http://forum.armyairforces.com/(c) ArmyAirForces30Thanks for sharing the info Roy...I greatly appreciate it! Johnhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162286Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:49:11 GMTJohn, Her are 3 ball turret gunners from the 2nd BG. All three were on planes that ended up in Switzerland. Sgt. Angelo (nmi) Martucci 31140783 He was on B-17 42-31889, nicknamed "Mammy Yokum" that ended up in Swihttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162283Fri, 31 Oct 2008 20:32:39 GMTSteve, Yes...I've checked out the website but as you mentioned I'm out of luck unless I have names since I can't search by crew position. If anybody has names to forward I'd be much obliged...thanks! Johnhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162282Fri, 31 Oct 2008 19:11:05 GMTJohn, You can find the names of a great number of ball turret gunners by searching on the 2nd BG database: http://www.2ndbombgroup.org/ I don't think there is a way to search by crew position, but the dhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162274Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:49:49 GMTHello, Over the past couple of years I've been collecting information and data on the ball turret gunners of WWII. My goal is to eventually write a book some day about these brave souls who "flew the ball". I currently have a databhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162253Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:05:05 GMTBob...We picked up 44-6742 at Lincoln NE, and checked it out, then flew to Grenier and on. We left the aircraft at Gioia del Colle on the toe of Italy and were taken by 6X6 to Foggia and Tortorella AAF. It was a trip of about 5 hours, thrugh Bari ahttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162038Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:14:23 GMTJim, We were assigned our plane at Hunter Field where we test flew and checked her out. We flew to Dow Field, Bangor, Maine, where we were given our overseas orders. Flew to Goose Bay, Iceland and to Valley, Wales where she was taken away fromhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162037Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:07:43 GMTBob...The launching point for crews via the northern route was Grenier Field N.H. This is the one we took to take a new aircraft to Italy. Grenier, to Goose Bay, to Iceland, to Valley Wales, to Marakech, Morroco, to Tunis Tunisia, to Gioa del Collhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162019Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:56:12 GMTAdam, Aircraft names can be elusive because they may be changed or unrecorded. Your best bet is the Serial Number of the plane, Hunter Field was the launching point for crews to fly new aircraft overseas. The crew's Orders sending them tohttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162015Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:06:48 GMTThanks for all the replies. All he (waist gunner) had was the FV in his log book. He was in the 2nd Bomber Group. The B-17 I'm looking for was picked up by this crew brand new. It was called Ready Teddy and had nose art. They were in Avondale forhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162003Sat, 25 Oct 2008 00:44:32 GMTZOI (Stateside) trainers did have a code on the tail later in the war (43-44 or so). I think that they were assigned to the Base or Base Air Unit the a/c was assigned to. From the list I've seen there is no FV in the 2nd or 3rd AF which were US bashttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=162000Fri, 24 Oct 2008 22:56:29 GMTIs this the same for stateside aircraft? Adamhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161998Fri, 24 Oct 2008 20:05:02 GMTVF sounds like Navy code for a fighter squadron.http://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161996Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:58:24 GMTSounds like this was some kind of a personal marking. There was no FV code in the 8th, 9th, 12th or 15th AF's. In the 8th AF each squadron had their own code i.e. 381BG = Triangle L on tail, 532BS = VE*A/Z, 533BS = VP*A/Z, 534BS = GD*A/Z &http://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161995Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:45:40 GMTI flew with the 15th AAF, however, I know the SQUADRON codes were designated in the 8th AAF as usually three letters...the first two were the GROUP Codes and the last single letter designated the aircraft within a Squadron.....such as VE for the 38http://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161992Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:58:23 GMTI am not looking at a photo. In trying to find a cretain B-17, I found the gunner who was part of crew of this plane befor it was taken from them from another more seniority crew. He had a small log where he wrote "FV". This was overseas. Would you be abhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161986Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:35:22 GMTIs this a stateside (ZI) plane or overseas? Can you tell from the photograph? (I'm assuming you are looking at a photograph.) Kevin Andersonhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161983Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:18:03 GMTCan anybody tell me what "FV" on a tail of a B17 represents? Thanks, Adamhttp://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161981Fri, 24 Oct 2008 17:06:11 GMTCharlotte Your father about airplane be described on side: www.sudety-travel.pl/strefa-w/super-forteca-b-17/http://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161691Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:14:14 GMTWow, I just found a picture of B-17G, 42-97490, 2nd BG, 429th Sqdn, shot down on Sept. 13, 1944, with M2 and Hispano in tail! Source- Peter Kassak´s book Destination Slovakia, page N° 84. Hope Peter won´t mind I posted it here...http://forum.armyairforces.com/fb.ashx?m=161572Wed, 15 Oct 2008 02:01:03 GMT