Pic of B-17G during the Frantic Joe I, help with picture needed.

[seesul]

Hello to all,

a friend of mine found a picture of one B-17 that was taken during the opration Frantic Joe I flown on June 2,1944. The serial number of this machine is 42-3204x. We believe it´s B-17G, 42-32048 'QUEEN' that crashed close to my born town in Aug 29, 1944. Why do we believe it ? Check the following text please and tell me your opinion. And if someone could be able to read the nickname using some special program that would be much appreciated....

I had to resize it but the full resolution picture is at Page 30 - Footnote.com.

So, and now to my opinion:

The list of the machines having the ser. Nr. 42-3204x and their operational history:

42-32040 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Mc Dill 2/2/44, Morison 7/3/44, ass 817BS/483BG Tortorella 14/3/44, tran 416 BS/99BG Tortorella 31/3/44, (66m), to depot 26/11/44, sal 12/3/46, TURNIP TERMITE

42-32041 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Mc Dill 2/2/44, Morison 7/3/44, ass 817BS/483 BgG Tortorella, 14/3/44, tran 348BS/99 BG Tortorella 31/3/44, MIA (38m) Vinkovci, Yugo. 2/7/44 w/Reuse, flak ‚n‘ e/a, cr Plettensee?. MACR 6518

42-32042 Del Cheyenne 15/1/44, Gr Island 30/1/44, WO 31/1/44

42-32043 Del Denver 18/1/44, Cheyenne 23/1/44, Mc Dill 6/2/44, Morrison 8/3/44, ass 815BS/483BG Tortorella 13/4/44, one of two a/c conducted secret mission to Czechoslovakia on 17/9/44, with supplies to resistance and returning with US evades, sal 30/4/45. PAPER DOLL

42-32044 Del Denver 18/1/44, McDill 4/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, ass 815BS/483 BG Tororella 13/3/44, ret US Cincinnatti 20/9/45, RFC Walnut Ridge 17/12/45. Good Deal.

42-32045 Del Denver 19/1/44, Cheyenne 25/1/44, Omaha 3/2/44, Hunter 15/2/44, Grenier 13/3/44, ass 339BS/96 BG (QJ-R) Snetterton 21/3/44, MIA Schweinfurt 19/7/44 w/Quinby, flak, cr Koblenz, 10 POW, MACR 7411. SILVER SLIPPER

42-32046 Del Denver 18/1/44, McDill 3/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, ass (first NMF a/c issued) 817BS/483BG Tortorella 13/3/44, tran 347BS/99BG Tortorella 31/3/44, (had 20 mm cannon fitted in tail turret), (63m) became weather a/c, ret US 1103 BU Morrison 19/9/45, RFC Walnut Ridge 18/12/45. LIL ABNER

42-32047 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Mc Dill 4/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, ass 840BS/483BG Tortorella 13/3/44, tran 346BS/99BG Tortorella 31/3/44, one mission then taxi collision w/ 42-32115 on take off,4/4/44, sal.

42-32048 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Billings 20/1/44 Amarillo 4/2/44, Mc Dill 4/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, staled 96BG, but ass 840BS/483BG Tortorella 14/3/44, tran 20BS/2BG Amendola 31/3/44, MIA Moravska Ostrava, Czech. 29/8/44 w/Weiler. E/a, cr. Wiseham, MACR 8098. QUEEN

42-32049 Del Denver 16/1/44, Cheyenne 22/1/44, Gr Island 17/2/44, Grenier 20/3/44, ass 534BS/381BG (GD-D) Ridgewell 6/4/44, MIA (20+m) Mulhouse 3/8/44 w/Wilcock, flak, one engine out, cr Nth Sea off Hol, 9 KIA (pilot´s body washed up Orforddness, UK) MACR 7883. YANKEE REBEL.

There were 5 BG´s participating on the mission Frantic Joe 1 (June 2, 1944):

97thBG, 99thBG, 2ndBG, 463rdBG, 483rd BG
Personally I know the list of the machines involved in the Frantic Joe mission 1 only at 99thBG and 2ndBG:

99th BG:
Sqd Serial Name
346 42-32021
346 42-32028 Mighty Mike
346 42-32032 Battlin' Bobby
346 42-32055 Dinah Might
346 42-32068 Heaven Can Wait
346 42-38201 2nd Patches
346 42-97733 Bloody Bucket
346 42-102851
346 42-102855 Weary Willie
347 42-31998 Baraz Twins
347 42-32046 Lil' Abner
347 42-32075 Fearless Fosdick
347 42-32092 Miss Natural
347 42-32097 Slipstream
347 42-38209 Erthquake McGoon
347 42-97744
347 42-102879
347 42-102925 Lady Lynn
348 42-32036
348 42-32041
348 42-32057
348 42-32061 Lucious Louise
348 42-32069
348 42-97650
348 42-106987
348 42-106995 The Anthony J
348 42-107016
416 42-32015 Action Prefered
416 42-32039 Rabid Rabbit
416 42-32052
416 42-32071 Freddy H / Nine Wolves and Poppa
416 42-32074 Oh Josie
416 42-32094
416 42-32110
416 42-97684
416 42-102906

