[Edward]

Ernie Pyle to the rescue!

A search for information about the Devers' crew, who bailed out of their B-17 on 3 January 1943, turned up more information [AHMAW vol. 3 page 236].

Apparently three B-17Fs took off on January 3rd and were unable to find Biskra airdrome.

Two pilots made force landings after being attacked by Axis fighters.

Lt. Devers continued but after running out of gas had the crew bail out. They reached Allied lines on 10 January and were assigned to the 97th BG.

2nd Lt. Jesse L. Coalter - B-17F #42-5357 (force landing. Crew Captured Jan. 4. Plane later bombed and strafed by P-40 fighters)

2nd Lt. Harry M. Devers - B-17F #42-5227 Bucket of Bolts (crew safely bailed out and reached Allied lines)

1st Lt. Bedford E. Russell - B-17F #42-5142 Nameless[?] (force landing - plane burned by crew. Crew captured Jan. 3)

B-17F #42-5227 Bucket of Bolts
"crew bailed out over friendly territory,
Crew reached Biskra January 10, assigned 97th BG."
Source: Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log

1st Lt. Harry M. Devers - Pilot (Martinsburg, West Virginia)
2nd Lt. Richard Banning - Co-Pilot (Britt, Louisiana)
2nd Lt. Charles Watt - Navigator (Jacobsburg, Ohio)
2nd Lt. Victor Coveno - Bombardier (Cleveland, Ohio)
Sgt. W. K. Thiams - (Fayetteville, NC)
Sgt. Joseph Obradovich - (Lacrosse, Wis.)
Sgt. Richard Hasbrough - (Brooklyn, NY)
Sgt. Harry Alsaker - (Montana)
Sgt. Robert Oberon - (Cresline, Ohio)

A History of the Mediterranean Air War 1940-1945: Volume Three
Tunisia and the End in Africa November 1942 - May 1943
(Grub Street 2016)- page 238

Tuesday, 5 January 1943
"On this date an Ultra intercept recorded that a captured B-17[Lt. Coalter] had been strafed and destroyed by two P-40s. During a raid [on 5 January] one such aircraft from the 97th Bomb Group had been reported lost east of Biskra, fate unrecorded. Similarly, a second of the unit's aircraft [Lt. Russell or Lt. Devers] had failed to return from an unspecified area of Tunisia two days earlier on the 3rd."

On January 10th the 97th BG B-17 lost on the 5th was bombed & strafed 3 miles NW of Kebili by two P-38s.
_________________________

"A Desert Saga"
By Ernie Pyle
The Tribune (Scranton, Pennsylvania)
29 January 1943, Friday - page 4
A FORWARD AIRDROME IN FRENCH NORTH AFRICA (By Wireless)
"Nine American boys have Just had a unique baptism of war.

They left America very recently on a bomber bound for the African front. They arrived here a little later, by camelback, after an incredible series of adventures, Including a battle with German fighter planes. Here is the story:

A Flying Fortress commanded by Lieut. Harry Devers of Martinsburg, W.Va., took off from America during the holidays and flew without incident across, the Atlantic and to the coast of Africa. Devers' crew of eight was composed of Lieut Richard Banning of Britt, La., copilot; Lieut. Charles Watt, Jacobsburg, Ohio, navigator; Lieut. Victor Coveno, Cleveland, and five sergeant gunners -- W. K. Thames, Fayetteville, N.C.; Joseph Obradovich, Lacross, Wis.; Richard Hasbrough, Brooklyn; Harry Alsaker, Montana, and Robert Oberon, Cresline, Ohio.

After landing in Africa they took off one recent morning and formed up with two other Fortresses for the last lap of their journey to war. They headed for the designated airdrome at the front, where they were to report for action.

They flew all day, and when they arrived where they thought the field should be they couldn't find it. So they flew on and kept hunting. The afternoon wore on and dusk grew near.

Suddenly, out of a blank sky, two fighters dived on them. Bullets began to spatter.

That was how these youngsters fresh from America discovered that they had wandered into enemy territory. What a fine way to start their war.

Devers' crew began shooting hack, but the fighters switched to one of the other Forts, one of which soon circled downward and disappeared, apparently shot down. It has not been heard from since [Russell crew].

The two remaining planes lost the Germans in the dusk. One made a crash landing. Devers circled over it and was given a signal not to land. Several days later American reconnaissance planes discovered this Fortress being towed along the road headed for Italian territory. They dived at it, guns going, and set it afire.

That accounts for two of the Forts and gets us down to our friends mentioned above.

They were alone in the air now and they headed back west to get away from the enemy. It was dark, and they still couldn't find the airdrome to which they were being sent, so they flew far south to make sure of getting sway from the mountains. They went up to 11,000 feet, flew until their gas was gone, and then jumped.

Devers gave them all instructions before they jumped. They were flying south and he would be the last man out, so he would start walking north and all the others south. The plan worked. Eight of the nine found each other within half an hour. Lieutenant Coveno landed in a gully half a mile away and spent the night there, rejoining the others next morning." [long description of walkout and camel riding follows]

A big tip of the hat to Steve Birdsall for helping to shed some light on all this.

Still would like to know which Axis fighters attacked the B-17s.

So who is going to turn all of this into a book and screenplay?

Edward