Another named possible B-17 artifact

[Forgotten Field]

I had asked about a B-17 named Nancy Lou. Here is why. Three years ago, at a gun show, I picked up this clock. On the back, glued and taped to the data plate, is a small card. I am always suspicious of this kind of documentation, but it looks like period paper, ink, and handwriting. Anybody got a lead on Nancy Lou?

[mustangdriver]

From another forum:
"My grandfather Lloyd Powell was a radio operator in the B17's during WW2. He was 463rd BG, 15AAF, 774 BS. He has told me he was assigned to the "Nancy Lou" but the day that the "Jersey Misquite" was to go on a mission it needed a radio man, theirs was sick" and he was the lucky man. The Jersey Misquite was shot down I believe he said over Austria, my grandpa was then held in Stalag 17B for 13 months. If anyone else knows anything about his group or knows of anyone that was also in this group and possibly knows my granpa please contact me with any info"


Here is the e-mail address for the radio operator's grandson. Hope this helps.
jpowell89@yahoo.com

[Forgotten Field]

Thanks very much. I'll let you know what I find.

[Craig59]

Ooh! Love mysteries like that. Keep us posted on your finds.

[Forgotten Field]

The email was no good- Yahoo said no such account exists. I got in touch with the 463rd Bomb Group HIstorian, and got this response:

I did not get very far before discovering that "Nancy Lou", a/c # 42-31840
was forced to ditch in the Adriatic Sea 7 April 1944, the day after "The
Jersey Mosquito" was shot down on 6 April 1944 with your grandfather on
board. Fortunately all on board the "Nancy Lou" were rescued by Air Sea
Rescue and returned to their base that same day.

If this was the Nancy Lou the clock ostensibly is from, it would have had to float a long time or ditched near land for the clock to be saved. Any more information on 42-31840? There is nothing on Baugher's website.

[Todd Hackbarth]

According to the 1998 book: "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design - Production - History" by Roger A. Freeman with David Osborne, 42-31840 was a B-17G-30-BO. It was delivered to Denver, CO on 12/22/1943 and went on to Tulsa, OK on 01/09/1944. It then went to Brookley Field, Mobile, AL the next day. It went to Lakeland, FL on 01/11/1944 and then on to Morrison Field, Palm Beach, FL on 02/28/1944. The plane was assigned to the 15th Air Force, 463rd Bomb Group ("The Swoose Group"), 774th Bomb Squadron at Celone Air Field, Foggia, Italy on 03/01/1944.

B-17G 42-31840 went missing in action on 04/07/1944 during a mission to Treviso, Italy. Pilot was Florsheim. The plane was ditched in the Adriatic Sea. The entire crew was rescued by an RAF Walrus aircraft which could not take off with everyone aboard so it taxied 30 miles to safe territory.

I could not find a Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) for this incident. It is quite possible one was not created since all of the crew members were rescued.

I also could not find any confirmation that this B-17 was named "Nancy Lou". It may very well have carried this name, I just could not find any information or a photograph to confirm it.

Then S/Sgt Lloyd Powell was shot down the previous day, on 04/06/1944, in B-17G-30-BO 42-31790 on a mission to Zagreb, Yugoslavia. I have access to the 60 page Missing Air Crew Report (MACR).

I hope the above information is useful.

Todd

[jessiedear]

I am Lloyd Powells granddaughter, Thank you all so much for the information! If you have anymore I would love to hear it! I am not sure as to why the email address provided would not work but I have a secondary email jessie.dear@ymail.com that you can also send information to if you would like. I will be heading to the library today to see if they have that book Todd, and I would love to read the MCAR, is there anyway you could send me a copy?

[Forgotten Field]

Jessie,
Good to see you are still around. I have been in touch with the granddaughter of the pilot. I'd like to put you two together if that is all right with you. PM me or email me at ffatc at forgotten field.com

[jessiedear]

Thank you so much! I will email you since I am new to this forum stuff and don't quite understand it yet lol. Once again thank you!

[jessiedear]

email has been sent