Re: B-17G "HAPPY MARIE" OR VESPES VIPERS!!!

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Comments:: : My Stepfather was a member of the 407th bomb sqd. stationed at podington from 4/23/44 - 8/25/44 although he pasted away on oct. 8, 2005 I am still looking for info please. I have come across a photo of his crew in pyote texas, on the photo all crew names and ranks and aircraft positions are listed also possible aircraft name "happy marie" on the back of the picture he hand wrote his 35 missions with dates. can anyone help me: : : 1]explain what positions the crew would have occupied in the aircraft. : : 2]explain why that on the missions written on the back of the picture give name of area bombed,date,the a three digit number(which by the way are random sometime repeating numbers ,would they possibly be ac#'s). : : crew: : : 1]J.C. SMITH T/SGT. - ENGINEER : : 2]H.L. SWORDS T/SGT. - RADIO OPERATOR : : 3]W.L. VANCE S/SGT. - AE(?) : : 4]R.W. DIRKS S/SGT. - AAE(?) : : 5]V. VESPE 1ST.(?)- PILOT : : 6]V.L. GRIM 2ND(?)- COPILOT : : 7]H. WEISS 2ND(?)- BOMBADIER : : 8]R.O. BUNCH 2ND(?)- NAVIGATOR : : 9]C.G. RUTHENBURG SGT -AR(?)F.O.(?) : : 10]W.O. ALEXIS SGT -AAR(?) : : ALSO AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PICTURE IS LABLED "VESPES VIPERS"HEADSET. : : THE RANDOM NUMBERS LISTED ON THE BACK OF THE PHOTO WITH THE MISSIONS ARE AS FOLLOWS: : : 110 : : 461 : : 681 : : 408 : : 335 : : 335 : : 984 : : 426 : : 326 : : 245 : : 408 : : 765 : : 120 : : 765 : : 546 : : 326 : : 426 : : 426 : : 090 : : 546 : : 335 : : M.S. : : 054 : : 546 : : 054 : : 054 : : 054 : : 872 : : 872 : : 872 : : THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY HELP IN ADVANCE ALSO IF ANYONE NEEDS MORE INFO PLEASE POST IT ON THE MESSAGE BOARD. KADE : Hi Kade, : Most of the crew photos were taken while in training and the AC were not normally taken to the war zone, so I think that "Happy Marie" was probably in that category. : In Project Bits and Pieces there is an extensive list of the AC assigned to the 92nd bomb Group. The last three digits of the AC serial number was usually on the tail of the AC and I believe the numbers you have identify the AC used on that particular mission. I have found the following numbers assigned to the 407th Squadron on the list. PY was the 407th Squadron code. The other letter is the call letter. A large number of these AC had unhappy endings. CL (crashlanded) FTR (failed to return). : : 42-38110 PY H CL No name : 42-3461 PY S No name : 42-31408 PY Z FTR No name : 42-97335 PY J Grin-n-Bear-it : 42-31984 PY U FTR Berlin Special : 42-102426 PY W Kidley Divey : 42-97326 PY V Lamsey Divey : 42-97245 PY No name : 42-31765 PY L FTR No name : 43-38120 PY N : 43-37546 PYX FTR Rowdy Rebel : 42-32054 PY B/R FTR Flak Shak : 43-37872 PY S FTR : I could find none ending in 681 or 090. : I think that "Vespe's Vipers" would be the self-proclaimed name of the crew since Vespe was the pilot. : Vic

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