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B-17 Flying Fortress
A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-2578) nicknamed "Butcher Shop" of the 92nd Bomb Group at Bovingdon. Written on slide casing: 'B-17 E 12578 Oldest fortress in 8AF Bovingdon, 1943.'
![A bomber crew of the 97th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress. They are from left to right: Lieutenant Frank R. Beadle, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Sergeant Chester Love, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sergeant Richard Williams, of Utica, New York; Lieutenant Levon Ray, of Poolville Texas; Glen V. Leland, of St. Petersburg, Florida; Sergeant Frank Rebello, Tiverton, Rhode Island; Sergeant Joseph Cummings, of Oskaloosa, Iowa; and Sergeant Zane Gemmill, of St. Clair, Pennsylvania. Image stamped on reverse: 'Passed for publication 18 Aug 1942' [stamp], 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'USA(BRI)CCC' [ written annotation]. '216113'[ Censor no]. Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S. FLYING FORTRESSES RAID IN DAYLIGHT Associated press photo shows: The crew who flew the leading Flying Fortress in the raid are seen here lined up under the nose of the plane. Left to right they are Lieut. Frank R Beadle, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Sergeant Chester Love, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sergeant Richard Williams, of Utica, New York; Lieut. Levon Ray, of Poolville Texas; ;Glen v. Leland, of St.Petersburg, Florida; Sergeant Frank Rebello, Tiverton, Rhode Island; Sergt Joseph Cummings, of Oskaloosa, Iowa; and Serg. Zane Gemmill, of ST. Clair, Penn. AKP/ROB 249453 18842a.'](https://www.americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/freeman/media-379313.jpg?itok=4CdwQy5H)
A bomber crew of the 97th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress. They are from left to right: Lieutenant Frank R. Beadle, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Sergeant Chester Love, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sergeant Richard Williams, of Utica, New York; Lieutenant Levon Ray, of Poolville Texas; Glen V. Leland, of St. Petersburg, Florida; Sergeant Frank Rebello, Tiverton, Rhode Island; Sergeant Joseph Cummings, of Oskaloosa, Iowa; and Sergeant Zane Gemmill, of St. Clair, Pennsylvania. Image stamped on reverse: 'Passed for publication 18 Aug 1942' [stamp], 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'USA(BRI)CCC' [ written annotation]. '216113'[ Censor no]. Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S. FLYING FORTRESSES RAID IN DAYLIGHT Associated press photo shows: The crew who flew the leading Flying Fortress in the raid are seen here lined up under the nose of the plane. Left to right they are Lieut. Frank R Beadle, of Grand Rapids, Michigan; Sergeant Chester Love, of Cincinnati, Ohio; Sergeant Richard Williams, of Utica, New York; Lieut. Levon Ray, of Poolville Texas; ;Glen v. Leland, of St.Petersburg, Florida; Sergeant Frank Rebello, Tiverton, Rhode Island; Sergt Joseph Cummings, of Oskaloosa, Iowa; and Serg. Zane Gemmill, of ST. Clair, Penn. AKP/ROB 249453 18842a.'
A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-2578) nicknamed "Butcher Shop" of the 92nd Bomb Group at Bovingdon. Written on slide casing: 'Butcher Shop, 12578, Bovingdon, 43.'
A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-2578) nicknamed "Butcher Shop" of the 92nd Bomb Group at Bovingdon. Written on slide casing: '12578, 1CCRC Bovingdon, 43.'
A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-2578) nicknamed "Butcher Shop" of the 97th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: '17-8-42 D.' Printed caption removed from reverse. On reverse: Photopress, US Army Press Censor ETO and US Army General Section Press & Censorship Bureau [Stamps].
A B-17 Flying Fortress (LV-X serial number 41-2578, "War Weary") nicknamed "Big Tin Bird" used as a hack plane by the 20th Fighter Group.
Boeing B-17E
41-2578
Butcher Shop (97BG)/Big Tin Bird (20FG)
Pendleton, Oregon – 18 February 1942
Polebook, England (340BS/97BG) – April 1942
Bovingdon, England (326BS/92BG) – 25 August 1942
Glatton, England (457BG) – 3 March 1944
Kings Cliffe, England (77FS/20FG) – 3 August 1944
Alconbury, England (Salvaged) – 6 August 1945
Lead bomber of first strike force on VIII Bomber Command Mission 1 (17 August 1942).
Squadron hack for Colonel Cy Wilson (CO 20FG).
Oldest Boeing B-17 in the 8AF at war’s end.
Group
The 97th Bomb Group flew the Eighth Air Force's first heavy bomber mission from the UK when they bombed a marshalling yard at Rouen on 17 August 1942. Just a month later though the Group were reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force and left England for the...
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Military | Lieutenant General | Commanding Officer; Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Commanded 97th BG from 31 July 1942 to 27 September 1942.
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Military | Colonel | Pilot | 97th Bomb Group
Flew 1st bombing mission of WW II in B-17 'Butcher Shop' with his CO, Col. Armstrong. His regularly assigned plane was #41-24444 'The Red Gremlin'. Flew the Enola Gay, the B-29 that dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan on 6 Aug 1945. He...
Military | Colonel | Fighter Pilot Squadron/Group Commander | 20th Fighter Group
Prisoner of War (POW) crashed into North Sea on 27 Aug 1944 in P-51 'Wrangler, Jr' #44-13951
17 August 1942
The US 8AF launches its first strategic bombing raid of the war, sending 12 Boeing B-17Es of the 97BG on a strike against the railyards of Sotteville-lès-Rouen, France, while another six fly a diversionary route. The attacking force is split into two...
Military site : airfield
Alconbury had been constructed as a satellite airfield for RAF Upwood and Wyton and was used by RAF Squadrons: Nos. 15, 40 and 156. In preparation for the arrival of American heavy bombers, the base was developed in 1942 with the runways extended. When...
Military site : airfield
Bovingdon, in Hertfordshire (often confused with Bovington, Dorset), was built in 1941-42 as a bomber station but was never developed into a fully-fledged heavy bomber airfield as it did not have the required 2,000 yard runway.
...
Military site : airfield
Glatton, which lay mostly in the parish of Conington, was built by the 809th Engineer Battalion (Aviation) of the U.S. Army in the last months of 1942. Unusually, the base's three runways surrounded Rose Court Farm, which remained a working farm...
Military site : airfield
Kings Cliffe began as a satellite air base for the Group based at nearby Wittering. The 56th Fighter Group, however, were all based at Kings Cliffe and it was here that the pilots trained in P-47 Thunderbolts and flew their first missions in the...
Military site : airfield
Polebrook was laid down for RAF Bomber Command use in 1940-1941. Built by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd, it had short runways which were lengthened for USAAF heavy bomber use. The RAF used the base for operational trials - including of B-17 Flying...
Not yet known
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 29 May 2017 10:46:53 | GBlume | Changes to description |
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| 29 May 2017 10:45:52 | GBlume | Changes to description |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2017 10:45:02 | GBlume | Changes to description |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2017 07:33:34 | GBlume | Changes to unit associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2017 07:11:30 | GBlume | Changes to description and place associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2017 07:04:14 | GBlume | Changes to description, person associations and place associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2017 07:00:25 | GBlume | Changes to manufacturer, nicknames, markings and description |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 October 2014 20:35:35 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, description, unit associations and mission associations |
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Lee Cunningham 20-Oct-2014 "Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:04 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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