MALAYAN LADY
42-31372 B-17G
91/323 P OR-P
91/323 OR

Also known as "Harass Dragon", this B-17G was assigned to the 91st on 20th December 1943 but lasted little more than three weeks. During that period, only four missions were completed sucessfully. The first was flown to a buzz bomb, launch site at Andres on Christmas Eve with Edwin Reid in command. The fifth was flown on 11th January 1944, to the Focke Wulf plant at Oschersieben, and cost the 91st five Fortress including Malayan Lady.

1/Lt.Edwin Reid took off with his crew on their twelfth mission but as they approached Hespe on the way into the target, Luftwaffe fighters pounced. The No.3 engine had been lost and could not be feathered, forcing the plane to lag behind the protection of the formation. The fighters were waiting and on their first pass poured 20mm fire into the nose wounding the pilot and navigator John Haus as well as the bombardier George Marghita. As other shells exploded through the crawlway they started a fire beneath the pilots' compartment and the plane made a sudden dive.

The wounded navigator bailed out followed by the copilot Richard Morgan whose chute immediately burst into flames. A second stream of shells smashed into "Malayan Lady". Half of the right stabilizer was completely shot away and the tail gunner was fatally wounded. The main oxygen system caught fire like a blowtorch and a 3-4ft hole was blown out of the left side of the fuselage near the top turret. According to eye witnesses, the German fighter-misjudged his attack path and clipped "Malayan Lady's" right wing with its right wing. There was chaos within the ship as it went into a steep dive throwing men and equipment in all directions. The right waist gunner spilled his chute inside and only the engineer and the other waist gunner managed to claw their way from the plunging aircraft before it impacted about a mile from Bad Muender, approximately 15 miles south west of Hannover.

Navigator John Hatis was fortunate and landed within 500 yards of a hospital where he was immediately taken for treatment of his wounds. Seven of his crew were not so lucky. German reports indicate that four bodies were found inside the wreckage and another two close by.

As the German salvage crews sifted through the wreck they collected life belts, oxygen masks, an autopilot and radio equipment. Three engines were also recovered and sent to a salvage plant in Hertogenbosch, Holland - that was all that remained of Malayan Lady.

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