| Serial Number: | 42-29651 |
| Name: | STELLA |
| Manufacturer: | Built by the Boeing Airplane Company, B-17F-65-BO, Camouflage |
| Squadron: | 544th Bombardment Squadron (H) |
| Squadron ID Code: |
544th‑SU*G (through 1944-02-21) 547th‑SO*R (through 1944-04-04) |
| Start Date: | 27 June 1943. New Replacement AC: Force-landed in england while being ferried to the ETO.. |
| Missions: | This aircraft was credited with 23 combat missions with the 384th. |
| End Date: | 4 April 1944. Transferred: Sent to 2 SAD, Little Staughton. |
| Photo Album: | Aircraft 42-29651 Photo Album⇗ |
| History: | 42-29651 Delivered to the Cheyenne Modification Center, Wyoming on 26 January 1943. Moved to Salina Army Air Field, Kansas on 9 February 1943; then to Brookley Field, Alabama, 3 March 1943; Morrison Field, Florida on 9 March 1943; Assigned to the Harris Provincial Group. En route from Marrakech to St Eval, Cornwall, UK on 7 April 1943 the aircraft force landed at Lytchett Minster, near Poole, Dorset because of low fuel w/Talmadge Wilson, co-pilot-M.Berg, navigator-Granville Williams, bombardier-Bob Sherwin, engineer/top turret gunner-T.R. Cetnarowski, radio operator-A.H. Schatz, passengers: E.J.Bayer, Art Burns, C.E. Vondrachek, M.A. LaSota, C.Silver, Lt L.R. Kisamore all 12 returned to duty. The aircraft was repaired, a temporary airstrip was constructed and the aircraft, stripped to lighten, flew out OK. Assigned to the 544th Bombardment Squadron, squadron code SU*G then SU*K, 384th Bombardment Group, Grafton Underwood station 106 on 27 June 1943. Transferred to the second Base Air Depot (2 BAD) at Little Staughton on 4 April 1944. Returned to the US on 5 June 1944. Tinker AB, Oklahoma on 3 July 1944; Homestead, Florida on 8 July 1944; Patterson, New Jersey on 15 February 1945 and finally to the Reclamation Finance Corporation at Altus, Oklahoma on 17 August 1945. The aircraft was salvaged. Aircraft Name: STELLA |
| Bits & Pieces: |
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| Number | Date | Target | Results | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15⇗ | 15 August 1943 | Target: Poix-en-Picardie and Amiens-Glisy Airfields Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Poix-de-Picardie & Amiens, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑29703. Turned back for unknown reasons. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 16⇗ | 16 August 1943 | Target: Le Bourget Airport & Air Depot Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 19 August 1943 | Gilze-Rijn, Holland, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Composite Sq Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 30 August 1943 | Achiet-le-Grand, France, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 19⇗ | 31 August 1943 | Target: Fighter Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Romilly-sur-Seine, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Low Squadron Deputy. Turned back; couldn't keep up with formation. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 2 September 1943 | Vannes, France, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 20⇗ | 3 September 1943 | Target: Air Park and Aerodrome Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Romilly-sur-Seine, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 21⇗ | 6 September 1943 | Type: Industry Location: Stuttgart, Germany | Completed Mission | High Squadron deputy. Landed away at Deanland, East Sussex, due to low fuel. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 23⇗ | 9 September 1943 | Target: Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Lille-Vendeville, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 24⇗ | 16 September 1943 | Target: Blockade Runner Ship (in Loire River) Type: Transportation Location: Nantes, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Turned back; unable to locate formation after passing through cloud layer. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 21 September 1943 | Riems, France, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 25⇗ | 23 September 1943 | Target: Submarine Repair Ship Type: Submarine Facility Location: Nantes, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 26 September 1943 | Nantes, France, RECALLED | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 26⇗ | 27 September 1943 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Emden, Germany | Completed Mission | Ground Spare Aircraft aircraft; replaced 42‑30196. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 30⇗ | 9 October 1943 | Target: Aircraft Factories Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Anklam, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 31⇗ | 10 October 1943 | Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Münster, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 13 October 1943 | Emden, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 32⇗ | 14 October 1943 | Target: Ball-Bearing Factory Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany | Returned Early | Turned back early after #2 supercharger ran away off the coast of Belgium. Bombs were jettisoned in the Channel and they landed away at Great Ashfield. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| --⇗ | 30 October 1943 | Gelsenkirchen, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 34⇗ | 3 November 1943 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Wilhelmshafen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 35⇗ | 5 November 1943 | Target: Railroad Marshalling Yards Type: Transportation Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 37⇗ | 26 November 1943 | Target: City Center Type: Non-Military Location: Bremen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 38⇗ | 29 November 1943 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Bremen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 40⇗ | 5 December 1943 | Target: Fighter Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Saint-Jean-d'Angély, France | Returned To Base | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 41⇗ | 11 December 1943 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Emden, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 46⇗ | 24 December 1943 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Croisette, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 47⇗ | 30 December 1943 | Target: I. G. Farben Industrie, Chemical/Synthetic Rubber Plants Type: Industry Location: Ludwigshafen, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 48⇗ | 31 December 1943 | Target: Blockade Runner 'Orsone' (name of ship) Type: Transportation Location: [Mouth of River Garonne], France | Completed Mission | Landed away at RAF Thorney Island, West Sussex. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 49⇗ | 4 January 1944 | Target: Port Area Type: Transportation Location: Kiel, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 52⇗ | 11 January 1944 | Target: Ju-88 Aircraft Parts Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Halberstadt, Germany | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 53⇗ | 14 January 1944 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Le Meillard, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 54⇗ | 21 January 1944 | Target: NOBALL (V-1 Launch Site) Type: CROSSBOW (V-Weapons) Location: Preuseville, France | Completed Mission | 41A Group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 56⇗ | 30 January 1944 | Target: Aircraft Assembly Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Brunswick / Braunschweig, Germany | Completed Mission | Low group. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 64⇗ | 21 February 1944 | Target: Fighter Field & Aircraft Storage Depot Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Werl, Germany | Returned Early | B Group, Low Squadron. Turned back due to multiple technical failures. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 83⇗ | 27 March 1944 | Target: Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Tours & Chartres, France | Completed Mission | 94 Group. Sortie Report ⇗ |