43-38306 The Biggest Bird
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 19/7/44; Kearney 28/7/44; Grenier 9/8/44; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-B] Bassingbourn 18/8/44; taxi accident with 44-6578 with Dudley Mathers 4/4/45; THE BIGGEST BIRD.
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44-6578
B-17 Flying Fortress
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An airman* of the 91st Bomb Group admires a pin-up painted on the nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress (LG-D, serial number 44-6578) nicknamed "Rusty Dusty". Handwritten caption on reverse: '91/322. 44-6578.' * Believed to be 1st Lt Edward H Davidson but the airman is not in officer's uniform. He is more likely to be part of the aircraft's ground crew.
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Lt. Harold B Reichert and crew of the 322nd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, in front of B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Rusty Dusty", England. Rear L-R: T/Sgt Patrick Schiavo, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown. Front L-R: Unknown, Reichert ? , 1Lt Edward H Davidson.
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B-17G "Rusty Dusty" 91st BG/322nd BS (LG-D)
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B-17G "The Biggest Bird", 91st BG/322nd BS (LG-B) and B-17G "Rusty Dusty", 91st BG/322nd BS (LG-D) (44-6578)
Delivered Lincoln 12/9/44; Dow Fd 25/9/44; Assigned 731BS/452BG Deopham Green 28/9/44; transferred 332BS/91BG [LG-D] Bassingbourn 7/12/44; 17m taxi collision with 43-38306 with Joe Troccolli 4/4/45, Salvaged. RUSTY DUSTY.
Service
Aircraft
Units
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91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
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... -
322nd Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Vernon Currie
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Flew 35 missions from December 1944 until end of the war. ... -
Edward Davidson
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Harold Reichert crew. Completed 35 missions. Returned to ZI via 70th Replacement Depot. ... -
Harold Reichert
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. 35 x combat missions. Ended Tour Duty (ETD). Assigned to BAD3. ... -
Patrick Schiavo
Military | Technical Sergeant | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Member of Reichert crew. -
Joseph Troccoli
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 422BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed 35 x combat missions. ETD Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Places
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Bassingbourn
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... -
Deopham Green
Military site : airfield
Deopham Green was another air base constructed after America's entry into the war to Class A standards for use by the B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber. When the 452nd Bomb Group arrived in January 1943 they found a main runway of 2,000 yards, two...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Seattle, WA, USA | 1944 |
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Built at Boeing. |
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| Delivered | Lincoln Airport, 2400 W Adams St, Lincoln, NE 68524, USA | 12 September 1944 |
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Delivered Lincoln AAF 12-Sep-44. |
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| Assigned | Deopham Green, Wymondham NR18 9DG, UK | 28 September 1944 |
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Assigned 731BS, 452BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth, Royston SG8, UK | 7 December 1944 |
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Transferred to 422BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Bassingbourn cum Kneesworth, Royston SG8, UK | 4 April 1945 |
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Taxiing Accident Bassingbourn/Sta 121 Cat 4 damage Lt Joseph J Troccoli, 4-Apr-45. B-17G 44-6578 - 422BS 91BG 8AF |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 May 2022 16:28:20 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbasn.asp?SN=44-6578&Submit4=Go |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 July 2021 01:11:09 | acbernstein1 | Changes to nicknames and markings |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 February 2018 18:11:09 | Pete | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
452nd Bomb Group Assoc. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 February 2018 18:10:04 | Pete | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
452nd Bomb Group Assoc. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2018 21:14:42 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, markings, description, events and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbasn.asp?SN=44-6578&Submit4=Go |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 February 2015 11:09:50 | Al_Skiff | Changes to manufacturer, nicknames, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Roger Freeman Photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:41:52 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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