Tony Hill
Tech Sergeant
By pure coincidence I was watching the story of Old 666 this morning! An amazing feat to be sure.
Looking forward to watching this build!
Looking forward to watching this build!
Academy 1/72 B-17E "Old 666" 43rd Bomb Group 1943
- Thread starter dirkpitt289
- Start date
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- Thread starter
- #222
dirkpitt289
Master Sergeant
I have to admit I've been pretty lax on the continued history of this aircraft. Personally I love this story and never tire of reading about it. Its truly amazing. I know a lot of you are up to date on this history but for those that have asked....
History of Old 666 continued
"Whenever the 43rd got a real lousy mission--the worst possible mission of all that nobody else wanted to fly--they went down to see Jay Zeamer and his gang," said Walt Krell. "They couldn't keep them on the ground, no matter how bad or rough that mission might be. They didn't care. They crawled into that airplane and just flew and what was more they always carried out their missions. It was the damnedest thing. They'd fly in the worst possible weather, the kind of storm that made other pilots grateful they were on the ground.
"And Zeamer would always find his way in. Sometimes the weather would be so bad, in ships that were shot up, other planes would crash, or the crews would bail out because it was impossible to get back down safely. Impossible for everyone except Jay Zeamer, that is."
One of Zeamer's missions over Rabaul was a psy-ops flight during which pamphlets were to be dropped. Approaching the enemy stronghold Zeamer told his crew, "Don't throw them out. I'll go down low enough so you can pass them out individually, but no lally-gagging around those geisha girls."
On a night mission over Wewak the Japanese gunners on the ground managed to fix the flight of incoming American bombers in the glare of several large search lights. Zeamer got mad and made good use of his specially designed nose gun. In an incredible display of courage and airmanship he dove on the positions, shooting out three of them and damaging two others. His actions enabled the squadron to complete its mission and get back safely. That action earned the renegade pilot an oak leaf cluster to his Silver Star.
History of Old 666 continued
"Whenever the 43rd got a real lousy mission--the worst possible mission of all that nobody else wanted to fly--they went down to see Jay Zeamer and his gang," said Walt Krell. "They couldn't keep them on the ground, no matter how bad or rough that mission might be. They didn't care. They crawled into that airplane and just flew and what was more they always carried out their missions. It was the damnedest thing. They'd fly in the worst possible weather, the kind of storm that made other pilots grateful they were on the ground.
"And Zeamer would always find his way in. Sometimes the weather would be so bad, in ships that were shot up, other planes would crash, or the crews would bail out because it was impossible to get back down safely. Impossible for everyone except Jay Zeamer, that is."
One of Zeamer's missions over Rabaul was a psy-ops flight during which pamphlets were to be dropped. Approaching the enemy stronghold Zeamer told his crew, "Don't throw them out. I'll go down low enough so you can pass them out individually, but no lally-gagging around those geisha girls."
On a night mission over Wewak the Japanese gunners on the ground managed to fix the flight of incoming American bombers in the glare of several large search lights. Zeamer got mad and made good use of his specially designed nose gun. In an incredible display of courage and airmanship he dove on the positions, shooting out three of them and damaging two others. His actions enabled the squadron to complete its mission and get back safely. That action earned the renegade pilot an oak leaf cluster to his Silver Star.
Flash_Taco
Airman
Hi Vic,
Pretty amazing subject you've chosen, and it looks your work is honoring well this singular aircraft. I bought a 1/48 Revell, B-17 with the idea to represent the old 666, but it will have to wait until I destroy a couple more models before I attempt this. I will be following your progress to see what I can learn for when I build mine.
Happy building.
Pretty amazing subject you've chosen, and it looks your work is honoring well this singular aircraft. I bought a 1/48 Revell, B-17 with the idea to represent the old 666, but it will have to wait until I destroy a couple more models before I attempt this. I will be following your progress to see what I can learn for when I build mine.
Happy building.
Aaron Brooks Wolters
Brigadier General
Excellent work Dirk!
I have the book Flying Forts and Zeamer is one of if not the first story in the book. Great choice.
I have the book Flying Forts and Zeamer is one of if not the first story in the book. Great choice.- Thread starter
- #225
dirkpitt289
Master Sergeant
The Mapping Mission
The reconnaissance mission over Bougainville was simple in its concept:
Depart Port Moresby under cover of darkness.
Fly over 600 miles of open sea.
Arrive at the north end of the island shortly after dawn when there would be enough light to take photographs.
Slowly cruise southeast at an altitude of 25,000 feet while the camera clicked in the belly of the aircraft to record the terrain below.
Simple in concept perhaps, but the devil was in the details. Despite Allied air superiority over New Guinea and at Guadalcanal, Japan ruled the seas and the airspace from New Britain to Choisuel. A lone photo-recon aircraft might find itself hopelessly outnumbered and, for the mission to succeed not only did the photographs have to be taken, but the airplane carrying that camera had to be able to get that film safely home.
