42-39948 | American Air Museum

42-39948 Leading Lady

A bomber crew of the 305th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-39948) nicknamed "Leading Lady". Printed caption on reverse: '60701 AC- Lt Murray with air and ground crews of the 305th Bomb Gp are shown beside the B-17 Flying Fortress "Leading Lady" 11/7/44 England. US Air Force Photo.'

media-418372.jpg FRE 9509 A bomber crew of the 305th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-39948) nicknamed "Leading Lady". Printed caption on reverse: '60701 AC- Lt Murray with air and ground crews of the 305th Bomb Gp are shown beside the B-17 Flying Fortress "Leading Lady" 11/7/44 England. US Air Force Photo.' Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 9509 - A bomber crew of the 305th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-39948) nicknamed "Leading Lady". Printed caption on reverse:...

Delivered Long Beach 14/10/43; Gr Island 31/10/43; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-M] Chelveston 15/11/43; detailed Munich 31/7/44 with Capt Gene Henry, Co-pilot: Carmine Savastao, Navigator: Paul Young, Bombardier: Martin Lally, Radio Operator: Bill Mauntel, Ball turret gunner: Gerald Palmer, Waist gunner: Joe Peed,Tail gunner: Dale Hanks (8 Returned to Duty); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Leon Bamforth (KIA by flak hit in head); transferred 401BG Deenethorpe 20/5/45 (first in group to 100 missions); 110m, retUS 121 BU Bradley 7/6/46; Romulus 8/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/9/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 8/11/45. LEADING LADY.

Connections

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Units served with

Unofficial emblem, 305th Bomb Group.

305th Bomb Group

Unit Hierarchy: Group
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

People

Leon Leroy Bamforth

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 305th Bomb Group 306th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron 423rd Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 11016909
Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner ; Flight Engineer

Stanley Miller Burgess

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-718232
Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
Role/Job: Navigator

Eugene E Henry

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-761735
Highest Rank: Captain
Role/Job: Pilot

James Kennedy

James William Kennedy

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Unit: 364th Bomb Squadron 305th Bomb Group
Service Numbers: 12137414
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Sam Clifton Linton

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 33900284
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Places

Ground crews of 305th Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortresses wait for their aircraft to return to Chelveston airbase after a raid on the 30 June 1943; a B-17 Flying Fortress is coming in to land. Passed for publication 30 Jun 1943. Printed caption on reverse: 'At A Fortress Station In Britain. From an American base in Britain the Flying Fortresses carry out operational activities which result in terrible blows against the German industrial war machine. This series of pictures shows scenes at a Flying Fortresse

Chelveston

Site type: Airfield

Bomber crews from the 401st Bomb Group look over P-51 Mustang, FT-T, serial number 43-12172, of the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, at Deenethorpe airfield. One of their B-17 Flying Fortresses is in the background. Printed caption on reverse of print: '...401st Bomb Group look over a North American P-51 Mustang at an 8th Air Force base in England, 27 December 1943.'

Deenethorpe

Site type: Airfield
Known as: Benefield

Events

Event

Location

Date

Description

Other

Failed to Return (FTR)

Germany

31 July 1944

Revisions

Date15 Dec 2016 22:15:05

ContributorYorkshireman

Changes

Sources

Hutchinson & Cortright

Date27 Sep 2014 18:40:51

ContributorAAM

Changes

Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 15328 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

42-39948: Gallery (5 items)

The nose of a 305th Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Leading Lady". The aircraft has had all its visible engines removed, and also has completed over 100 missions at the time of this photograph. Handwritten caption on reverse: '305BG, Kingman.'

Object number: FRE 10458 - The nose of a 305th Bomb Group B-17 Flying...

A bomber crew of the 305th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-39948) nicknamed "Leading Lady". Printed caption on reverse: '60701 AC- Lt Murray with air and ground crews of the 305th Bomb Gp are shown beside the B-17 Flying Fortress "Leading Lady" 11/7/44 England. US Air Force Photo.'

Object number: FRE 9509 - A bomber crew of the 305th Bomb Group with their B...

Object number: UPL 25482 - 42-39948, Lt Chamberlain and crew, July 8, 1944

Object number: UPL 34408 - B-17 42-39948 "Leading Lady"

Object number: UPL 45503 - Walter Zabel With his Leading Lady