B-17G of the 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron 42-97597

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress of the 447th Bomb Group 710th Bomb Squadron, 42-97597 April 1944

The 447th Bomb Group (Heavy):

Overview and Command Assignments

Assigned to Eighth Air Force: November 1943 – August 1945
Wing & Command Assignments:
- VIII Bomber Command (BC), 3rd Bombardment Division (BD), 4th Combat Bomb Wing (CBW): November 1943
- 3rd BD, 4th CBW: 8 January 1944
- 3rd Air Division (AD), 4th CBW: 1 January 1945
- (Between 22 November 1944 and 16 February 1945, 4th CBW had operational and administrative control of the group and was termed 4th BW(P).)

Component Squadrons

708th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code CQ
709th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IE
710th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IJ
711th Bombardment Squadron (H): Squadron code IR

Combat Aircraft

B-17G Flying Fortress

Station

Rattlesden, England: 30 November 1943 – 2 August 1945
- (Air echelon arrived mid-November 1943)

Group Commanding Officers (COs)

Col. Hunter Harris Jr.: 23 May 1943 – c. 24 September 1944
Col. William J. Wrigglesworth: 25 September 1944 – 31 March 1945
Lt. Col. Louis G. Thorup: 31 March 1945 – 30 June 1945
Lt. Col. Wilfred Beaver: 1 July 1945 – August 1945

Mission Details

First Mission: 24 December 1943
Last Mission: 21 April 1945
Total Missions: 257
Total Credit Sorties: 7,605
Total Bomb Tonnage: 17,102.9 tons (including 394.9 tons of supplies, etc.)
Aircraft Missing in Action (MIA): 97
Other Operational Losses: 43
Enemy Aircraft Claims: 86 destroyed, 41 probably destroyed, 66 damaged

Major Awards

Medal of Honor: Awarded to 2nd Lt. Robert E. Femoyer on 2 November 1944.

Claims to Fame

“Milk Wagon”: Set a record for the 3rd Air Division B-17s by completing 129 missions without any turn-backs.

History

Activated: 1 May 1943 at Ephrata Army Air Base (AAB), Washington.
Training Locations:
- Moved to Rapid City AAB, South Dakota, on 13 June 1943.
- Relocated to Harvard AAB, Nebraska, on 31 July 1943, where training was completed.
Deployment:
- The ground echelon departed for the port of embarkation on 11 November 1943, sailing on the Queen Elizabeth on 23 November 1943, and arriving in Clyde on 29 November 1943.
- The air echelon moved overseas via the southern ferry route in early November 1943.

Aircraft Markings and Color Schemes

B-17G Flying Fortresses (November 1943 – August 1945)

Original Paint Scheme: Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish.
Group Marking:
- Square K: Applied in early December 1943.
  - On the fin, the marking was a 48-inch white square with a 36-inch Insignia Blue “K.”
  - On the upper surface of the right wing, the marking was a 72-inch by 57-inch rectangle with a 48-inch “K” in the same colors as on the fin.
- Individual aircraft call-letters were painted below the tail number, 24 inches high in yellow.
- Letters were used in alphabetical order from A, excluding I, in all squadrons.
- Natural Metal-Finished Aircraft: First received in late March 1944, with Group markings painted white on black and call-letters in black.
Squadron Markings:
- For some months, no squadron markings were carried on the Fortresses, although squadron code letters were given on the Group’s arrival in the United Kingdom.
- Propeller Bosses: Painted in squadron colors during the early spring of 1944.
  - 708th Bomb Squadron: Yellow
  - 709th Bomb Squadron: White
  - 710th Bomb Squadron: Red
  - 711th Bomb Squadron: Dark Blue
- Engine Cowling: In September 1944, the engine cowling ring and some 12 inches of the primary cowling were painted in the squadron color.
High-Visibility Markings (December 1944):
- The 4th Combat Bomb Wing issued directions for colored wing markings.
- The 447th Bomb Group aircraft carried an Insignia Blue chevron on the upper surface of the right wing’s outer section and the under surface of the left wing’s outer section.
  - The arms of the chevron were 48 inches wide, with the apex at the wing leading edge.
- All-Yellow Tail Markings: Introduced at the beginning of February 1945, with existing markings not being obscured.
- Additionally, two medium green stripes, 24 inches wide with a 12-inch separation, were painted around the rear fuselage and fin fairing, well aft of the waist gun positions.
- Wing tips, both top and bottom, were painted yellow. The blue chevron was discontinued but was not removed from aircraft already painted with this marking.
- From the winter of 1944/45, the letters X, Y, and Z were reserved for Pathfinder aircraft in all four squadrons.
Final Markings (May 1945):
- Squadron code letters were painted with call-letters under the left wing in black.
  - 708th Bomb Squadron: CQ
  - 709th Bomb Squadron: IE
  - 710th Bomb Squadron: IJ
  - 711th Bomb Squadron: IR