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FIGHTIN'PAPPY
42-5407 B-17F
91/323 OR
 Flying
to the UK via the south ferry
route, 42-5407 left Marrakesh
on 22nd February 1943 and joined
the 306th Bomb Group three days
later. It served with the 306th
for almost seven months before
being transferred to the 91st
Bomb Group on llth September.
Only one mission was recorded
as having been flown with the
91st, to bomb a submarine supply
ship at Nantes on 23rd September,
with Karl Thompson's crew on
board. Sixteen days later it
was moved on again, to the 379th
Bomb Group where it survived
just 12 days before being damaged
over Kiel on 9th October and
crash landed on a small island
15 miles north of that city.
Large sections of "Fightin'
Pappy" were recovered by
the Germans and trans- ported
to their huge salvage depot
of Beutepark 5 at Nanterre,
near Paris. Here the hulk was
chopped up and melted down into
aluminum ingots which quite
possibly were utilized later
to make day-or-night-fighters
for the Luftwaffe.
Quite
when the aircraft acquired its
name is uncertain and there
is some doubt about it being
called "Fightin' Pappy"
whilst serving with the 306th
although the large majority
of its service was with that
group. The name appeared on
a list of nose arts drawn up
years later by Tony Starcer
and it most certainly was painted
to his high standard, complete
with background circle that
was to become something of a
trademark for him. But it did
not carry his signature and
was only with the 91st for a
few days so it remains a possibility
that it was painted and named
whilst with the 306th and simply
passed through the 91st bearing
such nose art.
"Story
taken from Plane Names &
Fancy Noses, by Ray Bowden"
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