Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Good evening all
I am trying to compile a listing of the Boeing B-17D/E that were on Midway Island during the battle, If I can be refereed to any online sources to find the names of the crews and the aircraft they were assign to.
Units involved were
7th Air Force Bomber Command 1 x B-17E
349th BS (H) photo recon 1 x B-17D
42nd BS (H) 11th BG (H) 5 x B-17E
431st BS (H) 11th BG (H) 7 x B-17E
31stBS (H) 5th BG (H) 2 x B-17E
72nd BS (H) 5th BG(H) 1 x B-17E

any help appreciated
Santiago

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

USAAF aircraft at Midway Airfield during the Battle of Midway included: B-17E 41-2397, B-17E 41-2403, B-17E 41-2404, B-17E "Ole Sh'asta" 41-2428, B-17E 41-2437, B-17E 41-2463, B-17E 41-2524, B-17E 41-2525, B-17E 41-2635, B-17E 41-9212 and B-17E 41-9213. Two B-17s were lost on June 5, 1942: B-17E 41-9212 (MIA) and B-17E 41-2524 (rescued, 1 missing).

© Pacific Wrecks - Midway Airfield (NAS Midway Islands, Henderson Field), Midway Atoll, USA
Source: https://www.pacificwrecks.com/airfie...way/index.html

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Hi,
Perhaps these also ?
41-2409 ; 41-2413 ; 41-2420 ; 41-2425 ; 41-2426 ; and 41-2442.

Edited,

Alex

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Also take a look here on same Pacificwrecks: https://www.pacificwrecks.com/review...of-midway.html

Regards,
Leendert

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Hello to all
Thank you again Guys for the help and the leads I wonder if there is any good book that has more details on the B-17D/E on the battle of Midway I have the book Shattered Sword and I had read other years ago. Any lead will be helpfull

thanks again and be safe

Santiago

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Hi Santiago,

I'm pretty sure there weren't any B-17Ds at Midway in June 42 (at least not during the battle).

The book Fortress Against the Sun has some info on a few of the B-17s that carried out attacks during the battle - aircraft nicknames, some crew member names, maybe last 3 digits of serial numbers to go with those. I'll dig it out, go through it, and post what I find after coffee tomorrow morning (it's getting late here now and I'm sleepy).

I might be able to find a few more crew names in Lord's Incredible Victory as well.

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Hello again Santiago,

Here's what I find in Gene Eric Salecker's Fortress Against the Sun, Walter Lord's Midway: Incredible Victory, and Martin Bowman's B-17 Units of the Pacific. Attacking the transports on 3 June:

1st Element:
B-17E (41-2409, Old Maid) 431st BS/11th BG (given as Knucklehead in Lord)
Pilot: Lt. Col. Walter C Sweeney, Jr.
Co-pilot: 1Lt Everett Wessman
Navigator: Lt. William Adams

B-17E
Pilot: Capt. Gregory

B-17E 431st BS/11th BG
Pilot: Lt. Willard G. Woodbury

2nd Element:
B-17E (41-2404, The Spider) 431st BS/11th BG
Pilot: Capt. Clarence P. Tokarz (Clement P. Tokarz in Bowman, Clemence in Lord)
Tail Gunner: Sgt. Horst Handrow

B-17E (Yankee Doodle)
Pilot: Capt. Paul Payne

B-17E
Pilot: Capt. Sullivan

3rd Element:
B-17E
Pilot: Capt. Cecil Faulkner

B-17E (41-2523, Goonie) 72nd BS/5th BG
Pilot: 1Lt. Edward A. Steedman
Radio Operator/Waist Gunner: Cpl. Earl Schaeffer

B-17E 31st BS/5th BG
Pilot: 1Lt. Robert B. Andrews

One more for 3 June: This aircraft was sent out without bombs to shadow and report on the transports after they were discovered but before the attack:

B-17E 394th BS/5th BG
Pilot: Lt. W.A. Smith (given as A.W. Smith in The Story of the 5th BG)

I'll see what I can find for you for 4 June in a little bit.

