The
May 2010 issue of the British aviation magazine FlyPast brought the news that a B-17, which had been flying at
airshows all over Europe for many years, was being grounded, at least
temporarily. The B-17 in question,
serial number 44-8846, has been lovingly cared for by a French association
called “Forteresse Toujours Volante” (Fortress Forever Flying), but insurance
and maintenance considerations mean that the aircraft must be grounded, at least
temporarily.
B-17, formally from the 7499th, repainted in WWII colors. (Photo by Roger Soupart, FlyPast Magazine)
How
does this relate to the 7499th's history? Simple: this B-17 was once a photo collector
with the 7499th Squadron, from 1947 until 1953. It is one of only two aircraft that have
flown for the 7499th and its successor units that still exist. More about the other bird, also a B-17, later
in this article.
44-8846
came to England in early 1945, and actually flew six bombing missions with the
351st Bomb Group against Nazi Germany before VE Day in May. It was then one of several B-17s modified for
photo-mapping work and assigned to Project Casey
Jones, a combined British-American effort to accurately map as much of
Europe and Africa as possible. In that
role it flew missions ranging from northern Europe to Liberia in Africa.
By
1947, as the Soviets were growing more hostile, USAFE realized it needed a
long-range photo and ELINT collection capability (see article on this website
about getting ELINT capability beginning 1946).
It acquired several B-17s, including 8846, and assigned them to the 45th
Reconnaissance Squadron at Furstenfeldbruck, near Munich. In November 1948 the 7499th Squadron was formed at “Fursty” to perform these covert reconnaissance
missions, and 8846 was assigned in March 1949.
From then until March 1953 8846 and its sister B-17s flew numerous
missions along the borders with the Soviet Zones of Germany and Austria, as
well as into the Baltic and Adriatic seas.
It also flew some missions in the corridors to Berlin, augmenting the 7499ths
RB-26s and C-47s in that lucrative environment.
B-17 4-8889 flying for the 7499th (photo by Bob Brewer)
But
by 1953 the B-17s were being replaced by better-equipped Douglas C-54
transports, also configured with special photo and ELINT equipment. So 8846 flew back to the US in February, and
was probably destined for the scrapyard.
But then the French photo-mapping agency, the Institut Geographique
Nationale (IGN), came looking for aircraft to fits its needs. Lo and behold, 8846 and others, already
configured for photography, fit the bill, and 8846 returned to Europe under the
IGN. From December 1954 until early 1985
these B-17s flew photo-mapping missions throughout the world.
In
1985, as the IGN replaced its B-17s with more modern aircraft, a French group
of aviation enthusiasts formed the “Forteresse Toujours Volante” to keep a B-17
flying. They picked 8846 and refurbished
her to look like a wartime US Eighth Air Force B-17. It was so successful at this that it was one
of the B-17s chosen to appear in the 1989 movie Memphis Belle. You can see
it portraying several different B-17s in that classic. From then on, through the 2009 airshow season
in Europe, one could see 8846 performing in US markings, to remind one and all
of our role in the liberation of Europe.
But, as of March 2010, it has been grounded. The association has a special hangar for 8846
at La Ferte Alais Airfield in France, and will have it on display there. And maybe it will take to the skies again!
There
is one more 7499th RB-17 still existing, 44-8889. This aircraft was being ready for combat in
England when VE Day came along, and went into storage. By April 1949 it had been converted to be an
ELINT collector and had joined the 7499th. Like 8846, it roamed the Iron Curtain from
the Baltic to the Adriatic, this time collecting on the growing Soviet air
defense radar capability. Its time with
the 7499th cane to an end in September 1953, when it too went back
to the States. It also was rescued by
the French IGN, and, converted to photomapping, flew countless missions. In 1976 it left IGN and became part of the
collection at the French national Aviation Museum (“Musee de l’Air”) at Le
Bourget Airport near Paris. It was on
display in US Eighth Air Force markings until at least 2004, but since has been
placed in storage there. We hope that it
will again emerge to be seen.
Thus
the tale of the only two known surviving aircraft from the 7499th
Squadron and its successor units.
Interestingly, they are among the very oldest. Only one other aircraft from the 7499th
Group is known to exist. This is the
Martin RB-57A 52-1492, “Sharp Cut,”
from the 7407th Support Squadron at Rhein-Main 1955 and beyond. This now resides at the museum at Hill AF
Base, Utah. If you are in the area,
check it out!
RB-57 from the 7407th Sq now at Hill AFB
Written for FlyPast Magazine by John Bessette, 7499th Historian (6 Aug 2010)
Dayton Reunion of Berlin for Lunch Bunch (BLB) and 7499th a Resounding Success: