498:
212:
489:
460:
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314:
44:
208:, which had six previous missions in other bombers. After that crew completed her tour on April 10, she was used as a "new crew" aircraft, used to break in replacement crews, although eight of the missions were flown by the crew of 1st Lt. Richard K. Marsh between April 11 and June 2.
152:. The original plane, serial number 42-38050, was scrapped at the end of the war and no longer exists. The name also appears on a later B-17G delivered at the end of the war, serial number 44-85718, which remains airworthy and is painted to replicate the earlier
285:
as the centerpiece of two other paintings, "Retirement Party for Old
Thunderbird" (1965 for the Air Force Art Collection), showing the bomber on her 112th and last mission, and "Schweinfurt Again", depicting the bomber on her 76th mission in October 1944.
914:
421:, the end of hostilities in the European theater of World War II. She was sold for scrap in November 1945, but was subsequently registered in France in 1947 and in England in 1984. The plane was purchased for the
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234:, Germany), after which she was retired as "war weary". She reputedly was crewed by 538 different airmen, none of whom suffered an injury aboard
890:
488:
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432:, above, and made various airshow appearances. It was retained by LSFM until being sold in December 2020 to the Mid America Flight Museum of
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17:
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259:
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178:
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436:. As of February 2022, the plane was located at the shop of the Erickson Aircraft Collection in
1149:
1015:
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414:
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126:
468:
205:
313:
262:
in
Washington, D.C., entitled "Fortresses Under Fire", completed 1975–1976. The artist,
43:
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1084:
1050:
1022:
584:
This site also lists every mission and crewman making an operational flight on
318:
44-85718 wearing the livery of 42-38050 at the
Defenders of Liberty Airshow at
200:
On 23 January 1944, she was assigned to the crew of 1st Lt. Vern L. Moncur, of
1133:
1036:
731:
275:
227:
409:
Serial number 44-85718 was built as a B-17G-105-VE by the Vega
Division of
189:
in
England on 18 January 1944. The plane flew 112 combat missions with the
1091:
1001:
243:
708:
641:"B-17G Flying Fortress 'Thunderbird' – Status Update – February 2022"
440:, undergoing a prolonged period of inspection and maintenance work.
274:, Germany, on her return to Molesworth following a mission to bomb
271:
255:
254:
This plane is the subject of a 25-by-75-foot (7.6 by 22.9 m)
210:
681:
238:. Returned to the United States after the war, she was sent to
270:
on her 70th mission at 11:45 a.m., August 15, 1944, over
278:, and is historically accurate in the encounter portrayed.
173:
Serial number 42-38050 was a B-17G-25-DL manufactured by
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105:
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53:
30:
425:(LSFM) of Texas in 1987 and returned to the U.S.
428:The plane was painted to replicate the original
417:. She was delivered on 9 May 1945—the day after
226:She flew her first mission on January 29, 1944 (
391:Mid America Flight Museum (since December 2020)
693:
477:44-85718 photographed in 1984 (left) and 2006
8:
230:, Germany), and her last on March 22, 1945 (
25:American B-17 heavy bomber from World War II
1164:Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress
522:, August 2004. Challenge Publications, inc.
939:
700:
686:
678:
506:44-85718 photographed 2011 (left) and 2017
297:
48:42-38050 and its ground crew in April 1945
27:
635:
633:
631:
873:Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident
185:(USAAF) in November 1943 and arrived at
16:For the air demonstration squadron, see
537:
447:(FAA) as N900RW. It is one of the few
7:
548:. keithferrisart.com. Archived from
18:United States Air Force Thunderbirds
1221:Individual aircraft of World War II
399:Sold into private use, acquired by
258:in the World War II Gallery of the
526:B-17 Thunderbird.com memorial site
14:
518:O'Leary, Michael. "Thunderbird",
443:The plane is registered with the
496:
487:
467:
458:
312:
42:
600:commemorative reference plaque.
1:
260:National Air and Space Museum
183:United States Army Air Forces
337:Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
142:Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
63:Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress
1226:Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
1242:
891:Windsor Locks, Connecticut
879:North Barrule, Isle of Man
445:Federal Aviation Authority
246:, where she was scrapped.
191:359th Bombardment Squadron
181:. She was accepted by the
15:
1198:
411:Lockheed Aircraft Company
349:Lockheed Aircraft Company
311:
140:was a high mission-tally
129:, aircraft disposal plant
41:
885:Mount Tom, Massachusetts
867:Bakers Creek, Queensland
671:Retrieved: 16 July 2021.
320:Barksdale Air Force Base
175:Douglas Aircraft Company
75:Douglas Aircraft Company
862:Accidents and incidents
598:Lone Star Flight Museum
574:. 303rd Bomb group Assn
546:"Fortresses Under Fire"
449:surviving flyable B-17s
423:Lone Star Flight Museum
401:Lone Star Flight Museum
195:303rd Bombardment Group
146:303rd Bombardment Group
1113:Thunderbird (42-38050)
1044:Thunderbird (44-85718)
666:"FAA Registry: N900RW"
223:
219:painting the mural of
179:Long Beach, California
615:americanairmuseum.com
434:Mount Pleasant, Texas
240:Kingman Army Airfield
214:
712:B-17 Flying Fortress
1172:Twelve O'Clock High
1016:Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby
1009:Sentimental Journey
995:Piccadilly Lilly II
647:. February 15, 2022
588:, among other data.
