41-24561 | American Air Museum

41-24561 The Duchess, Sure Stuff

Ground crew work of the 303rd Bomb Group work on the engines of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "The Duchess". Passed for publication 20 Jan 1944. Printed caption on reverse: 'Famous Fortresses. Associated Press Photo Shows:- Ground crewmen at work on the Fortress "Duchess", which has already been on 50 missions over enemy territory. They are (left to right, lower): Sgt. Clyde L. Dewald, of 200 E Union St., Schnykill Haven, Penn.; and Sgt. James C. Hicks, of Rowtob, Henderson, K.Y.; (Upper) Cpl. Charles

media-407587.jpg FRE 4205 Ground crew work of the 303rd Bomb Group work on the engines of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "The Duchess". Passed for publication 20 Jan 1944. Printed caption on reverse: 'Famous Fortresses. Associated Press Photo Shows:- Ground crewmen at work on the Fortress "Duchess", which has already been on 50 missions over enemy territory. They are (left to right, lower): Sgt. Clyde L. Dewald, of 200 E Union St., Schnykill Haven, Penn.; and Sgt. James C. Hicks, of Rowtob, Henderson, K.Y.; (Upper) Cpl. Charles H. Stoner, of 710 Clark Street, Fort Scott, Kansas.' On reverse: Associated Press, US Army Press Censor ETO and US Army General Section Press & Censorship Bureau [Stamps]. Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 4205 - Ground crew work of the 303rd Bomb Group work on the engines of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "The Duchess". Passed for publication 20 Jan 1944....

Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-T] Bangor 10/9/42; Molesworth 16/10/42; 59m transferred 1 Base Air Depot (sic),* Burtonwood 7/7/44; Returned to the USA Altus 18/8/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 14/8/45. Over Vegasack 18/3/43 with Capt Harry Stouse, Navigator: Jesse Elliott, brought damaged ship home with severely wounded Jack Mathis-b (awarded posthumous MOH). SURE STUFF aka THE DUCHESS.

* Air Base Depot (BAD1)

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

303rd Bomb Group

Unit Hierarchy: Group
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

359th Bomb Squadron

Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

People

Claude W Campbell

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 18057056 / O-724591
Highest Rank: Colonel
Role/Job: Pilot

Adam Champagne

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 18171431
Highest Rank: Sergeant
Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Sergeant Fred Dioquardo of the 303rd Bomb Group stokes the stove inside a hut. Image stamped on reverse: ''Copyright Current Affairs Ltd.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 28 Jan 1943.' [stamp], '245666.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'Stoking the stove in an American Army Air Force hut somewhere in England. Sergeant Fred Dioquardo, of Bayport, Long Island, asked the photographer to send this message back to his parents and fiance Miss H Sherwood , Maple Ave, Long Island: "I will be home when I

Fred John Dioquardo

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 7071292
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Jesse H Elliott

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron 360th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-728188
Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
Role/Job: Navigator

Lieutenant Reeder and his crew, of the 359th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, with their B-17 Flying Fortress, nicknamed "The Duchess". Printed caption on reverse of print: '61772 AC - Lt. Reeder and crew of the 359th Bomb. Sqd., 303rd Bomb. Group besides a Boeing B-17 "The Duchess", England, 17 July 1943. U.S. Air Force Photo.'

John J Hayes

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 32291561
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Places

Burtonwood

Site type: Airfield
Known as: Base Air Depot Area (BADA) : 1st Base Air Depot (1 BAD)

Molesworth

Site type: Airfield

Missions

8th Air Force 244

Date: 2 March 1944

8th Air Force 238

Date: 28 February 1944

8th Air Force 235 BIG WEEK - DAY 6

Date: 25 February 1944

Doc Agnew, Staff Sergeant Joe Roundhill and personnel of the 379th Bomb Group transfer the body of Sergeant Noonan (killed by a flak) from a B-17 Flying Fortress to a field ambulance after a raid on Schweinfurt, 24 February 1944. Official caption on image: "(GPR-162-1-379)(24-2-44)." Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Doc Agnew. 24/2/44.'

8th Air Force 233 BIG WEEK - DAY 5

Date: 24 February 1944

8th Air Force 230 BIG WEEK - DAY 3

Date: 22 February 1944

Events

Event	Location	Date	Description
Other Sustained heavy damage	U-Boat Pens, Vegesack-Bremen, Germany	18 March 1943	Duchess would sustain heavy damage, mostly ending her career, in the same action that Lt Jack Mathis would earn his MoH.
Delivered	BAD 1	7 July 1944	Moved to BAD 1* Burtonwood Airfield Base Air Depot

Event

Location

Date

Description

Other

Sustained heavy damage

U-Boat Pens, Vegesack-Bremen, Germany

18 March 1943

Duchess would sustain heavy damage, mostly ending her career, in the same action that Lt Jack Mathis would earn his MoH.

Delivered

BAD 1

7 July 1944

Moved to BAD 1* Burtonwood Airfield Base Air Depot

Revisions

Date19 May 2022 11:29:45

ContributorAl_Skiff

ChangesChanges to production block number and unit associations

Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log

Date4 May 2020 14:36:29

ContributorCastleBren

ChangesChanges to events, place associations and mission associations

Sources

303rd Bomb Group

Date20 Mar 2020 09:33:35

ContributorCastleBren

ChangesChanges to production block number, nicknames, markings, events, person associations and mission associations

Sources

303rd Bomb Group records

Date16 Feb 2020 18:12:18

Contributorphil marchese

ChangesChanges to description

Sources

Correction to designation/ acronym.

Date15 Sep 2017 18:30:57

ContributorAl_Skiff

ChangesChanges to media associations

Sources

Roger Freeman photo.

Date15 Sep 2017 16:45:21

ContributorAl_Skiff

ChangesChanges to production block number, manufacturer, unit associations and media associations

Sources

Roger Freeman photo.

Date27 Sep 2014 18:40:03

ContributorAAM

ChangesAAM ingest

Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log

41-24561: Gallery (8 items)

A flight of B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 303rd Bomb Group fly above the clouds on their way to Norway. B-17F (BN-T, serial number 41-24561) nicknamed "The Duchess", of the 359th Bomb Squadron, is visible in the foreground. Printed caption on reverse: ' 67417 USAF - Flying high above a blanket of fleecy clouds, a formation of 8th Air Force Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" drones steadily on towards the target somewhere in Norway on 16 November 1943. Air Force Photo.'

Object number: FRE 1104 -

Bomber crewmen of the 303rd Bomb Group read a newspaper by the wheel of their B-17 Flying Fortress. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 25 Jan 1943.' [stamp] and '245302.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse has been damaged, what remains reads: '"HOW THE BOYS LIVE AND WORK AT FLYING FORTRESS STATION IN ENGLAND. Wide World Photo shows: Two members of a Fortress Crew read the latest News from home in "THE STARS AND STRIPES", Daily Newspaper published in London

Object number: FRE 1108 -

Colonel Joseph V. Mazzone of the 303rd Bomb Group, paints the nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "The Duchess." Passed for publication 25 Jan 1943. Printed caption on reverse: 'How The Boys Live And Work At Flying Fortress Station In England. Wide World Photo Shows:- Col. Joseph V. Mazzone, 314 East 165th Street, N.Y.C., paints another swastika, indicating another German shot down, on his Fortress, "The Duchess". WW/ALA. 26-1-43.' On reverse: Associated Press, US Army Press Censor ETO and US Army Ge

Object number: FRE 4198 -

Object number: FRE 4205 -

Ground crewmen of the 303rd Bomb Group work on an engine. A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-24561) is visible in the background. Passed for publication 30 Aug 1943. Handwritten caption on reverse: '27-8-43.' On reverse: US Army Press Censor ETO [Stamp].

Object number: FRE 4213 -

Object number: FRE 4236 -

Airmen of the 303rd Bomb Group point to the nose art of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "The Duchess" . Printed caption removed from reverse. On reverse: Keystone Press Agency, 'Sacred' and U.S. Official Photographs O.W.I. [Stamps].

Object number: FRE 4237 -

Two B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 303rd Bomb Group fly together during a mission.

Object number: FRE 4264 -