HELL'S ANGELS - PHOTOS and VIDEOS
6 September 1943 - 1Lt John W. Hendry adding his "mission bomb" to B-17F #41-24577 Hell's Angels.
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2Lt Thomas "Ed" Mulligan, copilot on the William J. Cline crew, sits on the #3 propeller hub of B-17F |
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B-17F #41-24605 Knockout Dropper 359BS (BN-R) - 24 October 1943 ( the words 'to Hitler' seem to have been added to the photo)
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It takes all sorts ! 1Lt Richard E. McElwain and Capt Hubert E. Miller |
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Going Home at last...
S/Sgt Claud B. "Big Spud" Whitson, Intelligence Section the aircraft has been signed all over by the 303rd. |
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Another view of the Hell's Angels nose art |
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| Clark Gabel visited the 303rd to study the air war for the movie Combat America as part of a public relations team. On the 4th May he flew a combat mission in the B17 'The 8 Ball Mk II' and manned a machine gun, although the aircraft recieved damage it returned safely home with all the other 303rd B17s that day. |  |
B17F 'Yankee Doodle Dandy' of the 358th BS |
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T/Sgt Everett A. Dasher took part in a USA Bond Tour in April 1944. The soldiers went to plants who made equipment and demonstrated how it was used. This really shows the tiny cramped conditions that the ball gunner had to endure. |
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Late period nose art on Hell's Angel |
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2000 ponder bomb ready to be loaded |
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HOME AT LAST... Program from the Chicago Reception, 20 March 1944. While the 'Memphis Belle' stole all the limelight by being allowed to return to the USA in mid 1943, the 'Hell's Angels' went on to complete 48 missions before returning to the States in Jan 1944. |
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Hell's Angels mission tally Program from the Chicago Reception, 20 March 1944 |
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| Wednesday, January 27, 1943: The first USAAF raid over a German target is carried out. A total of 55 American bombers raid Wilhelmshaven, losing 3 bombers and claiming 22 German planes shot down. The 303rd put up 11 B17s for this mission and debate still goes on as to which group dropped the first bombs on Germany! This rare video shows the unedited crew interviews including bloopers! | |
The Memphis.Belle One of the most important war films ever made, this famous movie really shows how the B17 Bomber Groups operated. The 'Belle' belonged to the 91st BG, and has long been credited with being the first B17 to complete the magic full tour of 25 missions over Europe. It now seems that the 303rd's 'Hells Angels' completed it's 25 missions first, but it didn't have a neatly packaged good war story, so the USAAF Generals decided to use the 'Belle' instead - as the first B17 to complete 25 missions - and return home to the USA. |
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Thumper - 41-24579 of the 360th BS makes a belly landing at Lulsgate Bottom on 23rd Jan 1943. Flying home on 2 engines and no hydraulics - the pilot Lt John Castle ordered his crew to bale out, leaving himself and co-pilot Lt Fitzsimmons to try land the plane. One crewman - Billie L Staner was killed when his parachute failed to open, 4 other crew were injured. This was the worst day so far for the 303rd - out of 21 planes on the mission, one aborted, only 13 bombed the target, 12 made it back home to Molesworth, 4 planes landed at other fields, 5 B17s were shot down. |
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B17F 41-24559 Ooold Soljer of the 360th BS. Nose art inspired by Disney's Pluto, this plane was one of the 35 original 303rd B17s, assigned to Capt Lewis Lyle who became one of the most respected combat leaders in the 303rd, serving throughout the war. Tragically, 8 of Lyle's crew died on 31st March 1943 when flying with a new pilot for the first time - Ooold Soljer, the squadron flagship collided with the 358th BS's Two Beauts. |
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Proud ground and aircrew |
Women took over the men's work - doing essentail war work, while the men went off to fight. Compare the view above of inside a B17 being built with the combat picture bellow.
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