"That job had been hanging for months, and nobody else had been able to do it," Captain Zeamer wrote in a letter five months after the mission. "We just put extra guns all over our ship hoping to be able to fight our way clear. We had 19 machineguns which is more than any other Flying Fortress in the Southwest Pacific has ever thought of having."
By the time darkness fell over Port Moresby on June 15 Old 666 was armed to the teeth and ready for action. While the crew headed for their cots to get a good night's rest before their 4 a.m. takeoff, Captain Zeamer was given an additional last-minute order. While in the air over the coastline of Bougainville, he was instructed to fly over the smaller island of Buka which was separated by a thin waterway known as the Buka Passage. There he was to make a reconnaissance of the Japanese airfield there to determine logistics and enemy strength.
This new assignment changed the mission from being one of immense danger to one of sheer suicide. Captain Zeamer was furious. His mission was to photograph Bougainville and then get the images back home. A side trip over Buka would almost surely doom his airplane and crew, making the entire mission a futile waste. As he turned in for the night Zeamer had already made up his mind that he would photograph Bougainville, but he would not risk his men or his B-17 over Buka.
Old 666 lifted off from Port Moresby right on schedule at 4 a.m. In the clear Plexiglas nose Lieutenant Johnson plotted a course over 600 miles of open waters of the Solomon Sea. Nearby, Joe Sarnoski checked and double-checked the vertical camera switches he would activate when the time came for Sergeant Kendrick to begin his all-important work of taking pictures from further back in the belly of the Flying Fortress.
For three hours Old 666's four, big engines churned the air as Jay Zeamer flew into the rising sun and one of Japan's most fortified islands. Shortly before 0700 the faint dawn revealed the distant outline of Bougainville Island. The B-17 was thirty minutes ahead of schedule. The sun had not yet risen high enough to illuminate the island's west coast sufficiently for photographic purposes.
"Aw, hell...." Zeamer thought as he considered his early arrival and pondered the suicidal last-minute order he had previously determined to ignore. "Navigator, plot a course for Buka," he announced.
Minutes later a thin slip of water passed 25,000 feet below the Fortress, and then the dense jungle of Buka appeared in the lens of Kendrick's camera. Carved in the foilage below was a honeycomb of small airplane revetments, all leading to a massive airstrip. With a sinking feeling Captain Zeamer suddenly realized why headquarters wanted this recon--more than 400 enemy fighters had been flown into the Buka aerodrome the previous day.
The reconnaissance mission over Bougainville was simple in its concept:
Depart Port Moresby under cover of darkness.
Fly over 600 miles of open sea.
Arrive at the north end of the island shortly after dawn when there would be enough light to take photographs.
Slowly cruise southeast at an altitude of 25,000 feet while the camera clicked in the belly of the aircraft to record the terrain below.
Simple in concept perhaps, but the devil was in the details. Despite Allied air superiority over New Guinea and at Guadalcanal, Japan ruled the seas and the airspace from New Britain to Choisuel. A lone photo-recon aircraft might find itself hopelessly outnumbered and, for the mission to succeed not only did the photographs have to be taken, but the airplane carrying that camera had to be able to get that film safely home.
"That job had been hanging for months, and nobody else had been able to do it," Captain Zeamer wrote in a letter five months after the mission. "We just put extra guns all over our ship hoping to be able to fight our way clear. We had 19 machineguns which is more than any other Flying Fortress in the Southwest Pacific has ever thought of having."
By the time darkness fell over Port Moresby on June 15 Old 666 was armed to the teeth and ready for action. While the crew headed for their cots to get a good night's rest before their 4 a.m. takeoff, Captain Zeamer was given an additional last-minute order. While in the air over the coastline of Bougainville, he was instructed to fly over the smaller island of Buka which was separated by a thin waterway known as the Buka Passage. There he was to make a reconnaissance of the Japanese airfield there to determine logistics and enemy strength.
This new assignment changed the mission from being one of immense danger to one of sheer suicide. Captain Zeamer was furious. His mission was to photograph Bougainville and then get the images back home. A side trip over Buka would almost surely doom his airplane and crew, making the entire mission a futile waste. As he turned in for the night Zeamer had already made up his mind that he would photograph Bougainville, but he would not risk his men or his B-17 over Buka.
Old 666 lifted off from Port Moresby right on schedule at 4 a.m. In the clear Plexiglas nose Lieutenant Johnson plotted a course over 600 miles of open waters of the Solomon Sea. Nearby, Joe Sarnoski checked and double-checked the vertical camera switches he would activate when the time came for Sergeant Kendrick to begin his all-important work of taking pictures from further back in the belly of the Flying Fortress.
