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STRIC-NINE
B-17F-55-BO
91/323-R
OR-R
 This
replacement
B-17F
flew
from
the
USA
via
the
south
ferry
route,
leaving
Marrakesh
on
1st
March
1943.
On
the
7th,
the
plane
arrived
at
Bassingbourn
to
be
assigned
to
the
group's
323rd
Squadron.
Stric-Nine
was
part
of
the
91st
formation
on
18th
March
that
attacked
the
Bremer
Vulkan
U-boat
yards
at
Vegesack.
The
mission
was
significant
in
that
it
saw
the
first
operational
use
of
Automatic
Flight
Control
Equipment
(AFCE),
a
new
device
that
enabled
the
bombardier
to
take
control
of
the
plane
when
on
the
bomb
run.
As
a
newly
arrived
replacement,
it
is
assumed
that
this
ship
was
fitted
with
the
device
and
used
it
on
this
occasion.
Stric-Nine
was
also
part
of
the
formation
to
attack
the
Focke-Wulf
plant
at
Bremen
on
the
17th
April
when
the
91st
lost
six
sips
to
ferocious
fighter
assaults.
One
engine
was
shot
out
and
helf
of
the
oxygen
system
disabled
by
20mm
shells
that
exploded
through
the
fuselage.
The
pilot
dove
the
plane
out
of
formation
with
seven
fighters
on
their
tail
and
headed
for
clouds
below.
Gunners
on
the
crew
of
Homer
Biggs
fought
off
an
estimated
100
attacks
and
claimed
two
fighters
destroyed.
Carleton
Brechler,
the
91st's
PRO,
issued
a
story
on
the
crew's
action
and
concluded
it
with
comments
by
gunner
Sergeant
James
Cronk,
"When
we
got
out
over
the
North
Sea
and
thought
we
were
out
of
trouble,
two
surface
vessels
started
firing
at
us."
Stric-Nine
was
so
badly
damaged
that
it
had
to
land
away
from
base
with
more
than
40
holes
peppering
the
fuselage
and
wings.
Patched
up
and
given
a
new
engine,
the
ship
was
sent
back
into
action.
Who
named
the
plane
Stric-Nine
is
not
known,
it
may
have
been
the
Biggs
crew.
Certainly
it
was
not
Leland
Forsblad's
crew
who
were
lost
with
it
when
the
ship
went
down
on
10th
July.
Their
regular
plane
was
V-Packette
but
they
were
not
flying
her
that
day.
The
target
was
scheduled
as
Villacoublay
airfield
but
cloud
cover
forced
the
formation
to
abort
and
return,
dumping
their
bombs
into
the
Wash.
Heavy
head-on
attacks
were
experienced
and
Stric-Nine
became
a
victim.
After-action
reports
listed
the
plane
as
having
ditched
in
the
Channel
but
Leland
Forsblad
had
a
different
recollection
of
the
events
that
day.
"Plane
and
crew
were
lost
over
the
Channel
just
north
of
Caen,"
he
recalled,
"The
raid
was
aborted
due
to
the
weather
and
only
two
survivors
were
picked
up
by
an
armed
French
fishing
boat.
We
did
not
ditch
in
the
Channel
but
were
blown
out
of
the
sky!
Copilot
John
Bennett
and
myself
were
the
only
survivors."
This
is
one
of
the
original
Nine
B-17
Flying
Fortresses
that
formed
the
323rd
Bomb
Squadron
of
the
91st
Bomb
Group.
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