5th Air Force B-17E Armed Transport

I’ve just added an update to an earlier post on this thread.

No, that’s a B-17F, 41-24548, from the 375th Troop Carrier Group.

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Thanks to Dave Vincent, I now know that the name on the nose is Harry the Horse.

Steve, Are any of these B-17s the armed B-17 Transport that still remains at Tadji?

I’m trying to approach this from another angle . . . has anybody seen a photo of a B-17 displaying the number 41 (on 41-2665) or 97 (on 41-2408) behind the cockpit?

Some of the people in the troop carrier groups at the time don’t even remember having these old B-17s but I’m still hopeful that something might turn up.

Unfortunately Roger and Dave didn’t have access to many 5th Air Force records when they did that book. Both these B-17Es flew with the 19th Bomb Group, although by the end of October 1942 I believe 41-2408 was being used only as a utility aircraft. The other one, 41-2665, joined the 19th Bomb Group in May 1942, first in the 30th Squadron then the 93rd, and went to the 43rd Bomb Group when the 19th went home. By February 1944 they were two of the three armed transports in the 317th Troop Carrier Group – the other one was 41-2458 Yankee Diddl’er.

The B-17 Flying Fortress Story by Freeman and Osborne shows this info:

41-2408 Del Salt Lake SAD 8/1/41; ass 40BS/19BG; used in Gen MacArthur rescue attempt 25/3/42; ass 43RS/ Wheeler; sal 14/10/44

41-2665 Del Minneapolis 7/3/42; ass 93BS/19BG Hawaii 14/5/42; tran 6SR Clark Fd, Philippines. LULU