Can anyone help with information on B-17 Flak Shak of the 447th BG? Sorry, I have no tail number.
 
I am helping Flak Shak's pilot Bud Esterline gain information on this aircraft. He says he was in the 710th BS.
 
Thanks.

Mark Milliken, Associate Member, 305th BGMA

Mark,
 
The 'name' section of Bits & Pieces lists 'Flakshack' (one word) as 42-31191.
The Chronology section of B&P says she went down on March 27, 1944 with the Gaskell crew, as follows,
 

 42-31191    MACR 3546     P      2Lt Richard (NMI) Gaskell            POW   Sioux City , IA

Google 447th Bomb Group, Lt. Esterline, and you'll come up with some information on your friend.  He did fly "Flak Shack".

The combat diary of Edward Beaty, on the 447th website, reports that on the mission to Kiel on 4 January 1944, "Esterline's 191 "Flak Shack" got shot up."  I would take this to mean a/c 42-31191.

Good job Al and Hal !

Mark, what kind of information are you and Bud looking for? 
I believe it is safe to assume that 42-31191 is 'Flakshack' or 'Flak Shack'. 

If as Beaty states, "Esterline's 191 "Flak Shack" got shot up.", then this would makes since as I don't see 191 in the formation for several days after, probably being repaired.  However, I don't see Esterline listed on the Crew Loading Manifests for Jan 3, 44 Kiel.  (Doesn't mean he wasn't there!!)

I do see Esterline having flown 191 several times, so if he remembers Flakshack, Beaty states Flakshak, and B&P shows it, then 42-31191 is most likely Flakshack.

For the record Esterline went down April 18, 1944 on 42-97597 all POW.
Pilot: Capt. Milton A. Esterline
CP:  Capt. James W. Dalzell
N:   Lt. Elmer R. Canfield
N:   Lt. Elliot S Evans
B:   Lt. Forrest N. Burnett
TT: T/Sgt. Earl S. Lynes
RO: T/Sgt. Elvin E Smith
LW: S/Sgt. John F Marr
RW: S/Sgt. Arthur D. Crouse
TG:  S/Sgt. Harold J. Ross

42-97597 Assgn 96BG; tran 710SQ; MIA Oranienberg 4/18/44 w/Esterline; hit by bomb from a/c above, cr ?; 10POW

Mark,
Can you ask Mr. Esterline if he has any photos etc...  Both to help pinpoint FlakShack and create a Crew Profile to eventually be uploaded on the 447th website.  (Regarding the website, I will make an announcement about current state and future plans very soon.)

Please tell him many thanks for his service!!

-Keith

-Keith Hardie
Nephew of John David Hardie, 447th BG waist gunner.
www.447bg.com

Thanks, guys for your help.
 
Esterline remembers Flak Shack mainly because of the name. At the time he was shot down, he was flying a pathfinder mission. He didn't think the plane was Flak Shack. When they were shot down, Esterline said he put it on autopilot while the crew got out. Then he went through the bomb bay.
 
The 447th web site is excellent. It contains some documentation that Esterline might not be so proud of. While on a training mission with 42-31168, he forgot to lower the landing gear and crash-landed on the runway. He was blamed for gross pilot error. He hasn't told me anything about that incident yet.
 
I'll get back to you if Esterline can dig up some photos.
 
Attached is 2005 picture of M. "Bud" Esterline (L) and E. A. Bill Sikes of the 305th BG (25 missions, Sizzle 42-29952 was his aircraft). Both guys went through Casper Army Air Base for training, and live here in Casper now.
 
Again, thanks.

Attached Image(s)

Mark Milliken, Associate Member, 305th BGMA

Thanks Mark,
I was wondering about 42-97597 and whether she was a PFF Ship.  I noticed that both Esterline and the CP were both Captains, along with two Navigators and no Ball Turret Gunner.  I figured it was a PFF but didn't have the record of this ship being a Pathfinder.  Plus I don't have the crew loading manifests during this timeframe.  Thanks!
-Keith
 
p.s. Great photo of Esterline and Sikes with good ol' "909" in the background!

-Keith Hardie
Nephew of John David Hardie, 447th BG waist gunner.
www.447bg.com

Thanks, Keith.
I'll see what information I can pry out of Esterline this weekend.
 
Talk about a small world. I just learned that Esterline and I worked for the same company, Mobil Oil, and in the same office in Denver. He was a landman and I was a geologist. He retired from Mobil two years before I started in 1981.
 
In the attached photo, it's two old warbirds discussing some aspect of flying a B-17.
 

Attached Image(s)

Mark Milliken, Associate Member, 305th BGMA

Mark,
 
Was "Sizzle" the B-17F that crashed near Maastricht, The Netherlands ?
RW Gunner was S/Sgt. Tony E. Dienes, who is buried at the Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten.
 
If this information is correct could you please e-mail me.
 
Nicole Sproncken
The Netherlands

Nicole,
 
From Bits & Pieces here is the information on Sizzle:
 
 229952      305     366 KY J        Sizzle
            15 03 43 AI 24 04 43 AOS 31 05 43 G 96BG
            29 07 43 AF Alconbury RG 16 08 43
            18 08 43 ?  RG 23 08 43
            14 10 43 FTR GF CR Maastristcht, The Netherlands - 2Lt Douglas L. Murdock - 5 KIA, 5 POW - E&E 327 - MACR 917
            See: IWM EA16042 - NASA A25198AC
 
And here is the crew info from the same source:

    229952    MACR 917       P      2Lt Douglas L. Murdock               KIA

Hal,
 
Thank you for the information. Are there any pictures of this crew ? Would be nice for my colleague who adopted the grave of S/Sgt. Tony E. Dienes.
 
Nicole

Nicole,

Have not been able to find a photo of this crew but did find this link to the University of Wyoming.
http://www.uwyo.edu/armyrotc/bh_blackthursday.asp
It is an excerpt from the book 'Castles in the Air' by Martin Bowman which tells about this mission and mentions the Murdock crew several times.

Hal

Hal,
 
I will try to get in touch with the people of the University of Wyoming. Maybe they can help me to find a picture of this crew. I also tried to contact Mark Milliken who posted the first message on top of this page, but he doesn't respond.
 
Again thanks for your help...
 
 
Nicole