B-17 rumour

[Taj]

cheers for digging that up Tony..is there anything you don't have a pic of??!!!!

[Tony Kearns]

Thanks Taj, the one Air Corps aircraft photograph that I have not been able to locate is the sole SE5A used during the Civil War. Any offers anyone?
Tony K

[Irish251]

Tony

Was this B-17G 44-6883, which had a landing accident on 12/11/1945, as in Dennis Burke's listing?  There's a photo of it here http://www.381st.org/noseart-r.html with "RAFAAF" nose-art during its service with the 381st BG.

[Tony Kearns]

Yes SF, 44-6883  is the one . It did not have the nose art or name at that time.
Tony K

[GoneToTheCanner]

hi Tony
I don't mean the B-17 in particular, but certainly small items like bolts and hardware, oxygen bottles, instruments, seats and seatbelts, inner tubes,etc were scavenged from all of the intact wrecks and used on the fleet, especially from the British wrecks.The technology,from the B-17 and others, such as turbo charging, supercharging,hydraulics, armament and gunsighting,etc would have added to the Air Corps fund of knowledge, given that their own aircraft were often basic models.
regards
GttC

[Hess]

All the above has been very informative, thanks for posting.

[P.Doff]

I was just wondering if anyone knows about any "action" that took place in Irish skies during WWII? My father was a young boy living in Ballybough(short disatnce from North Strand,his windows were blown out by the bombs!!) at the time and to this day he insists he witnessed a dogfight take place at low level along the fringes of east dublin and over the bay??
He says he remembers it well and "they nearly knocked the chimneys off!!"!
He might be gettin on in years but he first told me this nearly 30 years ago, any truth behind it or have the years got to him??
Also mentioned was an aircraft going down in the bay off Clontarf and my mother remembers a large aircraft billowing smoke flying up the liffey towards the phoenix park which is where it allegedly crashed???

[dp_burke]

Check out this old post regarding a Ju-88 shot down after fighting with RAF fighters in August 1942.  Could be related to your person memories.

http://www.irishairpics.com/cgi-bin....;t=1025  


Dennis Burke

[Tony Kearns]

P.Doff,
There were a number of "actions" over and around Ireland during the war. Your father was quite right, such an incident did occur, it was on 29 May 1941, nothing wrong with his memory.
There was much activity taking place off the west coast of Iteland following the Bismarck incident. Early that morning two Hurricanes from 245 Sqn RAF were returning to Aldergrove  from Limavady where they had been providing cover to RN Vessels in the area. They were ordered to intercept a Luftwaffe aircraft approaching south west of Lough Neagh from the Monaghan area.The Hurricanes flown by Sgt Hill and Sgt. Srom (Czech) attacked the Do17Z and chased it as far as Dublin firing bursts until they ran out of ammunition and being low on fuel at this stage had to return to Aldergrove. They claimed a probable with an engine on fire (an engine fire was not observed by the Irish authorities). The anti aircraft guns opened fire on all three aircraft as they flew over Dublin, with no hits observed. The Luftwaffe aircraft was noted by the Look Out Post at Carnsore as it passed flying south and apparently OK.
The aircraft in Dublin Bay was a Blenheim I L6720 which landed in the sea off Clontarf and flown by a Pole believed to be defecting.
There is no record of an aircraft crashing on fire in the Phoenix Park during the war.
Image is the Blenheim at Clontarf
HTH
Tony K

[Tony Kearns]

Quote (dp_burke @ 09 May 2007,05:19)

Check out this old post regarding a Ju-88 shot down after fighting with RAF fighters in August 1942.  Could be related to your person memories. http://www.irishairpics.com/cgi-bin....;t=1025   Dennis Burke

That aircraft passed to the east  of Dublin when travelling north and to the west of Dublin when it was engaged by the RAF fighters.
Tony K

[Tony Kearns]

Apologies Frank I think that I am way off topic now!
Tony K

[pym]

Tony, I'm sure I'm not the first to ask this, but why on earth haven't you written a book? Your knowledge on the entire subject of aviation in this country appears encyclopedic!

Anyway, thanks again for sharing all this with us

[P.Doff]

Thanks for that Tony, sorry for straying off topic.

Isnt a pilots seat from that B-17 still in the apprentice school?? I remember Jarleth showing us it years ago along with a piece of brake pad or something from the space shuttle that he was involved with somehow??

[Tony Kearns]

You are welcome, Yes Pat that seat is still there from the B17 and keep your beady little eyes off it I am way ahead of you in the queue!!!

Thank you PYM for your kind words, I do not think that I merit that description I suppose there is a cut off point to research ,which I enjoy. I was however apalled by a publication a few years ago with so many errors that I continued to "dig" maybe it's time??
Tony K