42-31083 Tenny Belle
Object Number - UPL 31619 - 42-31083 (Tenny Belle (FR-A)) with members of the 525th BS Ordnance Armament Crew
Delivered Cheyenne 15/9/43; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-A] Kimbolton 19/10/43; Take off accident, on her 38th mission (379th Mission #95 / 8th AF Mission #298 against the Focke-Wulf facility in Sorau) 11/4/44; crash landed Fen Farm, Stow Bardolph, Barroway Drove Norfolk, with John Daly, Co-pilot: Bob Koerber, ng-S/Sgt Carl Christianson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Adriel Langendoerfer, Radio Operator: Omer Young, Ball turret gunner: Harvey Tuber, Waist gunner: Frank Hearne, Waist gunner: John McCallum, Tail gunner: Howard Polizzo (9 KIA - when ship crash landed); Navigator: Bill Evans (RTD - bailed out safely); Salvaged 18/4/44. Specific model details: an early -G model, the 51st from Boeing, with the Bendix remotely sighted chin turret that replaced the nose and cheek guns on earlier models. Production pre-dates the "Cheyenne" tail turret mod. Waist gun positions were fully enclosed in Plexiglas, and level with each other. The radio compartment gun was also enclosed. In 2018 a memorial-plaque was unveiled inside Barroway Drove Village Hall, the crew's names (from the 'Tenny Belle'), are commemorated on this plaque.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 525th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19179290
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 526th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 525th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38094689 / O-?
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 525th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36276991
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Bombardier / L,R Waist Gunner, Nose Gunner / Togglier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 379th Bomb Group 526th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12127384
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Engineer
Places
Official War Department document/Open Source.
- Site type: Aircraft crash site
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Other
- Known as: Cheyenne Modification Center
Missions
- Date: 11 April 1944
- Date: 10 April 1944
- Date: 9 April 1944
- Date: 29 March 1944
- Date: 23 March 1944
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Delivered |
Cheyenne Modification Center | 15 September 1943 | Modified with all it's armaments and combat equipment, then test flown. Once determined to be fit for flight, the aircraft was delivered to the 379th BG. |
|
Assigned |
Kimbolton AAF | 19 October 1943 | Assigned 525th BS, 379th BG |
|
Crashed |
Barroway Drove, Norfolk | 11 April 1944 | Take off accident, Sorau 11/4/44; crash landed Fen Farm, Barroway Drove Norfolk, UK., with John Daly, Co-pilot: Bob Koerber, ng-S/Sgt Carl Christianson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Adriel Langendoerfer, Radio Operator: Omer Young, Ball turret gunner: Harvey Tuber, Waist gunner: Frank Hearne, Waist gunner: John McCallum,Tail gunner: Howard Polizzo (9KIA- when ship crash landed); Navigator: Bill Evans (RTD- bailed out safely) |
|
Manufactured |
Boeing Plant 2 / Air Force Plant 17 | Manufactured at Boeing Plant 2 (also known as Air Force Plant 17) which was a factory building which was built in 1936 by the Boeing Corporation in King County, Washington in the United States. By the time production ceased in the building, the plant had built half of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses, the Boeing 307s, the Boeing 377s, some of the Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, Boeing B-50 Superfortresses, B-47 Stratojets, B-52 Stratofortresses, and the initial Boeing 737s. It was located between the Duwamish River and Boeing Field. |
Revisions
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid readability.
Removed source information added by Horsham from biography, and corrected information in record
Several corrections to make, to the above.....
1, = Stow Bardolph & Barroway Drove are two totally separate locations...
2, = Barroway Drove is noticably to the West of the Gt.River Ouse
3, = It is even further away (much further West) from the main A.10 highway*
(To the East of the village of Wimbotsham, which is North from Downham Mkt)
4, = Stow Bardolph is on the Northern Boundary of the RAF Bexwell airfield**
(Base used by RAF Heavy Bombers, Short Stirlings & Avro Lancasters, '43-'45)
5, = Barroway Drove IS the place of the crash-site, NOT Stow Bardolph.***
In 2018 a memorial-plaque was unveiled inside Barroway Drove Village Hall
The crew's names (from the 'Tenny Belle'), are commemorated on this plaque
Link below, is currently 11-months old & still active, from local news article...
https://www.edp24.co.uk/news/new-war-memorial-at-barroway-drove-1-58149…
6, = Neither Barroway Drove (Fens), or Stow Bardolph are in Suffolk at all....
Suffolk is a neighbouring county which lies to the South (i.e Mildenhall & Lakenheath)
7, = ALL the places; crash-site & names mentioned, are in the county of NORFOLK
8, = Lastly.....
'Tenny Belle' broke-up in mid-air, therefore "crash-landed" is erroneous & misleading.
multiple on-line sources based upon serial number and a/c photo
B-17 database
8th AF mission database
Joseph W. Jennings Military Papers - 1943-1945
Joseph W. Jennings Military Papers - 1943-1945
Edited to reflect actual incident details from the Accident report (attached in media)
avail/known data
corrected typo in block no.
updated; web databases
various web sources/databases
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log
