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MISS
MINOOKIE
42-30712
B-17F
91/323 OR-O/R
 Assigned
to the group
on 27th September
1943, Miss Minookie
flew 22 missions
before being
lost five months
later. Morris
Guttu was the
first pilot
to take the
ship on a combat
mission to Bremen
on 8th October
and six days
later the 324th
crew of Ken
Kerr flew it
to Schweinfurt.
It was almost
three weeks
before the next
sortie on 3rd
November when
Neal Ward’s
crew took off
for Wilhelmshaven
and began a
long association
with the plane
that would end
15 weeks later.
During that
period, Ward
added eleven
missions to
the plane’s
tally taking
it back to Bremen
twice more and
to Frankfurt
three times.
The topless
castaway, painted
by Tony Starcer
onto the starboard
side, was to
see plenty of
action over
some tough targets.
Whether the
artwork was
repeated on
the port side
is not known
but several
crew members
did also have
the title painted
onto the back
of their A-2
jackets but
ony as lettering.
Perhaps Starcer
had planned
to add the grass-skirted
girl to these
at a later date
but fate intervened.
Heading out
for airfields
around Achmer
on the 21st
February 1944,
poor weather
conditions over
the primary
forced the formation
to hit targets
of opportunity
amid considerable
opposition by
German fighters
and flak which
claimed four
of the 91st’s
aircraft. Once
again it was
1/Lt. Neil Ward
who was at the
controls of
Miss Minookie
when it was
last seen near
Minden, about
a mile behind
and to the left
of the formation.
The Combat Wing
had just made
a sharp turn
to the right
but, in error,
the spare element
led by Miss
Minookie turned
left leaving
them highly
exposed. German
fighters lost
no time in heading
towards their
prey and although
most of the
crew survived,
Sergeants Clarity
and Silberger
lost their lives
when the plane
was shot out
of the sky.
"Story
taken from Plane
Names &
Fancy Noses,
by Ray Bowden"
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