39-5 The Blue Goose
Delivered March Field 6-Mar-41;
Modified at Cheyenne United Airlines Modification Center into a photo recon aircraft. See B-17B 38-223 for modification details.
Delivered MacDill 3-Mar-42;
Conducted aerial photographic reconnaissance staging out of Accra in the Gold Coast (later Ghana).
Conducted all the recon flights for Operation Rusty.
"Almost had to come down in the desert the last day. One engine nearly dropped off 850 miles from base over the desert but it froze and hung by hair & and after landing Elliott said the plane practically fell apart."
Officially listed (cryptically) as crashed out of limits of continental USA;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rusty
Written off 6-Aug-42. Never used in combat, never served in the UK.
Given the nickname "the Blue Goose" (not known if painted on aircraft)
Connections
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People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 325th Photographic Reconnaissance Wing 25th Bomb Group 7th Photographic Reconnaissance Group
- Service Numbers: O-348475
- Highest Rank: Brigadier General
- Role/Job: Commanding Officer Photographic Wing
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: March Air Reserve Base
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
Revisions
Added an Association to “March Airfield” as listed in the A/C description section.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Rusty has this aircraft as being part of the mapping mission named Operation Rusty.
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2015. Added Block Number, appended Block Number to name, Manufacturer, converted dates to military-style significations per "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story" Roger A. Freeman with David Osborne.