For three hours Old 666's four, big engines churned the air as Jay Zeamer flew into the rising sun and one of Japan's most fortified islands. Shortly before 0700 the faint dawn revealed the distant outline of Bougainville Island. The B-17 was thirty minutes ahead of schedule. The sun had not yet risen high enough to illuminate the island's west coast sufficiently for photographic purposes.
"Aw, hell...." Zeamer thought as he considered his early arrival and pondered the suicidal last-minute order he had previously determined to ignore. "Navigator, plot a course for Buka," he announced.
Minutes later a thin slip of water passed 25,000 feet below the Fortress, and then the dense jungle of Buka appeared in the lens of Kendrick's camera. Carved in the foilage below was a honeycomb of small airplane revetments, all leading to a massive airstrip. With a sinking feeling Captain Zeamer suddenly realized why headquarters wanted this recon--more than 400 enemy fighters had been flown into the Buka aerodrome the previous day.
- Thread starter
- #226
dirkpitt289
Master Sergeant
I know its been a while and this isn't much but it is what it is. As you may remember the superchargers were way to bright with the rust color I used. So I went over them with Model Masters Exhaust. The cool thing about the exhaust is that its meant to be used with an airbrush but when I use it with a brush it doesn't completely cover. In this case the fust color bleeds through the exhaust just the right amount (IMHO)
That's more like it.
That's more like it.
Crimea_River
Marshal
Nice Dirk!
Looks good!
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Well done!
cool stuff Dirk!
- Thread starter
- #231
dirkpitt289
Master Sergeant
Back to work on Old 666. Basically the work consisted of applying some decals and some weathering.
This kit didn't come with the correct decals for this bird so I had to go get some myself. I found these from Yellow Wings Decals
Before
After
Next I'm going to figure out how to properly weather the decals to match the rest of the aircraft
Tools for decaling
Thanks for looking
This kit didn't come with the correct decals for this bird so I had to go get some myself. I found these from Yellow Wings Decals
Before
After
Next I'm going to figure out how to properly weather the decals to match the rest of the aircraft
Tools for decaling
Thanks for looking
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
It's looking great Dirk, very nice work.
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
I agree, well done sir!
BChenoweth
Recruit
- 1
- Nov 8, 2011
Like many WW II modelers and those interested in aviation history the story of Old 666 captivated me when I saw it on the history channel some years ago. What has always confused me about this story, not just from HC but modelling forums, wikipedia etc. is the question of armament. All these sources refer to the "standard" B-17E armament as 13 guns. The standard from the Boeing plant, was actually 9 guns; two .50s in the tail, upper turret, belly turret and one each in the two waist positions and a .30 in the nose. Now I understand that B-17s were modified in the field, at air depots and such but I would like to know the source of the information that says 666 had 13 guns before it was modified! I could see replacing the nose .30 with a .50 even adding another .50 to the nose plex. F models had a provision for .50 balls in the navigator's windows. I've seen photos of those balls on Pacific Es but not with guns fitted. Originally the E had no provision for a radio operator's gun in the window above his position. I suppose this was another early add on. I still have trouble coming up with 13, that's why I'd like to see something that suggests the positions of the armament before the plane was upgunned as described on HC.
Next question is the addition of 6 (not 5) guns to get to 19. I can figure 4 of them by doubling the waist positions and the radio operator's position plus the fixed gun in the upper nose section. The HC dogfight show shows a pair on the left side of the nose blister (at least that is what it looks like to me) and I've read the source about the "belly gun" aft of the ball turret. Where else were guns placed?
This IS a great subject for a model but I still have some concerns about were all the guns were placed.
Kindly
BChenoweth
Next question is the addition of 6 (not 5) guns to get to 19. I can figure 4 of them by doubling the waist positions and the radio operator's position plus the fixed gun in the upper nose section. The HC dogfight show shows a pair on the left side of the nose blister (at least that is what it looks like to me) and I've read the source about the "belly gun" aft of the ball turret. Where else were guns placed?
This IS a great subject for a model but I still have some concerns about were all the guns were placed.
Kindly
BChenoweth
T Bolt
Colonel
Looks fantactic Dirk! I think this could be your best yet!
txcatbackers
Recruit
- 1
- Nov 16, 2011
Dirk,
I am very interested in how this model turned out. My grandfather was the navigator for the Old 666 during the reconaissance mission and I would love to figure out how to build something like this for my brother. Of course, I've never done a model before - so what a way to start out! Let me know how it turned out though. Love it!
Sincerely,
Rachel Freeland
I am very interested in how this model turned out. My grandfather was the navigator for the Old 666 during the reconaissance mission and I would love to figure out how to build something like this for my brother. Of course, I've never done a model before - so what a way to start out! Let me know how it turned out though. Love it!
Sincerely,
Rachel Freeland
vikingBerserker
Lieutenant General
Whoa, ok you can't just state that and leave! 
Welcome aboard!
Welcome aboard!
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
- Thread starter
- #240
dirkpitt289
Master Sergeant
PM sent. I look forward to speaking with you.
