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-   -   Douglas 1000th B-17 Book Presented To 457thBG (http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=10355)

Zemper 4th October 2007 08:59

Douglas 1000th B-17 Book Presented To 457thBG
 
In celebration of the 1000th B-17 produced by the Douglas Aircraft Company, the employees made a book filled with thousands of signatures and well wishes from the workers to be presented with the aircraft when it was delivered. This aircraft was also uniqe because it was purchased entirely with war bonds bought by the Douglas employees. Below are links to two pictures of Col. Luper, c/o of the 457th BG, picking up this B-17 and the book from the Douglas employees:

http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/2409/is1pa5.jpg
http://img45.imageshack.us/img45/6885/is2bh1.jpg

Below is a picture of this book and samples of some of the 17 pages from the Douglas employees:

http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/1871/is3py8.jpg
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/3119/is4kd2.jpg
http://img48.imageshack.us/img48/8049/is5eh7.jpg
http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/7078/is6ky2.jpg
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/5797/is7kh7.jpg
http://img128.imageshack.us/img128/6582/is8yn0.jpg
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/5391/is9ah0.jpg

After the aircraft and book arrived at the 457th base in Glatton, the group added several pages of pictures, damage reports, etc... all relating to this specific aircraft, as well as thousands of additional signatures that appear to be of personnel of the 457th. See below for samples of these additional pages:

http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/8051/is11gy9.jpg
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/7803/is12is9.jpg
http://img300.imageshack.us/img300/9053/is15mp0.jpg
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/6730/is13ij2.jpg

My question is, is anyone aware of another book such as this that was done by employees of an aircraft company? I am aware that Boeing employees signed aircraft such as the 5000th built, with signatures all over the outside of the aircraft. But the fate of aircraft such as Boeing's 5000th often was the scarpyard after the war. So, has anyone ever seen anything like this before, or is this book the only of it's kind?

Thank You - Eric Zemper


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