B-17E 41-9043 of the 97th Bombardment Group, 342nd BS “Peggy D”
The 97th Bomb Group (H) within the 8th Air Force.
Overview:
- Assigned to Eighth Air Force: 20 May 1942.
- Combat Aircraft: B-17E from 17 August 1942 to 29 August 1942; B-17F (from block 1) in combat from 5 September 1942.
Wing & Command Assignments:
- 20 May 1942: Assigned to VIII Bomber Command (BC).
- August 1942: Assigned to VIII BC, 1st Bombardment Wing (BW).
Component Squadrons:
- 340th Bombardment Squadron (H)
- 341st Bombardment Squadron (H)
- 342nd Bombardment Squadron (H)
- 414th Bombardment Squadron (H)
Stations:
- 13 June 1942 – 25 November 1942: Polebrook (Headquarters, 340th, and 341st Bomb Squadrons only until 8 September 1942).
- 6 July 1942 – 8 September 1942: Grafton Underwood (342nd and 414th Bomb Squadrons moved to Polebrook on 8 September 1942).
Group Commanding Officers:
- Col. Cornelius W. Cousland: 3 February 1942 – c. 29 July 1942.
- Col. Frank A. Armstrong Jr.: 31 July 1942 – 27 September 1942.
- Col. Joseph H. Atkinson: 27 September 1942 – 5 January 1943.
- (Col. Frank H. Walsh served as acting CO from 29 July 1942 – 31 July 1942).
Combat Record:
- First Mission: 17 August 1942.
- Last Mission: 21 October 1942.
- Total Missions: 14.
- Total Credit Sorties: 247.
- Total Bomb Tonnage: 395.1 tons.
- Aircraft MIA: 4.
- Enemy Aircraft Claims: 16 destroyed, 3 probable, 9 damaged.
Claims to Fame:
- Conducted the Eighth Air Force’s first heavy bomber mission from the UK on 17 August 1942.
Early History:
- Activated: 3 February 1942 at MacDill Field, Florida. The group formed and trained there until the end of March 1942.
- Training: Moved to Sarasota Army Air Base (AAB), Florida, for intensive training. The overseas movement commenced on 15 May 1942, with the air echelon of the 340th and 341st Bomb Squadrons flying to Dow Field, Maine, and the 342nd and 414th Bomb Squadrons to Grenier Field, New Hampshire. Elements were detached to Pacific Coast bases from 2-11 June 1942.
- Overseas Deployment: The first B-17s left for the UK on 23 June 1942, flying via the northern ferry route through Goose Bay and Greenland to Prestwick. The first B-17 arrived in the UK on 1 July 1942. The ground echelon sailed on the Queen Elizabeth on 4 June 1942, arriving in Clyde on 10 June 1942.
Subsequent History:
- 12th Air Force: The group was assigned to the 12th Air Force (XII Bomber Command) on 14 September 1942 but continued to operate under the VIII Bomber Command. The main part of the air echelon left Polebrook between 18-20 November 1942 for Hurn before flying directly to North Africa. The ground echelon sailed in convoy late in November 1942. The group operated in the Mediterranean theatre with the 12th Air Force for a year, later establishing itself in Italy as part of the 15th Air Force. It flew the first shuttle mission to Russia from Italy, focusing on targets in southern Germany and the Balkans.
Aircraft Markings:
- B-17E/F Fortresses (July 1942 – October 1942):
- Some B-17Es had a Dark Olive Drab and Neutral Gray factory finish, while others featured a Dark Earth disruptive pattern over Olive Drab, with Sky equivalent undersurfaces.
- Radio Call Letters: Although used, these were not painted on the aircraft.
- Squadron Markings: No specific squadron markings were carried, except for an adaptation of the squadron insignia on at least two B-17Es from the 342nd Bomb Squadron. This insignia consisted of two angled bombs on either side of a skull, painted in yellow adjacent to the waist gun windows.
- Individual Aircraft Names: Most B-17Es had individual names in small yellow block capitals on the left side of the nose.
- Wing and Stabilizer Stripes: Several B-17Es featured a 6-inch red stripe under the left wingtip and a blue stripe under the right wingtip. Narrower stripes in the same colors—red on the left and blue on the right—were also applied to the undersurfaces of both horizontal stabilizers and elevators.