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| USAAF 5th AF Former Assignments 19th BG 93rd BS |
Aircraft History Built by Boeing at Seattle. Constructors Number 2444. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as B-17E Flying Fortress serial number 41-2633. Ferried overseas via Hickam Field then across the Pacific to Australia. Wartime History Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 19th Bombardment Group (19th BG), 93rd Bombardment Squadron (93rd BS). No known nickname or nose art. On July 4, 1942 one of six B-17s that bombed Lae. Returning to land at Horn Island Airfield, the B-17's hit fuel drums at the edge of the runway damaging the left landing gear to collapse jamming it up into the no. 2 engine and a tire blowout. Afterwards, repaired at Longreach Airfield. Aboard was ball turret gunner Sgt Edward Dietz. a On October 2, 1942 this B-17 flew General Douglas MacArthur to 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby for his first visit to New Guinea. During late 1942, assigned to Lt. General George C. Kenney as his personal transport. Nicknamed "Sally" in a cursive style. This bomber was often flown between Australia and New Guinea flying high ranking officers or passengers. This B-17 was also used by General Douglas MacArthur. On November 27, 1942 flew from Amberly Field to Port Moresby. Aboard as a passenger was Captain Porter, 17th Fighter Squadron (Provisional). During February 1943 until March 1943, while Kenney was in the United States. The flight crew saw a photograph in a magazine of an aircraft in natural aluminum finish assigned to another general and decided it looked good. Since the crew were not involved in much flying they to strip off all the paint to the bare aluminum finish. The B-17 retained the nickname "Sally". During December 1943, transported General Douglas MacArthur from Vivigani Airfield on Goodenough Island on a flight back to 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby. In April 1945, damaged in a thunderstorm in the Philippines. Afterwards, ground crews decided the wing spars might have been damaged in the storm. In May 1945, scrapped at Brisbane. Cecile Benjamin adds: "Dick Graff, the last Sally crew member died in October 2005. He lived in northern New South Wales, ten minutes drive away from the town I grew up." References USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-17E Flying Fortress 41-2633 "2633 damaged in storm Apr 1945. Flown to Brisbane for scrapping May 1945." Activation And History of 17th Fighter Squadron (Provisional) P-38 Type Aircraft page 1 via AFHRA (Page 1) "27 Nov. The following named pilots left for Port Moresby in Gen Kenney's B-17 Capt. Porter." The Forgotten Fifth (2007) Chronology 14, pages 16-17 Echoes From an Eagle (2016) page 45 The Eight Ballers - Eyes of the Fifth Air Force (1999) page 24 (lower right photo with MacArthur), 54 (photo aluminum finish) Thanks to Cecile Benjamin for additional information Contribute
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