B-17G Flying Fortress "Mi Amigo" markings and camouflage

[andyamateur]

Hi

I recently purchased the Revell 1/48 B-17G kit and am intending to paint and mark it up as close to Mi Amigo as possible. The serial number for this craft was 42/31322 (Oct 1943), and it arrived in Chelveston in late January 1944. Unfortunately this aircraft crash landed in a local park in Sheffield on February 22nd 1944, and all crew were lost.

We visit the crash location pretty often, and it is really amazing that the plane did not hit any of the nearby houses. I'd love to try and get the model looking very similar to Mi Amigo, but I don't have a good idea of the camouflage. I have a B+W image of the tail showing a large G and what looks like either Z2 or 22 written below. Is it possible to figure out the markings- and if so is it feasible to make up a custom decal somehow?

I'd appreciate any advice on this- like many I'm just starting out again with models after a 30 year break......

Regards
Andy

 

[vikingBerserker]

Welcome aboard Andy and welcome back into the world of modeling, there are a number of us who took a break from it as well!

I looked through my books and had no luck finding pics, however there is a book written about the event called "Mi AMigo" by David Henry(?). I stumbled across it awhile back but have no idea if it would help or not. Best of luck!

 

[andyamateur]

... there is a book written about the event called "Mi AMigo" by David Henry(?). I stumbled across it awhile back but have no idea if it would help or not. Best of luck!

Thanks- I have a copy of the book from my local library, which is how I saw the picture of the tail. There are no further clues on the book.

Thinking about it (and searching online) it appears that the tail G (in a triangle) on the tail represents the 305th bomb group and the "22" is the last 2 digits of the serial number.

USAAF unit identification aircraft markings - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
suggests that this plane would have been camouflaged (phased out in Feb 44)


http://www.squadronprints.com//images/products/regular/0147-2.jpg
Looks like a pretty good match based on serial number, but its from the 366th and Mi Amigo was in the 364th


Is there any way to figure out the lettering on the side of the plane?
Untitled
Suggests WF-V, but I'm not sure if its possible to verify this?

Thanks
Andy

 

[fubar57]

From 305thbombgroup.com "Boeing B-17G 42-31322 364thBS WF-V" Sorry. Couldn't find a picture.

Geo

 

[Strueber]

My great uncle John W. Humphrey was the navigator for this plane. I have an old photo of the entire crew in front of Mi Amigo, but all that is visible is the front-left of the nose. There is a white '28' in a white box just aft of the nose gun on the left. The photo is B/W - but it appears the plane has a solid olive drab paint job. I'll keep an eye open for other details.

-John Humphrey Strueber

 

[Johnny Signor]

Try posting note/info on this site if you haven't found what you need ,
ArmyAirForces.com
Also try Facebook , they have at least two B-17 sites

 

[Donivanp]

The 305th flew mostly natural metal "G" models, other wise the standard olive over neutral gray for the "G" I don't have any photos of the bird in question, but when assigned to the 305th back in the early to mid 80s I went over the wing history in some detail with the wing historian. Most Fs were olive over neutral gray and most G natural metal that I saw in the wing photos. Triangle G on the tail.

 

[Crimea_River]

Seems the nose photo mentioned above confirms the olive camo. The tail photo should reveal the same if it was the same aircraft. Later 305th BG Forts had a green band on the tail along with the triangle G symbol and these tended to show up on unpainted G's.

The one thing I might add is to suggest that the white triangle and G would have been repeated on the starboard upper wing.