Ok, now I have more info regarding my dad Evan G. Moffitt, 15thAF, 348 BS, 99Bg.  I have a photo of him standing by a plane (B 17) with serial # C 227608.  I have no idea it that was his plane or just a random photo.  He was in Italy Jan 1945-Nov 45. 
Does anyone know this man or the plane? 

kate

Scotty Ann,
Looking at the picture of your grandpa, I'm pretty sure that we were in the 348 sqdn at the same time. His copilot Barlow also rings a bell. I can't remember if I knew him other then very casually.

Jules Horowitz, B-17 pilot, 99th BG, 50 missions/sorties
My tour was from 7/19/43-2/13/44

Jules, that is thrilling news.

My grandfather, according to his mission logs (per R. Drain) flew in the 348th out of Foggia from November 1943 - May 1944. I've attached another picture, in case it brings back any memories. I understand from surviving siblings that he was a bit of a prankster, fairly good at nearly everything (read a little cocky, but not without reason), and well respected. Any details or stories would be so gratefully appreciated. Happy Thanksgiving!

- Scotty Ann

ps - I have no idea where this picture was taken or who the gentleman in the background is.

[image]local://upfiles/14325/45147AC98A654814AFD25826E75B71BD.jpg[/image]

Attached Image(s)

I see that we overlap from Nov to Feb. I don't recall but I would guess that we had somewhere around 60 pilots including copilots, so it was unlikely that I knew them all. I recall that other then my crew, I knew just a few navs and bomb. and no enlisted aircrew members.
As I said I might have known your grandpa just casually. When I saw your first post, I knew that the name was familiar. I'm sorry that I can't give you more help.

Jules Horowitz, B-17 pilot, 99th BG, 50 missions/sorties
My tour was from 7/19/43-2/13/44

Scotty Ann,
 I don't know if you got my p message, so I will repeat--
If you give me the dates that he flew during Nov through Feb, I can check and see if we flew the same day 

Jules Horowitz, B-17 pilot, 99th BG, 50 missions/sorties
My tour was from 7/19/43-2/13/44

Happy Thanksgiving, Jules!
You and Jim are making my day today.

I did get your PM, but just in case ... I checked my grandfather's mission list and here are the November to Feb dates:

Overlapped missions with Jules

Y_M_D SER_NR MSN TARGET
431108 229467 104 Turin IT
431116 229467 106 Istres le Tube FR
431124 229467 108 Toulon FR
431129 229467 110 Fiano Romano IT
431206 23058 112 Grizzano IT
431215 124378 115 Bolzano IT
431219 229527 117 Innsbruck GE
431220 124378 118 Athens GR
431225 229527 119 Udine IT
431230 25842 122 Rimini IT
440103 229527 123 Villar Perosa IT
440104 25135 124 Sofia BU
440107 25817 125 Maribor YU
440108 23058 126 Reggio Emilia IT
440109 25817 127 Pola IT
440113 229467 130 Rome IT
440115 229467 132 Arezzo IT
440117 23058 134 Prato IT
440120 229857 137 Rome IT
440122 229467 139 Pontadera IT
440124 229467 141 Sofia BU
440128 238084 143 Aviano IT
440131 238084 146 Udine IT
440214 23178 149 Modena IT
440217 238084 151 Lake Albano IT
440222 25817 152 Zagreb YU
440225 25817 155 Pola Harbor IT

Thank you again, so much, for your service, and after the fact for your continuous help in chasing down the personal details amid all the stats.

Scotty Ann

Scotty,
 
Did you get my last reply to you, I went into detail about the 8 missions that we flew together, in the same formation?
 

Jules Horowitz, B-17 pilot, 99th BG, 50 missions/sorties
My tour was from 7/19/43-2/13/44

Oh no, Jules! I didn't receive it.
Will you please send it again?

Scotty,
Send me your e-mail address by private message, its easier for me. I sent the info by PM and you didn't get it. 

Jules Horowitz, B-17 pilot, 99th BG, 50 missions/sorties
My tour was from 7/19/43-2/13/44

Scotty,
If you want the info re the missions, send me your e-mail. There is no point spending the time putting it on the website and you not getting it.

Jules Horowitz, B-17 pilot, 99th BG, 50 missions/sorties
My tour was from 7/19/43-2/13/44

Hi Jules.

Thank you, thank you, so much.

Scotty Ann

- Edited to remove email address from public boards. Jules emailed squadron formation and mission details for 8 missions. He is wonderful. Thanks again!

On my grandfather's mission/crew list, the following is listed:

NAME    Position Description    CRW    SQD    FAT
Quinlivan, William J    Pilot    WJQ    347    NTO

Y_M_D    SER_NR    MSN    TARGET
440107    25817    125    Maribor YU

I'm wondering, what does FAT mean and what does NTO mean?
I'm guessing that it has something to do with the fact that my grandfather wasn't in the 347th, which is listed as the squadron on this mission. Weirdly, though it says SQD 347, his crew is mostly the same as listed previously:

Barlow, Kenneth R    Co-Pilot
Mulcahy, W J    Navigator
Hauser, Donald E    Bombardier
Bruce, Robert L    Engineer/Top Turret
Evenson, Paul A    Radio Operator
Lloyd, Marion E    Ball Turret
Beard, Paul L    Waist Gunner
Lawless, G W    Waist Gunner
Winebrenner, W W    Tail Gunner

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me decipher ...

