Old 666

[RareBear]

Here's a video documenting the mission that produced the most highly decorated aircrew of the 2nd World War.

http://www.theospark.net/2010/06/video-old-666.html
Walt

Last edited by RareBear on Tue Feb 22, 2011 1:10 pm, edited 5 times in total.

[Jesse C.]

Link is not working

[RareBear]

Fixed it.

Walt

[daveymac82c]

Wow, quite an amazing story. Thanks for sharing the link.

Peace,

David

[67N20]

The book "Fortress Against the Sun" says 41-2666 was named "Suzy" and returned to the States on 22 March 1944.

It also says the date of the mission was April 16th, not June 16th. I wonder why the difference in dates and which is correct.

I did catch one error on "Fortress Against the Sun" where it lists "Swamp Ghost" as "returned to the US and restored". Book was printed in 2001.

[ZeamerB17]

June 16, 1943 is the correct date. Old 666 didn't have a name, or so Jay Zeamer told me in a letter in the late '90's. It seems to be commonly accepted that she was named Lucy, which may have started thanks to an article in The American Magazine January, 1944 - not positive of the date.

Anyway, I suppose Col. Zeamer would have remembered if she had a name, but who knows? I've been searching for a photo of this B-17 for over a decade to no avail.

Last edited by ZeamerB17 on Tue Jan 22, 2013 3:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Second Air Force]

Colonel Zeamer described '666 in exactly the same way when I was fortunate enough to meet him a number of years ago. Plain, unadorned "sh_t brindle" (his description) olive drab B-17.

[fritzthefox]

There was a "666" Warthog, as well. It had a jinxed reputation and was trundled off to the boneyard at the first opportunity. Below is an illustration I made of it. The paint is accurate, although the crew names are fanciful (I obviously had some fun with it)...

[SaxMan]

I like how he refers to armor plate as "useless weight" I'm sure a lot of ETO guys would disagree with him about that!

Has anyone checked the NARA archives to see if there are any pics of "666" there? Given the amount of punishment it took on that mission, I'm surprised no one documented it.

[TimAPNY]

To bad an "E" model could not be made up like that. I think the crowds would love to tour it and what a heroic tale!

Tim

[Second Air Force]

I like how he refers to armor plate as "useless weight" I'm sure a lot of ETO guys would disagree with him about that!

Has anyone checked the NARA archives to see if there are any pics of "666" there? Given the amount of punishment it took on that mission, I'm surprised no one documented it.

Several of us searched every place and archive we could think of for photos of 41-2666 to no avail. Perhaps somebody will find something someday, but as far as I know no one has so far.

[ZeamerB17]

It has always amazed me that no one took any photos of her after that mission. I guess she wasn't shot up that badly; there were more missions to come before she returned to the U.S. in February, 1944. The last one that Steve Birdsall could find was Sept. 25, 1943.

If anyone knows of a source(s) of B-17 photos from Base Units Spokane, Walla Walla, or Hendricks from February '44 to July '44, it is possible there is a photo of 41-2666 in those somewhere. After that, possibly Amarillo Army Air Field. She was salvaged at Albuquerque in August, 1945.

[Second Air Force]

Dave,

I've been through the Amarillo Base Historical Record and didn't see any pictures of '666 (or any E models, oddly enough). I sort of doubt it was assigned to Amarillo as the B-29 program was really pushing out Fortress training there by the mid '44 timeframe.

The Hendricks "Classbooks" have a fair number of B-17 photos in them. Finding one with that particular airplane may be difficult unless someone has a full set to leaf through.

[ZeamerB17]

Interesting. I'd think the Library of Congress might have those yearbooks, and I believe they do interlibrary loans, but I don't know if they'd loan out those type of books ...

Maybe some kind soul who has a set of those will stumble across this thread ...