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SEATTLE
SLEEPER
43-37913
B-17G
91/323
OR
Young
men
have
had
a
love
affair
with
steam
trains
since
the
very
first
locomotive
hauled
its
trucks
and
carriages
along
the
iron
rails.
Prior
to
joining
the
Air
Corps,
probably
the
fastest
speeds
and
the
longest
journeys
that
most
had
achieved
had
been
by
rail
travel.
It
is
not
surprising
therefore
that
the
names
given
to
some
of
the
huge
silver
steam
trains
that
crisscrossed
the
vast
distances
of
the
USA
became
transferred
onto
the
big
heavy
bombers
that
many
of
those
young
men
now
served
in.
The
Seattle
Sleeper
was
one
such
name
and
it
was
applied
to
the
gleaming
silver
nose
of
a
brand
new
B17G
that
was
assigned
to
the
91st
in
late
July
1944.
After
flying
its
first
mission
on
24th
July
in
support
of
ground
troops
battling
to
break
out
around
St
Lo,
the
Seattle
Sleeper
flew
another
seven
sorties
before
becoming
a
lead
ship.
Then,
under
a
succession
of
lead
pilots,
but
Maj.
Captain
Rexford
Boggs,
the
plane
led
the
group
to
a
series
of
German
targets.
After
Captain
Boggs
had
flown
to
Kassel
on
the
2nd
October,
other
ships
took
over
the
lead
role
and
the
Seattle
Sleeper
again
became
one
of
those
that
followed.
Surviving
the
slaughter
over
Merseberg
on
2nd
November,
it
accrued
a
total
of
24
missions
before
the
Luftwaffe
finally
caught
up
on
the
26th
of
that
month.
First
Lieutenant
John
Stevens
and
his
crew
were
on
board
Seattle
Sleeper,
heading
for
the
railway
viaduct
at
Altenbeken,
when
about
40
enemy
fighters
attacked
from
the
rear.
The
main
assault
lasted
some
ten
minutes
with
two
concentrated
passes
followed
by
intermittent
attacks,
that
left
Seattle
Sleeper
wrecked
and
dropping
away
from
the
formation.
It
was
down
to
15,000ft
when
it
disintegrated
in
a
huge
explosion
that
left
pieces
of
burning
debris
cartwheeling
and
tumbling
through
the
sky
like
some
huge
blazing
catherine
wheel.
No
chutes
were
observed
but,
almost
miraculously,
all
the
crew
survived.
"Story
taken
from
Plane
Names
&
Fancy
Noses,
by
Ray
Bowden"
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