Scotty Ann

Scotty,
If i can ever get my d--- computer straighened out i will e-mail you some further details about our mutual flights

Jules Horowitz, B-17 pilot, 99th BG, 50 missions/sorties
My tour was from 7/19/43-2/13/44

Scotty Ann, I will take a Wag and say it had to do with a spare aircraft that did not fly...FAT Could be Flight Air Time ( or mission flight time), and NTO means  No Take Off. 

Both of these abreviations are in the same column marked FAT.

As the flight engineer on our crew, it was my job to record the takeoff and landing times, and make all entries in the Aircraff Flight Log, called the 41-B, (if I recall correctly)...the pilot signed the log after the flight, after checking it for errors.

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)

Is it possible that the SQD 347 was a typo?

And, best guessing here,
FAT = Failure to Acheive Target?

I saw on another crew's mission log a number of entries in this column
POW (I know what that stands for)
so I'm presuming that NTO = No Take-off?

Apologies for the naivete ...

Scotty Ann...No, the squadron is correct....usually, an aircraft or sometimes two were designated a spare either in the air or on the ground...if in the air and not needed, the aircraft would return and not get credit for a mission.

As I posted in my previus message, FAT means Flight Air Time, or length of mission, from takeoff to landing.

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)

Thanks, Jim ... although if it were Flight Air Time, I would assume that there would be a numeric entry for each mission. Instead the column is largely empty except for acronyms next to crewmen's names on a per-mission basis (ie POW next to the name of the captured crewman, but nothing if others weren't captured, or NTO for the entire crew, if, as we both surmise NTO is No Take Off).

Did you mean that the SQD number is associated with the plane, not the crew? That seems possible, but though my  grandfather didn't take off in that plane but the one time, he did fly it two days later with the same crew (substituting Howard H Kitchens, Waist Gunner for Paul L. Beard) and two days later the SQD was listed as 348.

As to the plane assignment, here's what I've been able to determine per Diamondbacks, p. 22 (via Google Books, as it is out of print): Assigned 1943 May 10. Transferred to 483rd BG 1944 March 31. Cargo A.C until Spet 1944. To US 1945 April 17; to Altus 1945 Oct 9. (Also, see Diamondbacks, p. 72)

Scotty Ann

Scotty Ann...No, the squadron is correct....usually, an aircraft or sometimes two were designated a spare either in the air or on the ground...if in the air and not needed, the aircraft would return and not get credit for a mission.

Thanks, Jim! We were writing at the same time, so I didn't catch that until after I'd posted my message.
Appreciate the clarification!

Scotty Ann

I looked at his mission list again....it could be either a misprint when it should have been the 348th... OR it could have been a 348th aircraft..(.the aircraft was a 348th aircraft...42-5817)....and he could have been a spare for the 347th Squadron.....quite often, if one squadron was tasked to furnish 6 aircraft and there were only 5 aircraft from that squadron in commission, then an aircraft from another squadron would be called on to fill in to complete the group requirement.

If an aircraft sustained severe battle damage, it might be a couple of days before the aircraft was repaired, or there could have been an engine change, or some other reason for a delay in returning an aircraft to service.

Scotty Ann ...each aircraft flying time would vary by a few minutes due to where the aircraft was positioned in the takeoff order, and when it landed.

If my memory serves me correctly, the start of flight time was when the main wheels left the gorund until the engines were shut down at the end. ( which included taxi time to the parking stub or hardstand)...according to the FAA, the flight time is computed from actual takeoff until the wheels touch down.
Some aircraft have an hour meter installed so that when the aircraft weight is lessened on takeoff..the aircraft is flying...and then it ceases when the aircraft weight settles on the landing gear, on  landing.

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)

I am devouring Albert C. Henke's recently published memoir, Adventures Under Fire! World War II Memoirs and 50-Mission Diary Aboard the B-17 Flying Fortress 1942-1945, in large part because Mr. Henke's many missions overlapped my grandfather's. It is a great read, with many pictures, and for my generation, a good deal of explanation I require for understanding acronyms, etc.

Here's what I am trying to determine:
My grandfather's mission-crew log (per Dick Drain, sent to me courtesy of Jim Peters) shows the following dates/targets:

440217 Lake Albano IT
440222 Zagreb YU

Mr. Henke also flew in the 348th on those same days, and his mission diary states:

440217 Anzio, Beachhead, IT
440222 Regensburg & Augsburg, Germany

Question: were different target missions flown by the same BS (in this case the 348th) from the same base on the same day? How do I determine whether my grandfather's mission log has the right target, wrong date or the right date, wrong target?

Thank you in advance to anyone who can help. And many, many thanks to the Henke/Cahill family for publishing such a wonderful historic record of Albert C. Henke's valiant service.

Scotty Ann