B-17E Suzy Q photo issue

[PMoz99]

Thanks for the new link, Roland. I had already found that story in a plain text format, but missed the mission count! Your post made me have another look at it .....
Cheers
Peter

[RSwank]

I did find a newspaper article from October, 1985, published in "The Hill Top Times" which was the base newspaper of Hill AFB. The story was written by Dr Roger D Launius of the base History Office. It relates that Suzy-Q arrived at the base on 19 July, 1943 and left 20 September, 1943. There were two shifts of 32 men each (a day and a night shift) working on the plane and that they basically rebuilt it. There were 70 pages of repair orders with about 20 items listed on each page. An included photo shows the plane in a hanger with lots of men working on it.

Thinking a little about what was happening in the summer and fall of 1943, the Memphis Belle had returned in June and had done (or was doing) an extensive bond tour. The media focus had moved on. The AAF now had an obsolete but "mechanically good" B-17E that probably nobody knew what to do with. It ended up as a grounded training plane for mechanics.

[PMoz99]

Hadn't seen that one, but I have enough info now. The articles are very interesting reading.
Thanks for all your invaluable help.
Peter

[knusel]

Hello Peter & Co,

is it known if Hardison was the pilot for all 55 missions ?

Cheers,

Michael

[PMoz99]

The Life Magazine article dated Jan 1943 states he was the pilot for 12 months, so I'd say yes. Some of the other crew members flew missions in other a/c while Suzy Q was "resting" in Australia providing bombardier and navigator practice, but my interpretation is that Hardison stayed with her.
Cheers
Peter

[knusel]

Good evening Peter,

thus, if heavy bomber pilots had been credited with the kills of their gunner, Mr. Hardison would the the top B-17 ace, wouldn't he ?

Have a nice weekend,

Michael

[PMoz99]

I don't know about other scores. 26 is pretty good, though.

[knusel]

Hello Peter,

here another Suzy-Q photo:
http://www.australianflying.com.au/n...e-yanks-part-2

Michael

[knusel]

Hello there Gentlemen,

intriguingly, if heavy bomber pilots had been credited with the kills of their gunners, Hardison would have been the first American to equal Rickenbacker's WW1 score, wouldn't he ?
Did he fly all his combat missions in "Suzy-Q" ?

Michael

[RSwank]

He did not fly all his missions in Suzy-Q and Suzy-Q was flown by at least one other pilot (probably more). (A lot of your questions could probably be answered in Mrs. Hardison's book about the Suzy-Q. It can be found used on Amazon.)

This link is to page 149 in the book "Fortress Against the Sun", which describes a mission flown 1 March, 1942. Lt Beran is flying Suzy-Q and Hardison is flying a different B-17E.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Sl...Suzy-Q&f=false