FRE 903

IMAGE
Personnel of the 100th Bomb Group inspect a damaged B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Hang the Expense" after a crash landing. Image via Stewart P Evans.
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B-17G Flying Fortress nicknamed "Hang The Expense IV" of the 100th Bomb Group that overshot the runway at Thorpe Abbotts. The date, the letters and numbers at the bottom of the accompanying nose-on photo - "97560" and "96GP" confirm this is "Hang The Expense IV" Serial 42-97560, involved in a landing accident at Thorpe Abbotts on 19 May 1944. Pilot Frank E. Valesh. Salvaged 19/5/44. (Amended 30/6/17)

Connections

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Units

Three airmen of the 100th Bomb Group, Lieutenant Kenneth Menzie, Lieutenant Donald Strout and Lieutenant Norman Scott, plan the route they will take during the next mission in their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30380). Image stamped on reverse: 'Reviewed and passed U.S. Army 23 Aug 1943 Press Censor E.T.O. U.S.A.' [stamp]'. Passed for publication 23 August 1943 INTLD 16 General Section Press Censorship Bureau '[stamp], 'Associated Press' [stamp] and '280035.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reve

100th Bomb Group

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

People

Personnel of the 100th Bomb Group inspect a damaged B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Hang the Expense" after a crash landing. Image via Stewart P Evans.

Frank Edward Valesh

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 351st Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 17062813 / O-?
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

42-31035

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Hang The Expense
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 351st Bomb Squadron
Personnel of the 100th Bomb Group inspect a damaged B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Hang the Expense" after a crash landing. Image via Stewart P Evans.

42-97560

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Hang The Expense IV
  • Unit: 100th Bomb Group 96th Bomb Group 413th Bomb Squadron

Locations

Mission

Revisions

Date:
ContributorED-BB
ChangesChanges to caption, unit associations, person associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

Freeman "The Mighty Eighth War Diary"
Accident reports UK for November 1943

Date:
ContributorAlistairM
ChangesChanges to caption, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

Original caption cited a much earlier crash landing into farm buildings but the damage and ground conditions do not match the images of this incident. Amended due to a closer correlation to photo captioned with: "(GAD-37-1-100)(19-5-44)(A/C 7560H-96GP-B-17G)".

Date:
ContributorAAM
ChangesAAM ingest
Sources

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection