The fuselage of Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 3 February 2024, placed next to the museum's F/A-18C Hornet and EA-6B Prowler.
Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby, originally Shoo Shoo Baby, is a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in World War II, preserved and currently awaiting reassembly at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. A B-17G-35-BO, serial number 42-32076, and manufactured by Boeing, it was named by her crew for a song of the same name made popular by The Andrews Sisters, the favorite song of its crew chief T/Sgt. Hank Cordes.[1] Photographs of the bomber indicate that a third "Shoo" was added to the name at some point in May 1944 when the original aircraft commander completed his tour of duty and was replaced by another pilot.
At the end of the war it was stranded in Sweden, and after some negotiations ended up in civilian service in Europe, but was out of service by the 1960s. A plan was worked out to return it to the United States. It was restored to flying condition by the 1980s and was put on display at the National Museum of the Air force for many years. In the late 2010s, that museum swapped it for another B-17 (Memphis Belle) with the Smithsonian where it is planned to go on permanent display in the nation's capitol.
Service history
Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby, began as airframe number 7190 at Boeing Plant No.2 in Seattle, Washington.[3]
The aircraft would fly 23 missions with the 91st, and did not have fixed crew but rather crews rotated in and out of it.[3]
The crew named it for the song "Shoo Shoo Baby", which was Crew Cheif Hank Cordes and his wife's favorite song at that time; later an additional Shoo was added when McDuffee completed his tour of duty.[3] The next mission would prove to be its last with 91st Group because it went MIA; it had mechanical troubles and managed to land in neutral Sweden.[3]
The B-17 flew 24 combat missions from England with the 91st BG, with three other missions aborted for mechanical problems, before being listed as missing in action on 29 May 1944. On its final mission, to the Focke Wulf aircraft component factory at Poznań, Poland, it suffered mechanical problems deep in enemy territory and Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby's crew was forced to land the aircraft at Malmö Airport, Sweden.
Final mission
The crew of Shoo Shoo Baby on the Poznań mission consisted of:
2nd Lt. Robert J. Gunther, pilot
2nd Lt. George Havrisik, co-pilot
2nd Lt. John M. Lowdermilk, navigator
2nd Lt. Leonard V. Peterson, bombardier
T/Sgt. James Shoesmith, top turret gunner
T/Sgt. John H. Bigham, radio operator/waist gunner
This crew had been formed 26 April 1944, from replacements, and had flown five previous missions together, all in aircraft other than Shoo Shoo Baby.[5] The crew's navigator, 2nd Lt John M. Lowdermilk, described the circumstances of Shoo Shoo Baby's final mission:[1]
“Soon after we crossed the German border, we lost number three engine, I believe because of losing oil pressure. Bob could not get the prop feathered (rotated 90° to put the blade edge perpendicular to the airflow). It continued to windmill (turn without power in the airflow) the entire trip with no vibration. We attempted to stay in formation with three engines but found this impossible and had to drop out. We continued on course to the best of my ability. We were losing altitude but continued to the target and dropped our bombs. Flying alone toward the Baltic Sea, we saw many German fighters attacking formations of B-17s and could not understand why they didn’t pick us out as a straggler. Before we reached the Baltic Sea, we lost the second engine, and the decision had to be made to go to Sweden because we could not make it back to England. Bob asked for a course to Sweden, and I charted one to a little town called Ystad in the very southernmost part of Sweden.
All loose equipment, including machine guns, radio equipment, and clothing, was thrown overboard in order to lighten the ship. An attempt was made to drop the ball turret, but it wouldn’t move.
As we approached the coastline, Bob was interested in knowing whether or not it was Sweden. I confidently stated that it was, but after the flak started coming up as we got over land, I wasn’t so sure. All of it was low, and I believe the Swedes were just telling us ‘Don’t try anything.’ Just before we reached land we lost the third engine, and we were losing altitude fast. A Swedish (J 9) fighter came up and led us to Malmö, Sweden, where a B-24, also in trouble, landed just ahead of us. Actually, we had to swing wide to keep from colliding."
European service
In civilian service registered OY-DFA with Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) in the late 1940s
Sweden, a neutral country, interned the crew and aircraft, one of eight U.S. heavy bombers that diverted to Sweden that day. A deal was made between the Swedish and U.S. governments to permit around 300 American crewmen to be repatriated in exchange for a promise not to use the crewmen in combat again and to formally turn over to Sweden nine B-17s that had landed intact. Seven of these were converted by Saab Aircraft into airliners that could carry 14 passengers, and "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby" flew for SILA (now Scandinavian Airlines).
