im looking for any information on the b17 bomber my grandfather flew in ww2?

Question

i'v looked a few times but havnt been able to find anything i would really appreciate the help, the planes name was "to whom it may concern"

Answer 1

it may no longer be in exsitence anymore that probably why you cant find any info on it

only a handfull b17 exist today

Answer 2

You could try getting his war service record. That may contain more detailed information on the plane besided the name the crew gave it. Or at least his squadron. With the squadron, you might be able to get the units war diary which should detail who was flying what planes etc. Once you have the airplanes official call numbers and such you can contact the archives and try to find out what happened to the plane.

If you want to, you could also try the Confederate Airforce. It's an organization that restores a flies old war birds. They may be able to point you in the right direction.

Good luck.

Answer 3

Almost 13,000 B-17's were built for and flown by the USAAF in WW2. Unless you have any additional information on your grandfather's war service, such as his Squadron i.d., the chances of finding more about his aircraft "To Whom It May Concern" are not good.

However, I can offer a couple of suggestions for you to research: -

[1] There is a book named "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story: Design-Production-History" by Roger Anthony Freeman and David R. Osborne. This book claims to provide the history of every single B-17 built. If that is true, it should include some info. on your grandfather's plane. A major problem is that it is out-of-print, and surviving copies are rare and expensive (Amazon is currently listing 4 used copies, with prices starting at $147). Perhaps you could talk your library into getting hold of a copy for you. But there is a second problem: the book lists the B-17's by their USAAF serial numbers --- not by the nicknames assigned to them by their crews. So, you might not be able to identify "To Whom It May Concern" anyway.

[2] Therefore, I suggest that you start by attacking the problem from a different angle: try getting your grandfather's service record, and work back from that to i.d. his squadron and his aircraft. There are a number of Websites you can browse to try to unearth this info. Start with those listed below.

[3] Better yet, you may be able to get all of the starting info. that you need about your grandfather's war service by writing to: -
National Personnel Records Center
Attn: Air Force Reference Branch
9700 Page Blvd.
St Louis, MO 63132

Ask for ALL records including "201" file and Form 5 (Combat Record).


Good luck!