USAAF
5th AF
7th BG
9th RS
Aircraft History
Nicknamed "San Antonio Rose" with a Mexican girl painted on the pilot's side of cockpit.
Delivered to US Army on November 14, 1941 and flown by Lt. Frank Bostrom from Boeing
Filed to Hamilton Field.
Ferry Flight to Hawaii December 7, 1941
Wilson Cook flew this B-17 to Hawaii, arriving during
the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. It was accidently fired on by USN destroyers, and attacked by Japanese
fighters (no defensive armament was aboard for defense). Some damage to the plane, but no one injured. It landed at Kuhuku Golf Course, where
plane was stuck for two days, then began flying
recon from Hawaii.
Australia
Departed for Australia on Feb 10, 1942. A directive was issued that all B-17 type aircraft were to be referred to as Hudson Mark 6 aircraft in all communications that involved wireless transmission. Damaged before takeoff
on the evening of February 22, 1942 before the mision to Rabaul, when collided with B-17E 41-2434. Heavily damaged, this B-17 was stripped for parts to keep the other fortresses flying
and by April was totally stripped of all usable parts. It was officially written off at Brisbane January 31, 1944.
B-17
