Org. Nose Art Photo: B-17 Bomber "RED MOOSE EXPRESS"!!! | eBay
Pacific Wrecks B-17E "Tex / Red Moose Express" Serial Number 41-2634.
ssigned to the 5th Air Force, 19th Bombardment Group, 435th Bombardment Squadron. Nicknamed "Tex".
Later, transferred to the 43rd Bombardment Group, 65th Bombardment Squadron. Nicknamed "Red Moose Express" with nose art depicting a moose head and bombs falling in a black circle. When lost, weapon and engine serial numbers were not noted on MACR.
On July 30, 1942 this B-17 took off from
7-Mile Drome near
Port Moresby on a reconnaissance mission over
Buna,
Lae and
Gasmata.
Mission History
On
August 3, 1943 one of seven B-17s that off from
7-Mile Drome near
Port Moresby on a bombing mission 214-C against a Japanese construction camp on the Kofebi River south of
Bogadjim at the southern end of the Bogadjim-Ramu Road.
This B-17 was part of the second element of three bombers, flying in a vee formation, along with B-17 piloted by 1st Lt. Henseler. Due to clouds and mountainous terrain, they dropped their bombs on
Bogadjim village, the secondary target.
After bombing the target, at 11:27 over
Astrolabe Bay at 5,000' the bombers were intercepted by Ki-43 Oscars of the 24th Sentai led by W.O. Katsuaki Kira (misidentified as A6M3 Hamps). The Oscars diving at both B-17 and making simultaneous high frontal attacks. The third Oscar attacked this B-17 from 3 o'clock position hitting this bomber.
This B-17 went into a 45 degree dive with inboard engines smoking and hit the sea in a glide and broke up on impact, but did not explode or burn. The crash site was estimated to be roughly 100 yards offshore from the mouth of
Mindjim River to the east of
Bogadjim on the north coast of New Guinea. No trace of the crew was seen by the three other B-17s that observed the crash.