2nd BG:
49 2102830 Flying Latrine
96 2102908 Silver Streak
96 2102932
96 2107006 Old Bird
429 2107066 Mercury
96 2107101
20 2107118 Snafuperman
49 2107162
20 231452 Fifty Packin Mama
429 231470 Ole Shep
49 231590
429 231655 Wanita
429 231806 Kraut Chaser
429 231848
20 231877 Flak Holes
20 231885 Lovely Ladies
429 231889 Mammy Yokum III
20 232048 Queen
49 232053
20 238066 Marishka
96 238069 Big Widget
429 238078 Sweet Pea
429 238084 100 Mission
49 238205 Winged Fury
20 238213
20 297159 Tail End Charlie
96 297161
96 297183
20 297351
429 297490
429 297582 (PFF aircraft?)
49 297615 (PFF aircraft?)
20 297652 (PFF aircraft?)
429 297739 (PFF aircraft?)

So, looking again at the list of the machines with the ser. Nr 42-3204x, knowing the list of the BGs involved in the Frantic Joe 1 mission and knowing the history of each aircraft, we can say that, compared to the pic we have, following:

42-32040 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Mc Dill 2/2/44, Morison 7/3/44, ass 817BS/483BG Tortorella 14/3/44, tran 416 BS/99BG Tortorella 31/3/44, (66m), to depot 26/11/44, sal 12/3/46, TURNIP TERMITE –
impossible, this machine wasn´t on the Frantic Joe 1 mission and the nickname is too long

42-32041 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Mc Dill 2/2/44, Morison 7/3/44, ass 817BS/483 BgG Tortorella, 14/3/44, tran 348BS/99 BG Tortorella 31/3/44, MIA (38m) Vinkovci, Yugo. 2/7/44 w/Reuse, flak ‚n‘ e/a, cr Plettensee?. MACR 6518 –
there´s a chance

42-32042 Del Cheyenne 15/1/44, Gr Island 30/1/44, WO 31/1/44 –
stationed at Gr. Island, impossible

42-32043 Del Denver 18/1/44, Cheyenne 23/1/44, Mc Dill 6/2/44, Morrison 8/3/44, ass 815BS/483BG Tortorella 13/4/44, one of two a/c conducted secret mission to Czechoslovakia on 17/9/44, with supplies to resistance and returning with US evades, sal 30/4/45. PAPER DOLL –
there´s a chance, but the nickname is too long

42-32044 Del Denver 18/1/44, McDill 4/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, ass 815BS/483 BG Tororella 13/3/44, ret US Cincinnatti 20/9/45, RFC Walnut Ridge 17/12/45. Good Deal. –
there´a chance

42-32045 Del Denver 19/1/44, Cheyenne 25/1/44, Omaha 3/2/44, Hunter 15/2/44, Grenier 13/3/44, ass 339BS/96 BG (QJ-R) Snetterton 21/3/44, MIA Schweinfurt 19/7/44 w/Quinby, flak, cr Koblenz, 10 POW, MACR 7411. SILVER SLIPPER-
impossible, 8th USAAF

42-32046 Del Denver 18/1/44, McDill 3/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, ass (first NMF a/c issued) 817BS/483BG Tortorella 13/3/44, tran 347BS/99BG Tortorella 31/3/44, (had 20 mm cannon fitted in tail turret), (63m) became weather a/c, ret US 1103 BU Morrison 19/9/45, RFC Walnut Ridge 18/12/45. LIL ABNER –
there´s a chance, but 20 mm cannon in tail and the nickname is too long

42-32047 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Mc Dill 4/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, ass 840BS/483BG Tortorella 13/3/44, tran 346BS/99BG Tortorella 31/3/44, one mission then taxi collision w/ 42-32115 on take off,4/4/44, sal.-
there´s no chance, salvaged

42-32048 Del Cheyenne 17/1/44, Billings 20/1/44 Amarillo 4/2/44, Mc Dill 4/2/44, Morrison 9/3/44, staled 96BG, but ass 840BS/483BG Tortorella 14/3/44, tran 20BS/2BG Amendola 31/3/44, MIA Moravska Ostrava, Czech. 2/8/44 w/Weiler. E/a, cr. Wiseham, MACR 8098. QUEEN-
HOT TIP

42-32049 Del Denver 16/1/44, Cheyenne 22/1/44, Gr Island 17/2/44, Grenier 20/3/44, ass 534BS/381BG (GD-D) Ridgewell 6/4/44, MIA (20+m) Mulhouse 3/8/44 w/Wilcock, flak, one engine out, cr Nth Sea off Hol, 9 KIA (pilot´s body washed up Orforddness, UK) MACR 7883. YANKEE REBEL.-
impossible, 8th USAAF

So, based on these hypothesis, but just my opinion, I guess there are only 3 machines left:

42-32041
42-32044
42-32048.

Me personaly, I think the last number that we can not see has a rounded bottom so I guess 42-32048 is the right number. And the nickname might be 'QUEEN'. It is very very hard readable but I think the last two letters are 'EN' and the first might be 'Q'. Just my opinion. Your opinions?

[seesul]

And, does anyone have a list of the machines of the 97th, 463rd and 483rd BGs participating on this mission?
Thx!