Leif R. Ostnes was born in Discovery Otter in the Iditarod country of the Territory of Alaska December 28, 1918. Discovery Otter is named for the discovery of gold December 25, 1908 on Otter Creek. The area has other nearby prominent mining areas, Flat Creek and Willow Creek. Iditarod City was the commercial port and largest community. The Iditarod strike was the 4th largest gold strike in Alaska.

Leif had finished one year at the University of Washington and was mining when WWII called. He was already a pilot so entered the Army Air Corps. He was in Marfa Texas for training in 1943. He was then sent to Oklahoma as a B-17 pilot instructor. He was assigned to the 384th Bomb Group 546th Bomb Squadron on AAF Station 106 in January 1945. He flew 19 missions in various B-17s with two landings on the continent due to mechanical problems. He was Co-Pilot to William G. Gregg on his first mission on 9 February 1945 on Satan's Playmate (42-97510). Among the other Fortresses he himself piloted, he remembers Swamp Angel (42-98027), Terrible Ute, Buckeye Belle (44-8541) and Baby Judy as some of his aircraft. The B-17 he piloted on most missions (8) was 43-39197 (School Marm). His 18th and last mission with the 384th was the 20 April 1945 one to Brandenburg. He flew free French back from Morocco after the war ended.

He returned to his wife and two children, relocated to Fairbanks, Alaska and had three more children. All were raised from his salary as a miner or heavy duty mechanic. He flew a Fairchild 24 for many years and a Cunningham Hall. Because of his love of the "little friends" to the B-17s, he built a 1/2 scale P-47 which he added a Continental 200 engine. He painted the plane in 384th Bomb Group, 546th Bomb Squadron colors by making the cowling red. Soon after speed testing the plane he had a stroke and died in September of 1989. The P47 plane now resides in the Aviation Museum in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Leif is buried in Washelli Cemetery in Seattle Washington. Included on his stone is a plane in remembrance of his love of flying.

Service Awards

03/02/45 Awarded Air Medal

04/24/45 Awarded 2 Oak Leaf Clusters

05/08/45 Unconditional Surrender from Axis Powers

American Theater Services Medal World War II

Victory Medal European, African, Middle Eastern Services Medal with 3 Bronze Stars

A set of 2 Captain Bars made of material instead of metal were in his possession so they may have been given in the field and not ever recognized in the records.



Lt. Leif R. Ostnes Missions

01/21/45 Arrive 106 APO 557 8th Air Force, 1st division, 41st Wing, 384th Bomb Group (H) 546th Squadron



02/09/45 Mission 1 Merseberg, Germany Co-Pilot B-17G 42-97510

Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Target Type: Oil Industry Lützkendorf, Germany

Lt. Leif R. Ostnes Co-Pilot to Lt. William Grieg in B-17 aircraft numbered 42-97510. It was model 17G-15-VE with the markings of BK*A. The plane had a nickname of “Satan’s Playmate”. “Satan's Playmate” completed the war and transferred out on May 27, 1945. Note the old style painted finish. The first mission of any pilot was as a co-pilot.

02/14/45 Mission 2 Dresden, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 44-6476

Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Target Type: Transportation

Dresden, Germany. Engine feathered lands on P-47 airstrip Étain -

Rouvres

02/24/45 Mission 3 Hamberg, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39203

Target: Submarine Construction Shipyard Target Type: Shipyards

Hamburg, Germany

02/25/45 Mission 4 Fredrichshafen, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-38766

Target: Tank & Submarine Engine FactoryTarget Type: Industry

Friedrichshafen, Germany

02/27/45 Mission 5 Leipzig, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Target Type: Transportation

Wahren (Leipzig area), Germany

02/28/45 Mission 6 Hagen, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Target Type: Transportation

Hagen, Germany

03/02/45 Mission 7 Rositz, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39060

Target: Low Temperature Carbonization Plant and Refinery of

Deutsche Petroleum A.G.Target Type: Oil Industry

03/02/45 Awarded the Air Medal

03/11/45 Mission aborted Weather Aircraft Bremen Germany Pilot B-17G

44-6909 Target: Vacuum Oil PlantTarget Type: Oil Industry Bremen,

Germany

03/19/45 Mission 8 Plauen, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: Braunkohle-Benzin Synthetic Oil Plant Target Type: Oil

Industry Bohlen, Germany

03/20/45 Mission 9 Hamberg, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: Deutsche Werft Submarine Shipyard Target Type: Submarine

Facility Hamburg, Germany

03/22/45 Mission 10 Westerholt, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: German Hutted Camps (Barracks) at 51°36'N,7°06'E Target

Type: Military Westerholt, Germany

03/26/45 Mission 11 Meinden, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: Synthetic Oil Plant Target Type: Oil Industry Zeitz, Germany

03/28/45 Mission 12 Berlin, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: Berlin/Spandau Motor Transport Works Target Type: Industry

Spandau (Berlin), Germany

03/30/45 Mission 13 Bremen, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 44-8541

Target: Deutsche Schiff- u. Maschinenbau A.G. (DESCHIMAG)

Submarine and Warship Yard Machine Shop Target Type: Submarine

Facility Bremen, Germany U-Boat Pens U-430 VIIC Mar 30 1945 Near

Bremen US bombs U-870 IXC/40 Mar 30 1945 Bremen US bombs

04/05/45 Mission 14 Ingolstadt, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 43-39197

Target: Ordnance DepotTarget Type: Military Ingolstadt, Germany

04/10/45 Mission 15 Oranienberg, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 44-8211

Target: Ordnance Depot Workshop AreaTarget Type: Military

Oranienburg, Germany

04/12/45 Mission 16 Regensburg, Germany Pilot B-17G 42-98027 (Mission list

shows 44-8789 JD-X) Target:Railroad Marshalling Years Target Type:

Transportation Regensburg Germany

04/14/45 Mission 17 Bordeaux, France Command Pilot B-17G

Target: Gun BatteryTarget Type: Military Royan (Bordeaux), France

Flew Lead Group with Col. Theodore Milton (41st A Group) Pop

Dolan was on board as the Staff Officer, Intelligence (Istres, France)

Pop Dolan missed the bombing initial point and Leif Ostnes had to

take the whole group around and return to bomb site again. Other

Bomb Groups had flown through and when A Group got back on

track the smoke trailing looked like Elise Ostnes’s lace curtains.

04/15/45 Mission 18 Royan, France Command Pilot B-17G 42-98027

Target: Flak guns at Pointe de Suzac Target Type: Military Royan,

France

04/16/45 Mission 19 Regensburg, Germany Pilot B-17G 42-98027 Target

Railroad Marshalling Yards

04/20/45 Mission 20 Seddin, Germany Command Pilot B-17G 44-8211

Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Target Type: Transportation

Seddin, Germany