Murder Inc. (1 Viewer)

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

Renani

Recruit
7
14
Feb 7, 2023
Murder Inc. Was the B17 my grandfather was assigned to during WWII. However due to engine trouble he was shot down in The Aristocrap. But he did have Murder Inc painted on his flight jacket and his subsequent use in German propaganda is quite the story.

People before were asking about the nose art on Murder inc. At the time of my reply I did not know the plane DID have nose art. In writing a screenplay about it I have learned from my grandfather's letters that Murder Inc nose art was the plane name in yellow lettering. I do not know of any pictures of the nose art.

As for the Murder Inc jacket, my grandfather's jacket was, to my knowledge, the only one captured by the Germans and certainly the only one used in the propaganda article pictures. This jacket is now with the Smithsonian. However Murder Inc flew many missions before crashing on landing and being decommissioned. The name Murder Inc on the plane was changed to "censored" after the propaganda stuff and I assume the nose art was changed but I don't know to what. But other flight jackets did have Murder Inc painted on the back during it's long mission life. But no other was used in German propaganda. That was my grandfather, Kenneth Daniel Williams, alone.

Fun story though. Murder Inc decided to use a ploy against German fighter planes that honed in on aircraft in distress. They set up a smoke canister near the tail and when they set it off it emitted smoke making the German fighters hone in on it. The idea was to shoot down more German fighters but as you can imagine that backfired. They attracted too many fighters and were very nearly shot down. But they set a record apparantly for the most fighters to follow and try to down a single plane. I believe the number was 14 German fighters. Needless to say that was the last time they pulled that trick.
 
Last edited:
Great story. But another reason this smoking bomber still in formation attracted so many is imho is the german points vs kill system.

So a pilot could get 3 for a destroyed 4 engine aircraft 2 for hersusschuss or separation (leaving the formation) 1 for final destruction.

So a obiously hurt smoking bomber still in formation was a big fat bonus target.
 
Imagine during the Battle of Britain they would have shot down a German bomber with "Mörder GmbH" written on it. We'd never hear the end of it. Sorry, but I find it disgusting to put something like that on a bomber.
 
Imagine during the Battle of Britain they would have shot down a German bomber with "Mörder GmbH" written on it. We'd never hear the end of it. Sorry, but I find it disgusting to put something like that on a bomber.
You are not alone. As I said, after the propaganda which said grandfather was a gangster sent to Germamy to kill civilian women and children, the US Gov't declared that all the plane and unit names had to be scrubbed for anything fatalistic or that could be used against the US by its enemies. And this policy is still in effect today. They also told them to put clothes on all of their pin up girls on the nose art. I read someone say in The Mighty 8th book that the men were more interested in looking up skirts than putting skirts on their pin up girls. But certainly today naked women are no longer featured on nose art. And Murder Inc was not the only plane name and nose art to be changed. They also removed a grim reaper, skull and cross bones and snake eye dice to name a few.

Also my grandfather was asked repeatedly why the plane was named that. He did not know. He was not involved in naming it. The crew who flew the plane to England when it was fresh off the assembly line named it. There had been a recent movie about Al Capone and his gang Murder Inc and one of the men suggested Murder Inc. Another fun fact, the pilot who flew the plane to Englad was named James Stewart. I read so many letters and descriptions that said "Jimmy Stewart, not the actor" when talking about him. "Not the actor" should have been his nick name.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Imagine during the Battle of Britain they would have shot down a German bomber with "Mörder GmbH" written on it. We'd never hear the end of it. Sorry, but I find it disgusting to put something like that on a bomber.
I believe the USAAF put a ban on similar nose-art after the propaganda was released

 
On the other side of the world, in late 1944 there was an Official US Navy Photograph of several aircraft carriers anchored at Ulithi Atoll in the Carolines. The lineup was named "Murderer's Row" by somebody probably not in an official capacity, and it stuck.


Looking deeper, I find that a 1920s NY Yankees' starting lineup was called Murderers Row.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back