B-17's in Vietnam? -Update

[Wildchild]

Just read this letter from another fourm and I think you guys should be able to help:

Yes, you did read that correctly.

Two days ago, I interviewed my neighbor who was the pilot of a B-17 in world war II. He also shared with me his exploits as a ferry pilot for lend-lease aircraft to Russia, a F-51 training commander for pilots headed to Korea, an F-100 pilot trained to drop nuclear ordinance, and the pilot of numerous ground-attack aircraft in Vietnam, including the AC-47. However, he also told me about one aircraft that was used in Vietnam, about which I had never heard any information: the B-17. Apparently, it was one of the first gunship modifications, with two side-firing miniguns on the left side of the aircraft. Many internet and book searches have not turned up any additional information about the use of B-17's in the vietnam war, so I was wondering if anyone had any information about it.

Looking forward to hearing it!

Steve

Sorry about the delay in posting.

Anyway, I was replaying the recording of my interview with my neighbor, just to make sure I had heard him correctly. According to him, and I quote directly, "I was a combat squadron commander, but we used 'B-17 Spooky Birds'." He was very clear that the B-17's were the first type to be used in this role.

I'm planning on interviewing him again in the coming days, so I'll get more information about the B-17 gunship conversions.

http://www.sas1946.com/main/index.php/t ... cseen.html

Last edited by Wildchild on Fri Dec 14, 2012 7:04 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[p51]

My neighbor flew the first spookies in 'Nam. I just walked across the street and asked him about this. He laughed until he was crying.
He agreed that there were WW2 planes in 'Nam, but Goonies and Invaders. He said he would have had to read about any such conversion of any gunship during the 2 years he was there. "If I never flew it, I still would have had to know all the techincal specs of it, and I'm telling you, there were no damned B-17s in 'Nam, anywhere, especially as gunships!" he said.

[bombadier29]

The CIA used B-17s in Vietnam. They were black.

[Wildchild]

Well this is getting intresting

Last edited by Wildchild on Sat Dec 08, 2012 1:08 am, edited 1 time in total.

[bombadier29]

It's mentioned in the book B-17s in Action.

[P51Mstg]

Also at the end of the movie Thunderball when Evergreen's B-17 picks up Bond and the Bond Girl.... I see no reason why they couldn't have used at least one in Vietnam in that capacity.... I forget what they used in the Green Berets to make the same pickup?

Interesting history of some B-17 covert operations.
http://www.utdallas.edu/library/collect ... er/b17.pdf

Mark H

[Warbird Kid]

That mod from the Evergreen B-17 in Thunderball, apparently was the Fulton Skyhook, made by Robert Fulton Jr. from Newtown CT. I passed by his airstrip/home 2 hours ago.

[CDF]

Air America 44-85531
http://www.utdallas.edu/library/collect ... er/b17.pdf

[The Inspector]

Well this is getting intresting

utdallas.edu/library will put you in or close to their info on CIA aircraft used in S.E. Asia it's suspected that perhaps the G @ EVERGREENS museum in Oregon might be one of the ex CIA birds.
And the Boeing 307 sitting @ Udvar-Hazy was the Saigon to Hanoi diplomatic shuttle airplane during the period of festivities.

[famvburg]

A few years ago I read somewhere in online forum or group, about B-24s used in Vietnam. It was a pretty deep discussion and started out like this on on the B-17. It was or they were supposedly all black.

[The Inspector]

The 7th. B.G. of the 10th A.F. based in India operated B-24's over Burma and Thailand during WW2, wasn't there a long-ish post about them a couple years ago?

[JohnB]

The CIA used B-17s in Vietnam. They were black.

Yes, in the late 40s or early 50s.
No relevence to the US in the "Vietnam War" any more than noting A6Ms or other Japanese aircraft were there in the past.

Besides anyone who has rever read anything about B-17s knows they were out of the US inventory by 1960...all the target drones were expended and the drone controlers sent to D-M.

[p51]

Let's look at this logically...
Of all the B-17 books out there, wouldn't you think there'd be a photo of a B-17 in 'Nam somewhere in print by now?
"I heard that..." is no argument. If someone can find photos or documentation from the time period that a B-17 was in 'Nam at all, then you have an argument.
Not that you will, of course. Can't we all just accept that someone would have heard about this and documented the actual use of a B-17 in that war by now if it'd actually happened?

[Richard Woods]

As well as the B17 mentioned here:

http://www.airforce-magazine.com/Magazi ... 4dien.aspx

The Institut Géographique National also operated their B17's over Vietnam as part of their duties over Indochina. So its fair to say they were there, just not maybe in the years associated with the Vietnam war.

[maxum96]

Let's look at this logically...
Of all the B-17 books out there, wouldn't you think there'd be a photo of a B-17 in 'Nam somewhere in print by now?
"I heard that..." is no argument.

Well, I'll have you know that my uncle's wife's cousin's brother's neighbor's husband's shrink's priest's pet monkey's trainer's fortune teller said there were B-17's in Vietnam in the 1960's. So it must be true.