Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Dear all,

On the night of 3-4 May 1944, Oblt. Werner Baake of 2./NJG1 claimed a Boeing 50 km west of Venlo, which has been identified as a 422Nd Special Leaflet Squadron B-17 that was damaged. I am looking for the serial number of this Fortress, who can help?

Cheers, Theo

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Hello Theo,

I have checked the B-17s, and one B-26, assigned to the 422nd Special Leaflet Sqn and have found no matches for the date and area.

Regards,
Ed

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

NLS , night of 3/4 May, 44.
5 a/c despatched, 5 effective.
No of leaflets, 960,000.
France, Belgium and Holland.
Leaflets dropped over 26 localities.
1 B17 intercepted by night fighter receiving slight damage.


Ref: Mighty Eighth War Diary, page 236.
Alex

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Thanks Ed and Alex for your replies. Hopefully someone can still supply the serial nr. Cheers Theo

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

One of five :)

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Hello Theo,

Not my area of knowledge and I cannot add much but I would like to highlight an incident on 12 May 1944 (11/12 or 12/13 May, I am not sure).

B-17G-1-BO 42-31032 JJ-B of the 422nd Squadron on a leaflet mission to Denmark was attacked by a Ju 88 and badly damaged but reached base. Two crew were killed and three badly injured (all named), including the ball turret gunner who claimed to have shot down the Ju 88.

I mention the above because I see no comparable claim by a Nachtjager for 11/12 May 1944 in your first edition, but I do note Werner Baake made a claim for a Lancaster that night. Could there be some confusion between the 3/4 and 11/12 May claims ?

To really confuse matters 'THE MIGHTY EIGHTH WAR DIARY' records some matching details for the above under 11/12 May (page 242) but almost identical details repeated for 12/13 May (page 243).

The information I found on 42-31032 came from 4 photos on page 45 of 'SECRET SQUADRONS OF THE EIGHTH' by Pat Carty, 1990, Ian Allen. However nothing else in the text or appendices.

Hopes this helps.

Regards,

Martin Gleeson.

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Hello Martin,

Thanks for your interesting comments. I have one -yet unmatched- claim on 11-12 May 1944:

Uffz. Walter Brügel: 1 4./KG51 prob. Stirling 5-15 km E-SE Bury St. Edmunds (0383): 600 m. 01.38

Could this possibly be the B-17 of the 422nd Squadron that you mention?? It would be great if someone could supply additional details on this incident!

Uffz. Brügel reported spotting a Viermot with a single rudder fin, identifying it as ‘probably a Stirling’, and claimed it shot down in flames from below and behind.

Cheers, Theo

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Hello Theo,

The bullet strikes in the photos seem to have come from behind and below. There may have been a fire in the ball turret area. The 'Star and Bar' on the fuselage side either has soot marks from a fire or has been crudely toned down. There are no other photos in the book showing a side view of a 422 Sqn. B-17 so I cannot be sure which it was.
The pilot was 'Lt. Michael' and he landed the Fortress at RAF Friston after the attack.
There must be more information somewhere on this, especially because of the casualties. Hope someone can find it.

Regards,

Martin.

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Thanks for that Martin. I have just checked Bishop/Hey Losses of the US 8th and 9th air forces Vol. 3, page 225, they give the following additional details on the crew:

-Ball turret gunner T/Sgt. Dan Brennan, seriously injured.
-Right waist gunner S/Sgt. Robert W. Waller, killed in action.
-Radio Operator T/Sgt. Louis Hatin, seriously injured.
-Left waist gunner S/Sgt. George B. Barber, killed in action.
-Tail gunner S/Sgt. Nicholas Mastroianni, seriously injured.

Both waist gunners were buried in Cambridge cemetery.

Hopefully someone can supply additional details on the time and place of the night fighter attack. The damaged B-17 landed at RAF Friston in Sussex.

Cheers, Theo

Re: Serial number of 422Nd Special Leaflet Sqn B-17, damaged on 3-4 May 1944?
 

Hello

The claim of Baake in the night of 3/4th May 1944 is a genuine one: Baake's Bordfunker however noted in his diary that they did not succeed to bring down the I./NJG 1's first B-17...so they didn't appeal for a claim. Unfortunately the diary doesn't mention a serial number of this B-17 ;)

All the best, Marcel