Warbird Information Exchange

I was just sorting through my PC (as you do) and came across this very grainy picture from unknown source (but it'll be well out of copyright!).

I've saved the pic as "Blue Streak 486BG" but I know next to nothing about it, except to say it's the B-17 going down in flames. I've tried googling to no avail (rather surprising in this age of Google omnipotence).

Looking at the photo I note one ship (lead?) is dropping a long line of bombs, and the 17's look like natural metal G models.

Can anyone provide any info about this loss? I believe Roger Freeman's "Mighty Eighth War Diary" has something on it, but I don't have that book.

cheers and thanks, Don

That is one gut wrenching pic. It shows the courage and dedication these men had to get back in these crates after seeing something like that or knowing that it might have been them.

God Bless them all

I believe I have the book...let me look into it. I just hate the feeling when seeing some of those pictures.....

_________________
Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

http://www.390th.org/
www.LSFM.org

Trae

found here
http://www.486th.org/Aircraft/B17Index4.htm
lost November 2, 1944, 9 crew KIA

But the standard crew compliment of a B-17 was ten men.
see … http://www.arizonawingcaf.com/pages/crew.html

Incredible as it seems - did someone survive that?

B-17G-75-BO 43-37883 Blue Streak of the 843rdBS/486 BG, flown by 2Lt. David Paris. Suffered a direct flak hit in the main left fuel tank over Merseburg on Nov. 2 1944.

_________________
Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

http://www.390th.org/
www.LSFM.org

Trae

Being unable to locate my orignal copy of "The Mighty Eighth War Diary",I finally ordered another through Amazon.The complete caption for the picture in question is:

"This spectacular photograph of a B-17 disintigrating in flames appeared in many publications during and after World War II but without identity or mention of the full signifigance of the event.The Fortress was 486BG's Blue Streak,the first combat loss of 834BS in the 78 missions flown since entering combat.2/Lt David Paris and crew perished.Navigator 1/Lt William Beeson was on his 32nd and last scheduled mission,the rest of the crew on number five or six.An 88 mm shell exploded the left main fuel tank over Merseburg,2 November.The propeller from No.2 engine can be seen falling away."

This is on page 375,which lists missions for 2 November 1944.Curiously,the accompanying photo on this page of the book is cropped to show only the falling Blue Streak and even that has been rotated 90 degrees to the left compared to the full photograph.I think that it is printed correctly and in full form in the original book of Roger A. Freeman's trilogy,"The Mighty Eighth".