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42-37856

B-17 Flying Fortress

Delivered Denver 21/9/43; Scott 7/10/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-B] Deenethorpe 23/12/43; Missing in Action Brunswick 30/1/44 with Ron Rohner, Navigator: Stan Johnson, Bombardier: Emil Smetana, Radio Operator: John Morreale, Ball turret gunner: Ken Dickerson (5 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Frank Leonard, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ray Surowski, Waist gunner: Cliff Barker, Waist gunner: Lowell Reif, Tail gunner: Harry Cyr (5 Prisoner of War); flak damage then FW190 KO’d #2, crashed Beienrode, three miles N of Konigslutter, 11 miles E of Brunswick, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report (2276) 2876. FANCY NANCY III.

Service

Units

  • 8th Air Force

    8th Air Force


    Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...

  • 401st Bomb Group

    401st Bomb Group

    Group
    The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...

  • 612th Bomb Squadron

    612th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

People

  • Clifford Barker

    Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Left Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
    Barker, a native of Yorktown, Ind., was a burly 6-foot-2 inch forward on the 1948 Kentucky team that finished the season with a 36-3 record, the national title and the nickname of the Fabulous Five. The other starters were Wallace (Wah Wah) Jones at...

  • Harold Cyr

    Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Tail Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
    Shot down during bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany 30 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37856 'Fancy Nancy III. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Scribner Dailey

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
    Assigned to 612BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 31 x combat missions. ETD ...

  • Kenneth Dickerson

    Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
    Shot down during bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany 30 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37856 'Fancy Nancy III. ' Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Stanley Johnson

    Military | Flight Officer | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
    Shot down during bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany 30 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37856 'Fancy Nancy III. ' Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Frank Leonard

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
    Shot down during bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany 30 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37856 'Fancy Nancy III'. Prisoner of War (POW).

  • John Morreale

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
    Shot down during bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany 30 January 1944 in B-17G #42-37856 'Fancy Nancy III'. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Lowell Reif

    Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
    Shot down during bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany 30 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37856 'Fancy Nancy III'. Prisoner of War (POW).

  • Ronald Rohner

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
    Son of Walter and Arlene Rohner; brother of Kathleen. Enlisted in the US Army, National Guard, on March 3, 1941 at Camp Flint in Auburn, California. He was attending Placer Junior College at the time but withdrew when the Guard became an active part of...

  • Emil Smetana

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 401st Bomb Group
    Shot down during bombing mission over Brunswick, Germany 30 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37856 'Fancy Nancy III. ' Killed in Action (KIA).

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Places

  • Deenethorpe

    Military site : airfield
    Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...

Events

Event Location Date
Failed to Return (FTR) Germany 30 January 1944
Nicknames
'Fancy Nancy III'
Production block number
B-17G-15-DL Fortress
Manufacturer
Douglas
Markings and paint scheme/livery
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
19 January 2020 22:21:59 jmoore43 Changes to description
Sources

Added a space in the A/C “Description” for clarity.
Date Contributor Update
19 January 2020 21:42:37 jmoore43 Changes to nicknames and unit associations
Sources

Added the nickname mentioned in the A/C “Description”. Added a connection to the 8th AF.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:40:45 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2276 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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