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Here we go for the attack on Kido Butai by Midway-based B-17s, @0810 hours 4 June. Same sources as above plus Gordon W. Prange's Miracle At Midway (it fleshes out some of the names a little more fully).

(As a note, Fortress Against the Sun notes on p. 184 that there were 16 combat ready B-17s on Midway on the morning of 4 June after the arrival of 6 from Hawaii late in the afternoon of 3 June. One of them, however, from the 42nd BS/11th BG, developed mechanical trouble on the morning of the 4th, so only 15 took off to attack the Japanese.) One of the 15 was that of Lt. Smith, 394th BS/5th BG (the shadower from 3 June), again without bombs but loaded with cameras to take photos of the attack. Sorry, I have no other info on this plane or crew.

1st Element:
B-17E (41-2409, Old Maid) 431st BS/11th BG
Pilot: Lt. Col. Walter C Sweeney, Jr.
Copilot: 1Lt Everett Wessman
Navigator: Lt. William Adams

B-17E
Pilot: Capt. Charles E. Gregory

B-17E 431st BS/11th BG
Pilot: Lt. Willard G. Woodbury

2nd Element:
B-17E
Pilot: Capt. Cecil L. Faulkner

B-17E (41-2523, Goonie) 72nd BS/5th BG
Pilot: 1Lt. Edward A. Steedman
Radio Operator/Waist Gunner: Cpl. Earl Schaeffer
Waist Gunner: Sgt. Albert St. Jean
Ball Turret Gunner: Cpl. Frank Frucci

B-17E 31st BS/5th BG
Pilot: 1Lt. Robert B. Andrews

3rd Element:
B-17E (41-2404, The Spider) 431st BS/11th BG
Pilot: Capt. Clarence P. Tokarz (Clement P. Tokarz in Bowman, Clemence in Lord)
Tail Gunner: Sgt. Horst Handrow

B-17E (41-2463, Yankee Doodle) 431st BS/11th BG
Pilot: Capt. Paul Payne
Left Waist Gunner: Cpl. Donald C. Bargdill

B-17E
Pilot: Capt. Sullivan

4th Element:
B-17E 42nd BS/11th BG
Pilot:Lt. Col. Brooke Allen

B-17E 42nd BS/11th BG
Pilot: Lt. Richard Eberenz

B-17E 42nd BS/11th BG
Pilot: Lt. Paul Williams

5th Element:
B-17E (41-9157, Hel-En-Wings) 42nd BS/11th BG
Pilot: 1Lt. Carl E. Wuertele (Lord gives his rank as Capt.)

B-17E 42nd BS/11th BG
Pilot: 1Lt. Hugh S. Grundman

That's all I've got; I haven't double checked any of this against the links already posted to Pacificwrecks. If you'd like I'll see what I can find for the afternoon strikes on 4 June.

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Thank Steve
for the listing I ordered the book on Army air force on Midway that has the cover of the B-26 going over the flight deck over one of the Japanese Carriers called Midway Bravery : The story of the US Army pilot whose faem flight helped win a decisive World War II battle by Dennis W Gaub . you can find it on Amazon.
See if there any more info on the USAAF presence on Midway

Cheers and stay safe

Santiago

Re: Boeing B-17D/E on Midway June 1942
 

Looks like an interesting bio of Muri, I'll have to pick it up.

I'm unaware of any books dealing specifically with the USAAF at Midway. In my experience you find a little bit of info in this book, a little bit in that book, etc.

Fortress Against the Sun has info on Midway (such as what I posted) but the main areas of focus of the book are the Philippines and Java at the beginning of the war in the Pacific and Guadalcanal and Rabaul into 1943.

Hickey's Revenge of the Red Raiders (unit history of the 22nd BG) has a very good account of Muri's combat at Midway.

From memory (I don't have this one and it's been many years since I read it) Red Raider Diary has some info on the B-26s at Midway.

I would imagine that Sun Setters of the Southwest Pacific (unit history of the 38th BG) would also have something on the B-26s but the old edition of the book is apparently made of pure unobtainium and I've no idea when the new version might be out.

There's also a unit history of the 11th BG titled Grey Geese Calling but the prices it goes for are beyond my current budget for 1 book.