In December 1945 it was one of two B-17s sold to Danish carrier Det Danske Luftfartselskab A/S, later a part of SAS, and remained in civilian service until June 1947 as the "Stig Viking" (civilian registry OY-DFA). The B-17 was subsequently transferred in March 1948 to the Danish Army Air Corps, flying as "Store Bjørn" 672, and in December 1949, to the Danish Naval Air Service. From October 1952 the Danish Air Force721 Squadron used the transport for Greenland; finally retiring it a year later. After two years in storage, she was sold to the Institut Géographique National, the French aerial mapping agency based in Creil outside Paris, and flew under the civilian registry F-BGSH.[6] The aircraft last flew in July 1961, and then lay abandoned for several years.
Among those greeting the aircraft on its return were its wartime pilot Paul McDuffee, who had become an insurance salesman in Tampa, Florida, and retired USAF Major General Stanley T. Wray, the first commander of the 91st Bomb Group.[1]
A lengthy restoration was undertaken between 1978 and 1988 at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware by the 512th Antique Restoration Group in an effort that tallied some 60,000 man hours. The aircraft required significant work, such as a new set of engines and reversing modifications that had been made to fit it for aerial mapping work; most original wartime components had been removed. In 1981, Tony Starcer recreated his original nose art at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware,[7] for the Fortress.[8] The aircraft was flown to Dayton on 13 October 1988, restored as "Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby".[9]
The B-17 was put on display in place of a long-time exhibit, the former drone-controller DB-17P, "44-83624" (a converted B-17G that did not see combat), which was subsequently sent to the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base sans its top turret, which it gave up for the restoration of Shoo Shoo Baby. The reborn veteran is finished in olive drab and grey instead of bare-metal as it was in its combat operations due to the amount of skin work required to restore its wartime appearance.
Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby was replaced in the World War II gallery by the restored B-17F Memphis Belle in March 2018.[11] It was placed in storage at the National Museum of the US Air Force's (NMUSAF) restoration facility.
Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, 10 February 2024, awaiting reassembly after its arrival. In preparation for the move to the museum, its wings, tail, engines, landing gear and chin-mounted machine guns were temporarily removed.
The decision to transfer Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby raised some concerns among the staff and patrons of the NMUSAF, as Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby is one of the world's finest restored examples of a B-17G, and has been a popular exhibit at the museum for many years. It was ultimately pointed out that with display of the Memphis Belle and eventual display of The Swoose, the NMUSAF will possess the world's two most historically significant B-17s, and another B-17G model can easily be obtained when funds and space become available.[13] When restoration is completed on The Swoose, it will eventually join Memphis Belle on display at the Museum.[14]
As of 2024, Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby is at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center,[15] and is awaiting reassembly and a dedicated display, being put next to the museum's fighter jets in the interim. Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby’s fuselage was situated next to the museum's F/A-18C Hornet and E-A6B Prowler, while its wings were placed next to the F-14D Tomcat.
Freeman, Roger A. with Osborne, David, The B-17 Flying Fortress Story, Arms & Armour Press, an imprint of the Cassell Group, London, WC2R 0BB, 1998, ISBN1-85409-301-0.
Thompson, Scott A., Final Cut – The Post-War B-17 Flying Fortress: The Survivors, Revised Edition, Pictorial Histories Publishing Company, Missoula, Montana, 2000, ISBN1-57510-077-0.
Related Research Articles
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater of Operations and dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during World War II. It is the third-most produced bomber of all time, behind the American four-engined Consolidated B-24 Liberator and the German multirole, twin-engined Junkers Ju 88. The B-17 was also employed in transport, anti-submarine warfare, and search and rescue roles.
Memphis Belle is a 1990 British-American war drama film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick. The film stars Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, and Harry Connick Jr.. Memphis Belle is a fictional version of the 1944 documentary Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress by director William Wyler, about the 25th and last mission of an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber, the Memphis Belle, based in England during World War II. The 1990 version was co-produced by David Puttnam and Wyler's daughter Catherine and dedicated to her father. The film closes with a dedication to all airmen, friend or foe, who fought in the skies above Europe during World War II.
Liberty Belle was a popular name for United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) aircraft during World War II; over two dozen known individual Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses and Consolidated B-24 Liberators used the name.
The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress is a 1944 documentary film which provides an account of the final mission of the crew of the Memphis Belle, a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. In May 1943 it became the third U.S. Army Air Forces heavy bomber to complete 25 missions over Europe, but the first to return to the United States.
The Memphis Belle is a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress used during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film, Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress and the 1990 Hollywood feature film, Memphis Belle. It was one of the first United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) B-17 heavy bombers to complete 25 combat missions, after which the aircrew returned with the bomber to the United States to sell war bonds.
