B17 `Zenobia` Deenethorpe

http://www.itnsource.com/shotlist//BHC_RTV/1943/12/13/BGU409100016/

its first mission?I have both camera doors from this aircraft,one is painted grey the other natural finish (bare).I assumed this was because one door had been replaced due to battle damaged!! will try and route out the bits for a photo.

Ummm… from the link UDF posted (the 401st Bombardment Group [Heavy] Association website), we get this info:

Serial Number: 42-39825
Model: B-17G
Manufacturer: Lockheed/Vega Aircraft Corp., Burbank, California
Production Block: B-17G-1-VE
Delivered by Manufacturer: 12 Sep 1943 at Long Beach

Date Assigned to 401st BG: 26 Oct 1943
Date Arrived at Station 128: 19 Nov 1943 (one of the original 401st aircraft that landed at Deenethorpe)
Date Lost: 5 Dec 1943
Nature of Loss: Crashed on Take-off
Other Details: Crashed on take-off and blew up.

Documented Missions:
1) 5 Dec 1943; Paris (3); 1st Lt W.B. Keith and crew; Crashed

Thus, it was a new aircraft, recently arrived in England, and crashed on its first operational mission, 16 days after arrival at its operational base.

If the door had been replaced due to damage, it was non-combat in nature.

Hi yes i will have to dig out the info i have a relic .50 cal from this crash with a barrell like a bannana

Can you post a photo please? did you get it from the site? there still seemed to be alot of it lying around over a large area,with 6000 lbs of bombs going up I suppose there would be !!

its first mission?I have both camera doors from this aircraft,one is painted grey the other natural finish (bare).I assumed this was because one door had been replaced due to battle damaged!! will try and route out the bits for a photo.

So, 5 Dec 1943… and on its first mission. Tragic.

Luckily no fatalities though.

I went there in 1990,the gamekeeper who showed me around had just given away an undercarriage leg from this aircraft,he gave me some really nice bits.The houses demolished by the explosion were never rebuilt and all overgrown,there was still a crater there.

Hi yes i will have to dig out the info i have a relic .50 cal from this crash with a barrell like a bannana

So, 5 Dec 1943… and on its first mission. Tragic.

Found this :

http://www.401bg.com/history/aircraft.asp?acid=39825