44-6146 | American Air Museum

44-6146 Little Cheezer

Damaged B-17 Flying Fortresses including (serial number 44-6146) of the 401st Bomb Group, and of the 486th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'IN-R, 401BG.' A veteran has handwritten on reverse: 'Winter of 1944. This plane's bombardier was my best friend in high school. We joined the aviation cadets together in fall of 1942. Plane is from the 486th Bomb Group. It was struck in the rear by another plane in formation and tail gunner fell to his death over Germany. The Germans buried him and sent ph

media-414274.jpg FRE 8097 Damaged B-17 Flying Fortresses including (serial number 44-6146) of the 401st Bomb Group, and of the 486th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'IN-R, 401BG.' A veteran has handwritten on reverse: 'Winter of 1944. This plane's bombardier was my best friend in high school. We joined the aviation cadets together in fall of 1942. Plane is from the 486th Bomb Group. It was struck in the rear by another plane in formation and tail gunner fell to his death over Germany. The Germans buried him and sent photo to his parents of tomb-stone which gave his home address as Indianapolis, Illinois instead of Indiana. This plane landed at the crash-landing base in Southern England. Bombardier was 1st Lt. Delmar Claussen of Sioux Falls, So. Dakota. He claims to be a German ace as he bailed out once and crashed 4 times.' Roger Freeman Collection

Removed association tp person - not depicted in the image.

Object Number - FRE 8097 - Damaged B-17 Flying Fortresses including (serial number 44-6146) of the 401st Bomb Group, and of the 486th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on...

Delivered Tulsa 14/5/44; Kearney 24/5/44; Dow Fd 1/6/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-R] Deenethorpe 10/6/44; 613BS [IN-R]; Returned to the USA Bradley 7/6/45; Sth Plains 9/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 14/12/45. LITTLE CHEEZER.