B-17 Flying Fortress
42-97630 'Geraldine' aka 'Peg O' My Heart' 324th BS, 91st BG
Major Willis J. Taylor, 232rd Bomb Squadron commander in front of the 323rd BS offices at Bassingbourn in early 1945. Photo by Lt. Thomas F. Flemming
Above: Westy Westwood and some ground crew on top of the nose of B-17 42-97630 "Peg O' My Heart," which was named for Westwood's wife Peggy.
Westy Westwood and his wife Peggy in a jeep. The Bomber he flew was named after her.
B-17 42-97630 Peg O' My heart
Peg O' My Heart nose art (42-97630 DF-H OR-T) 323rd BS, 324th BS, 91st BG Photo by M. Havelaar
Westwood Crew (with mascot) 324th BS, 91st BG. 10 January 1944
Delivered Denver 11/1/44; 1SAG Langley 6/2/44; Presque Is 10/3/44; Assigned 324BS/91BG [DF-H] Bassingbourn 27/4/44; 323BS [OR-T]; 41+m transferred 306BG Thurleigh 21/5/45; Salvaged 9AF Germany 28/3/46. GERALDINE aka PEG ‘O MY HEART.
On the 28 May 1944 mission to Leipzig, the aircraft (piloted by 2Lt. Brannan), was noted as having one claimed kill, as well as suffering "major" damage to the aircraft, according to the 324ths reports.
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla...
Squadron
Squadron
Home of the Memphis Belle
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator / Radar Navigator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned 401BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Offenbach mission in B-17 42-97630 5-Nov-44; Fatally wounded by flak, died of wounds. Killed in Action (KIA) No MACR
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Major | 323rd Bomb Squadron Commander / Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Squadron commander of 323rd BS, 91st BG from 3 October 1944 to June 1945.
Military | Captain | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
John 'Westy' Westwood served as a pilot with the 91st Bomb Group, flying missions out of Bassingbourn, England.
...
19 May 1944
28 May 1944
6 June 1944
D-Day. Start of Operation Overlord.
18 June 1944
21 June 1944
Ruhland, Germany - The target, south of Berlin, bombed by 114 fortresses with an escort of 70 Mustangs went off as planned but not before the Germans destroyed 43 B-17's and damaged 26. Landed in Russia.
3 September 1944
5 September 1944
21 September 1944
28 September 1944
30 September 1944
Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long...
Military site : airfield
Built for RAF use in 1941-42, Thurleigh was initially used by RAF Bomber Command before being handed over to the Eighth Air Force. Its runways and hardstandings were improved, and the B-17s of the 306th Bomb Group began using the base. It was their...
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned | Bassingbourn, England | 27 April 1944 |
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Assigned to the 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group. Later was moved to the 323rd Bomb Squadron. |
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| Assigned | Thurleigh, England | 21 May 1945 |
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Transferred to the 306th Bomb Group. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 22 September 2021 20:49:50 | CastleBren | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
91st Bomb Group website (Daily reports) |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 July 2021 01:15:07 | acbernstein1 | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 July 2021 01:05:33 | acbernstein1 | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
http://www.91stbombgroup.com/photo_history/geraldine_nose.html |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 July 2017 17:50:51 | JoCarter | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.91stbombgroup.com/scrapbook_memories/westy_westwood.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:41:14 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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