Boeing B-17F-10-BO Flying Fortress s/n 41-24487 Eager Beaver. Assigned to the 368th Bomb Squadron coded BO*Q, 306th Bomb Group, based at Thurleigh, Bedfordshire from the 13th of September 1942. It’s first combat mission was flown on the 8th of November 1942.
On the 9th of November 1942, it received severe battle damaged on a low-level mission to the submarine base at Saint-Nazaire, France. On return, it force landed at RAF Portreath, Cornwall.
On a mission to the Luftwaffe air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France on the 12th of December 1942 it again received battle damage, with one crew member being wounded. The primary target was covered by clouds, so the formation turned west towards the secondary target at Le Havre where a flight of Focke Wulf Fw 190 fighters attacked the formation. The fighters continued their attack when the formation had to turn back towards the third alternative target, railway marshalling yards at Sotteville-lès-Rouen. Returning home across the English Channel, the plane was attacked by more Fw 190s, injuring the navigator. Cannon shells struck the right wing causing a large hole between no.3 and 4 engines, another shell making a large hole behind the ball turret.
Eager Beaver again received battle damage on a mission to the submarine yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany the 21st of May 1943, with two crew member being wounded. As the bomber reached the target, six to eight enemy fighters attacked in line abreast in an attempt to scatter the Group before bomb release.
On the 30th of July 1943, 24487 undertook a mission to the Gerhard Fieseler Werke (GFW) aircraft works at Waldau, Kassel, Germany. At the target flak was accurate and intense and there was large enemy fighter opposition both to and returning from target. The plane suffered considerable damage from flak and 20mm cannon shells.
Two engines failed during a mission to bomb a submarine supply ship in the Loire River at Nantes, France on the 16th of September 1943. En-route to the target no.1 engine caught fire and the propeller was feathered. With the fire extinguished, the crew continued and dropped their bombs over the target. Returning home, a second engine failed and the pilot force landed the plane at RAF Predannack, Cornwall.
By this stage after receiving so much damage and undertaking 45 missions, it was declared “war weary”. Eager Beaver was the longest serving B-17F in Eighth Air Force Bomber Command.
The plane was returned to US and assigned to the 4136th Base Unit (Oklahoma City Technical Service Command), Tinker Field, Oklahoma City, OK on the 28th of July 1944. On the 14th of February 1945, it was reassigned to the 4100th Base Unit (Fairfield Air Technical Service Command), Patterson Field, Dayton, OH.
On the 20th of June 1945 it was ferried to Williamsport Technical Institute, PA for the aeronautical program. Eager Beaver was finally scrapped in 1954.
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