemorating this for us Scott. Those are some incredible photographs, do you mind me asking where you sourced them from?

[Second Air Force]

Thanks for commemorating this for us Scott. Those are some incredible photographs, do you mind me asking where you sourced them from?

I found those photos, and several others, in a 2nd Bombardment Group file at the AFHRA Archives at Maxwell AFB. I was actually working on Second Air Force files but this one was included in one of the boxes of records I requested. As soon as I opened the box I realized that I'd hit "pay dirt" on the early Fortress service. I have seen some of the images published over the years and was quite happy to find original copies in a 2nd Bomb Group document.

I will have to do some searching to find the balance of the photos, but I'd be glad to if y'all would like to see them.
Scott

[05564]

YES ,YES, YES!!! We definatley would love to see them.

[Second Air Force]

Thanks for the reminder , and the great photos!!! One question, in the first photo , what is that above the nose? It looks like a small open window.

I blew up my copy of the original picture and I think what you are seeing might be someone's head standing on the wing at the #3 nacelle. It might be something on the hangar in the background, but it looks more like a cap to me.


Here are a couple more of the 1937 photos.






Scott

[05564]

Thank you 2ND Air Force for clearing that up for me. It never ceases to amaze me how knowledgable and friendly the users of this fine web-site are. BTW , great photos !!! Love those old sharktails .

[Second Air Force]

Here are the rest of the 1937 First Fortress Formation photos from the 2nd Bombardment Group file.







I've got a few later pictures I'll share later.
Scott

[robert4]

Amazing pics. thanks for sharing...

[05564]

I neglected to start this thread yesterday, but belated birthday wishes to the Flying Fortress!

Here are a couple of 2nd Bombardment Group photos of Y1B-17s during the earliest days of USAAC service:





The first formation flight--could anyone in those airplanes that day have imagined a thousand Fortresses over Europe seven years later?

Happy birthday, old girl, and a tip of the hat to all who conceived, designed, built, flew, fought, and maintained the B-17.
Scott

Can you imagine being on the ground and looking up and seeing 3 of the Biggest airplanes you ever saw fly overhead. It had to be breathtaking!!!

[Second Air Force]

Here are the last three photos in the 2nd Bombardment Group set.

Colonel Robert Olds in the center with members of his 2nd BG staff:


These two were taken in '39:



Sorry about the wrinkles in the last photo--that's how it came out of the file!

Scott

[dorkus]

Those are really great photos. Especially the one flying above NYC

[pokryshkin]

A little late, but I've been busy with personal problems relating to my world war 2 veteran just-turned-86 in early September dad;
Beautiful photos, great tributes to a magnificent lady!
The sharktail somehow has a grace and beauty that the bigassbird never quite will, although the big tail birds have a grace and beauty all their own.
I now have found out (months ago) that I have cataracts, which are now starting to give me problems....
To quote the podiatrist (foot doctor) "never mind the wail of toe!"
Anyway,

I'm tickled about "Ole' Betsey" which makes more sense at this point: we NEED aircraft which were in action; her contributions in that long, desperate, fighting retreat and "holding action" based finally in Australia - and even her function as a "General's 'barge(??)' made as much of a difference, or perhaps even more of a difference than her service in the Caribbean Theater of Operations from 12/42 to 1945.

In my humble uneducated inpert opinion, installing the "bathtub" leaves options: Ole' Betsey" or even early "Swoose" AS SHE SERVED FOR TRANSPORT IN AUSTRALIA BEFORE her conversion after her return journey to CONUS.

You all are still the greatest!
The B-17B book project is still hanging fire and I have not heard back from that "Yellow-Wings Decals" guy WayneTevlin,except not to bug him any more about it, and that he'll get back to me.....

Warmest regards and best wishes,
Dan Katz
pokryshkin
katzusa3@yahoo.com
PS - God Bless you all - may your every good wish come true, you, and all who love you, especially our hardworking web- and site-master, Scott T.!

[Second Air Force]

Dan,

I've had several chances on various forums to offer an opinion (not that it matters to anyone) on what NMUSAF should do with regard to restoring 40-3097 but always managed not to say anything.Your post has given me the chance to agree with you. I have always felt that it would be appropriate to have her in her early paint scheme as General Brett's personal transport as The Swoose since she served longer in that capacity than as a bomber. Then, after thinking about it, I sort of changed my mind and thought the Old Betsey identity would be a closer connection to the early part of the War when the U.S. was desperate for any kind of positive news relating to the conflict. I'm just glad that she's being restored at all, and even happier that she managed to avoid the axe postwar.

Scott

[pokryshkin]

Dear Scott,
AMEN!!! I believe that, actually, she SHOULD be restored WITH her "Bathtub" attached, and, that way, she can be marked as EITHER "Ole' Betsey" OR "Swoose" in her earliest service to the General.

This would allow both these options to be alternated whenever she needs repaint, and it would effectively portray both her combat service, AND show thestart of her transport service to the General, which is what enabled her to survive 1945 AND the scrapman both!

I hope this "uneducated inpert" two cents' worth is not out of line. I have loved the "sharktails" ever since I found out about them just about the time I was Bar-Mitzvah'd, at age 13: one of the L.A. TV stations showed "Air Force" for the first time in my life, and OH BOY!!!!!

Thank you again for the honor of personally responding to my post.
Your fan,
Dan
Pokryshkin