The Dukes Ghost
 
Hunters Answers
 
Ye Old battle Axe
 
If you know anything about these 3 planes or have a photo it would be great.
 
Penick14

Charles :
 
The Dukes Ghost....unknown to 5th Wing History....No Photo..again...nose art probably on RIGHT side of aircraft, and Data info under LEFT pilot sliding window...therefore no recognized record...cannot ID aircraft without missing data that shows aircraft serial number or tail number in photo.
 
 
Hunter's Answer was 42-30119...according to Dick Drain's 5th Wing History of Assigned Aircraft.
 
42-30119  346th  Assigned 14 Jun 43. MIA 1 Oct 43 at Foggia.Frank Hunter crew, Dickell,Andrews,Creadon,Titus,Morris,Isham,Smith,Walker. Titus evades, Walker POW, rest KIA.(MACR 464).
 
 
Ye Old Battle Axe was 42-5338.
 
42-5338    346  Assigned to 97th BG 31 Dec 42. Transfer to 99th BG 14 Nov 43. Flew 22 missoins with 99th BG. Transfer to 483rd BG 31 Mar 44. To U.S. 5 May 45. To Ontario CA 29 Jun 45.
 
Jim :-)
 

James S. Peters Sr. T/Sgt
B-17 Flt Engr, 27 missions
99 BG, 348BS, 5th Wing, 15th AAF
Tortorella, (Foggia#2), Italy
My Tour was from 12/03/44-06/19/45
M/Sgt USAF (Retired)

Jim,  Thanks.  It's weird.
 
The pilot had a diary book and in the book he listed 7 planes name.
 
Records shows he flew 4 of them.
 
The other three are not any of the numbers he flew.  Maybe, it was one mission???  He flew 19
missions and I have the numbers to all the 19.
 
Do you have any photos of them??
 
penick14

Charles....The editor  in the 99th BG Historlcal Society used photos for the newsletter and then destroyed the photos afterward.
 
Sorry, I don't have any photos.
 A friend of mine has some 200 nose art and name phots that because of the lack of the data information mentioned, cannot ID the aircraft.  I don't know whether the first one The Duke's Ghost is among those....even if he has that one, it still cannot be ID'd.
 
Jim :-)

James S. Peters Sr. T/Sgt
B-17 Flt Engr, 27 missions
99 BG, 348BS, 5th Wing, 15th AAF
Tortorella, (Foggia#2), Italy
My Tour was from 12/03/44-06/19/45
M/Sgt USAF (Retired)

Charles,
 
If you can elaborate on how he referenced or listed the plane names, maybe I can help narrow down the possibilities.  Were all of the planes named from the same squadron?  Were they mentioned in reference to specific missions?  Were they mentioned as having been lost or damaged on certain dates?  Any additional info on how they are referenced in the log book can help.
 
Marty

This is how they are listed.
 
346 Sqdn.
 
1. Able Mable
2. Bug Bunny
3. The dukes Ghost
4. Hunter's Answer
5. El Diablo
6. Chief Wahoo
7. Ye Old Battle Axe
 
That is it.  3 of the planes we know that he flew.   But not the other 3. 
I believe he flew "Bugs" and not Bug Bunny.  That is probably just a mistake.    Penick14

There are two known possible planes for the one you list as Bug Bunny - Bu Bu Docs Bugs Buddy, No. 44-6450, and Bugs, No. 42-29526.
 
Also from Drain's book, I show the following:
 
Able Mable - 42-5477, Joined the 99th 2-Feb-43, to 483rd BG 31-Mar-44
Bugs - 42-29526, Original aircraft, to 483rd BG 31-Mar-44
B.B.D.B.B. - 42-29526, Joined the 99th 2-Oct-44, scrapped after the war
Hunter's Answer - 42-30119, Joined the 99th 14-Jun-43, MIA 22-Jul-43
El Diablo - 42-29513, Original aircraft, retired from combat 26-May-44
Chief Wahoo - 42-5418, Joined the 99th 14-Nov-43, to 483rd 31-Mar-44
Y.O.B.A. - 42-5338, Joines the 99th 14-Nov-43, to 483rd BG 31-Mar-44
 
If these are the planes in the list, then the list couldn't be planes assigned to a certain mission, as Hunter's Answer was lost before Chief Wahoo and Ye Old Battle Axe were assigned to the 99th.

Marty

hE FLEW IN bUG    42 29526   Mar 2, 1944
 
Flew Able Mable  42 5477   Mar 17, 44
 
Flew El Diable 3 times  Feb 24, March 18, and March 22.
 
Flew Chief Wahoo   42 5418   Mar 11, 44
 
The others he didn't fly.
 
and they are listed on a blank page with nothing but what I showed and in that order.

How about the A/C "Heaven Can Wait"? I heard this was one of Julian's A/C which was taken away from his crew before being issued number 42-38207 (an apparent unnamed plane which he was shot down in during Ploesti raid 4 April 1944.