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BOMBER DEAR
42-97234 B-17G
91/323 OR-M

Assigned on the 7th of the month, this Boeing built silver G model had flown three missions as group lead aircraft by the end of April 1944 and was already sporting a superb Starcer nose art on the port side. The bomb-riding girl was a popular theme for nose art in many groups and in the 91st’, Starcer also used a similar design for “Yankee
Belle” and a further variation for “Demo Darling”. His version painted for ‘Bomber Dear’ portrayed the girl fully dressed in a flight suit and parachute harness, waving a flying helmet. In common with the other two similar designs he utilized a solid circle of color as a background to give added impact to the nose art. The plane's first combat sortie was to Brussels three days after assignment to the group. The following day Captain Kuehl took the ship to Cottbus and later flew another eight missions in “Bomber Dear”, including the last of her lead roles to Lyons on 30th April. The two previous group leads were flown by Captain Samuelson on 20th and 22nd April to Croisette and Hamm respectively.
L.C. Basinger's crew also flew the plane, amongst others, and added 13 mission markers to the airplane's score. In early September, “Bomber Dear” became David Hettema's regular ship until 30th October. He flew eight missions in the plane and might well have gone on to finish his tour in ship had not the tragic events over Merseburg intervened.
“Bomber Dear” was one of 13 Forts from the group which were lost during the disastrous mission of 2nd November 1944 to the oil facilities at Merseburg. The usual zig-zag course to confuse the enemy's defenses was dispensed with and the 200 or so Luftwaffe fighters which approached the formations could not fail to notice the two groups of Fortresses that had become detached from the main stream. The 91st and 457th Bomb Groups were off course and trading the main bomber stream at about 26,000ft when they were attacked by a Sturmgruppe of between 50 and 75 enemy fighters. Wave after wave of fighters barrelled through the formation in a ferocious battle that lasted twenty minutes. Ten minutes into the battle, on her 66th sortie and under the command of 1/Lt. John H. Liekhus, “Bomber Dear” was hit hard and was reported as peeling away from the group at 12.57hrs encased in a ball of flame. 1/Lt. Liekhus and four of his crew were killed, but miraculously four others survived the inferno.

"Story taken from Plane Names & Fancy Noses,by Ray Bowden"