Aircraft History
Built by Boeing at Seattle, paid for by citizens of Seattle during a bond campaign sponsored by a local newspaper to raise $280,535 to pay for a single Flying Fortress. Nicknamed "Chief Seattle from the Pacific Northwest" at a christen at a ceremony on March 5, 1942.

Wartime History
Assigned to the USAAF, Sent overseas by July 1942. Assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group, 435th Bombardment Squadron "Kangaroo Squadron". Briefly assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Group and flown to Fenton Airfield, then recalled and reassigned to 19th Bombardment Group, 435th Bombardment Squadron two days later. First combat mission was a reconnaissance flight over Rabaul and Kavieng.

Mission History
For its second mission, the bomber was flown from Townsville to 7-Mile Drome (Jackson) near Port Moresby. Took off at 6:02am on on a recon mission flying to Buna, Gasmata, Rabaul, Kavieng and the Solomons sea lanes to report any enemy activity. Nothing was ever heard from the bomber again, and it was presumed as lost sometime between 10am - 7pm.

Memorials
The entire crew was officially declared dead on December 7, 1945. All are memorialized on the tablets of the missing at Manila American Cemetery.

References
Chief Seattle from the Pacific Northwest by Glen Spieth, 1988 (self published)
Oz@War - Chief Seattle a B-17 of the 435th Bomb Squadron crashed 14 Aug 1942

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Last Updated
March 5, 2013

B-17


MIA