B-17 Experts Needed

[John1]

This is an original color picture posted on Barracuda's FB page.   What the heck am I looking at here?

 

[Juggernut]

A very war weary B-17F from the 305th BG....probably modified for other duties but noting she still has the Norden  bombsight covered.  Looks like Squadron/Plane-in-squadron codes under the left wing (this was a post war addtion I believe) but does not agree with the plane-in-squadron code (K), on the fuselage.

Edited July 5, 2022 by Juggernut

[John1]

9 minutes ago, Juggernut said:

A very war weary B-17F from the 305th BG....probably modified for other duties but noting she still has the Norden  bombsight covered.  Looks like Squadron/Plane-in-squadron codes under the left wing (this was a post war addtion I believe) but do not agree with the plane-in-squadron code (K), on the fuselage.

Good info.   I also found the black undersides to be strange.   Was wondering if this aircraft did any "Carpetbagger" missions?  

[Juggernut]

2 minutes ago, John1 said:

Good info.   I also found the black undersides to be strange.   Was wondering if this aircraft did any "Carpetbagger" missions?  

 

Yep.  According to The Mighty Eighth, by Roger Freeman, several of the 422 BS carried black undersides on night leaflet dropping duties after August 1943.

[easixpedro]

I'm sure Tom Probert will chime in with his wealth of info.

 

Until then, a couple of websites to have handy.

8th Air Force Historical Society | 8th Air Force Historical Society (8thafhs.org)

and

Home | American Air Museum in Britain (search functionality is currently disabled as they upgrade the archive, but it's a great resource!)

-Peter

[tomprobert]

Some useful info here: https://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/41248

 

Edited July 5, 2022 by tomprobert

[tomprobert]

That’s a cracking image of ‘Homesick Angel’, a Vega built B-17F (note the cheek window arrangement) serial number 42-6174. 
 

From the American Air Museum website:
 

She was on strength with the 422nd BS of the 305thBG (coded JJ-K) from August 1943 at Chelveston. In November ‘43 she was transferred to the 858th BS of the 492th BG at Alconbury and was assigned to Carpetbagger Ops. I imagine this picture was taken around that time. 
 

However, a couple of things puzzle me. The underwing codes were a post war practice, but no 8th AF squadron was coded ‘5Z- ‘ as the picture shows. Blue cowls were also not used by the 305th and if this was a post war image, she’d have had the green band on the tail by then. 

 

The fact that the ball and top turrets, along with all other armament, have been removed has me wondering if it’s serving as some kind of war weary hack aircraft. 
 

Tom

Edited July 5, 2022 by tomprobert

[thierry laurent]

By the way, does anybody know if they put some floor over the fairing filling the ball turret location? This would have noticeably eased the circulation with the front of the plane.I've yet to see the picture of a B-17 interior of such a plane without the ball turret.