415:Burbank, California
328:General information
54:General information
1202:Boeing B-29 family
224:
1208:
1207:
1122:
1121:
1099:Sir Baboon McGoon
1063:
960:Aluminum Overcast
945:
572:"Thunderbird Art"
407:
406:
133:
132:
1233:
1071:All American III
1061:
943:
940:
936:Notable aircraft
915:Units of the MTO
702:
695:
688:
679:
672:
663:
657:
656:
654:
652:
645:warbirdsnews.com
637:
626:
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316:
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127:Kingman, Arizona
46:
37:
28:
1241:
1240:
1236:
1235:
1234:
1232:
1231:
1230:
1211:
1210:
1209:
1204:
1194:
1150:B-17 in fiction
1138:
1118:
1056:
931:
850:
846:307 Stratoliner
834:
813:
797:
769:
736:
715:
706:
676:
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206:Bountiful, Utah
171:
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49:
35:
34:
26:
21:
12:
11:
5:
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1040:
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1005:
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984:
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967:Champaign Lady
963:
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836:
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827:
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802:Reconnaissance
799:
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783:
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552:on May 4, 2014
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438:Madras, Oregon
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187:RAF Molesworth
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1183:
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1180:Memphis Belle
1177:
1175:
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1153:
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1115:
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1110:
1108:
1107:
1106:Texas Raiders
1103:
1101:
1100:
1096:
1094:
1093:
1089:
1087:
1086:
1082:
1080:
1079:
1078:Hell's Angels
1075:
1073:
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1067:
1065:
1059:
1053:
1052:
1048:
1046:
1045:
1041:
1039:
1038:
1034:
1032:
1031:
1030:The Pink Lady
1027:
1025:
1024:
1020:
1018:
1017:
1013:
1011:
1010:
1006:
1004:
1003:
999:
997:
996:
992:
990:
989:
985:
983:
982:
981:Memphis Belle
978:
976:
975:
974:Liberty Belle
971:
969:
968:
964:
962:
961:
957:
955:
954:
950:
949:
947:
941:
938:
934:
928:
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898:
897:Dallas, Texas
895:
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868:
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279:
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232:Gelsenkirchen
229:
222:
218:
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209:
207:
203:
202:Rupert, Idaho
198:
196:
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168:
164:
159:
157:
155:
151:
147:
143:
139:
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128:
124:
120:
116:
112:
109:November 1943
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83:
79:
76:
73:
71:
67:
64:
61:
57:
52:
45:
40:
33:
29:
23:
19:
1187:
1179:
1171:
1163:
1155:
1112:
1111:
1104:
1097:
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1083:
1076:
1069:
1049:
1043:
1042:
1035:
1028:
1021:
1014:
1007:
1000:
993:
986:
979:
972:
965:
958:
951:
720:Predecessors
668:
661:
651:November 20,
649:. Retrieved
644:
620:November 20,
618:. Retrieved
614:
605:
593:
585:
576:. Retrieved
566:
554:. Retrieved
550:the original
540:
520:Air Classics
519:
442:
429:
427:
408:
388:Preserved at
380:Manufactured
356:Registration
344:Manufacturer
301:
291:
282:
281:Ferris used
280:
267:
264:Keith Ferris
253:
235:
225:
220:
217:Keith Ferris
199:
172:
166:
153:
150:World War II
136:
135:
134:
125:Scrapped at
106:Manufactured
70:Manufacturer
31:
22:
1085:Nine-O-Nine
1051:Yankee Lady
1023:Swamp Ghost
910:USAAF units
781:CB-17/VB-17
586:Thunderbird
430:Thunderbird
302:Thunderbird
292:Thunderbird
283:Thunderbird
268:Thunderbird
266:, depicted
236:Thunderbird
221:Thunderbird
167:Thunderbird
154:Thunderbird
137:Thunderbird
32:Thunderbird
1215:Categories
1200:See also:
1134:Bally B-17
1037:The Swoose
988:My Gal Sal
774:Transports
611:"44-85718"
532:References
294:(44-85718)
169:(42-38050)
114:In service
1156:Air Force
944:Survivors
922:Survivors
905:Operators
839:Airliners
809:F-9/FB-17
578:April 22,
276:Wiesbaden
228:Frankfurt
165:Original
117:1943–1945
1188:Fortress
1143:In media
1127:Replicas
1062:Historic
953:44-83690
927:Variants
383:May 1945
370:44-85718
306:44-85718
96:42-38050
36:42-38050
1092:Old 666
1002:Sally B
741:Bombers
669:FAA.gov
556:Jan 10,
513:Sources
403:in 1987
375:History
322:in 2006
290:Extant
244:Arizona
215:Artist
193:of the
160:History
148:during
144:of the
101:History
1190:(2012)
1182:(1990)
1174:(1949)
1166:(1944)
1158:(1943)
899:(2022)
893:(2019)
887:(1946)
881:(1945)
875:(1943)
869:(1943)
855:Topics
818:Drones
714:family
709:Boeing
419:VE Day
366:Serial
360:N900RW
250:Legacy
204:, and
92:Serial
81:Owners
793:C-108
758:YB-40
753:XB-38
727:XB-15
272:Trier
256:mural
85:USAAF
830:BQ-7
825:CQ-4
788:C-75
748:B-17
653:2022
622:2022
580:2007
558:2014
396:Fate
333:Type
122:Fate
59:Type
732:247
413:in
177:in
1217::
765:PB
643:.
630:^
613:.
451:.
242:,
197:.
156:.
701:e
694:t
687:v
655:.
624:.
582:.
560:.
20:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