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was an air combat unit of the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War. Classified as a heavy bombardment group, the 91st operated Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft and was known unofficially as "The Ragged Irregulars" or as "Wray's Ragged Irregulars", after the commander who took the group to England. During its service in World War II the unit consisted of the 322nd, 323rd, 324th, and 401st Bomb Squadrons. The 91st Bombardment Group is most noted as the unit in which the bomber Memphis Belle flew, and for having suffered the greatest number of losses of any heavy bombardment group in World War II.
The Swoose is a Boeing B-17D-BO Flying Fortress, USAAF serial number 40-3097, that saw extensive use in the Southwest Pacific theatre of World War II and survived to become the oldest B-17 still intact. It is the only early "shark fin"-tailed B-17 known to exist, and the only surviving B-17 to have seen action in the 1941–42 Philippines Campaign, operating on the first day of the United States entry into the war. After that campaign it ended up in Australia and used for VIP duties until it fell out of service. After the war it was rescued from being scrapped eventually making its way into the hands of the National Museum of the Air Force, where in the 21st century it is being restored for display.
Thunderbird was a high mission-tally Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress of the 303rd Bombardment Group during World War II. The original plane, serial number 42-38050, was scrapped at the end of the war and no longer exists. The name also appears on a later B-17G delivered at the end of the war, serial number 44-85718, which remains airworthy and is painted to replicate the earlier Thunderbird.
Piccadilly Lilly II is a B-17 Flying Fortress currently on display at the Planes of Fame air museum in Chino, California. Built in 1945 as a B-17G and assigned serial number 44-83684, this plane was possibly the last aircraft assigned to the Eighth Air Force / 447th Bomb Group, but perhaps not delivered. It was the last active B-17 in the United States Air Force, and retired in 1959 after nine years as a DB-17P drone director. Following its military career, the plane appeared in various television shows and movies.
Nine-O-Nine was a Boeing B-17G-30-BO Flying Fortress heavy bomber, of the 323d Bombardment Squadron, 91st Bombardment Group, that completed 140 combat missions during World War II, believed to be the Eighth Air Force record for most missions without loss to the crews that flew her. A different B-17G, painted to mimic the Nine-O-Nine, crashed at Bradley International Airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, in October 2019.
Combat America is a 1945 documentary film produced in World War II, narrated by Clark Gable. At the time of the film's production in 1943, Gable was a 1st Lieutenant in the Eighth Air Force, part of the United States Army Air Forces. While he was stationed in England, Gable flew five combat missions from May 4–September 23, 1943, and during one of them, his boot was struck by an anti-aircraft shell, and he was nearly hit by other flak bursts. Gable's film crew included MGM cameraman Andrew J.McIntyre; 1st Lt. Howard Voss, a sound engineer; Master Sgt. Robert Boles, a cameraman; Master Sgt. Marlin Toti, another cameraman; and 1st Lt. John Mahlin, a scriptwriter."
Anthony L. Starcer, was an American soldier and artist during World War II, known for his nose art work.
The 91st Air Refueling Squadron is part of the 6th Air Mobility Wing at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida. It operates the Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker aircraft conducting air refueling missions.
This is a partial list of accidents and incidents involving the Boeing-designed B-17 Flying Fortress. Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances. A few documented drone attrition cases are also included.
The 3205th Drone Group is a discontinued United States Air Force unit that operated obsolete aircraft during the 1950s as radio-controlled aerial targets for various tests. It was the primary post-World War II operator of surplus Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress aircraft, and also operated Lockheed F-80 Shooting Star and a few Boeing RB-47 Stratojet bombers that were converted into drone aircraft during the early years of the Cold War. It was last active with the Air Proving Ground Center, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where it was discontinued on 1 February 1961.
Dauntless Dotty is the nickname of a Boeing B-29-40-BW Superfortress during the Second World War that led the first B-29 raid on Tokyo on 24 November 1944, the first bombing attack of the Japanese capital since the Doolittle Raid on 18 April 1942.
Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress No.44-83690 is a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber currently undergoing restoration at the Museum of Aviation near Robins Air Force Base in Georgia. It was built as a B-17G-95-DL by the Douglas Aircraft Company and delivered for use on May 9, 1945. It was flown to Grissom Air Force Base for display as a museum piece in 1961. The plane was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. It was moved to the Museum of Aviation in August 2015.
↑ Havelaar, Marion H. (1995) The Ragged Irregulars of Bassingbourn: The 91st Bombardment Group in World War II. Schiffer Military History. ISBN0-88740-810-9
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