The official designation of the airplane wa B-17F-55-BO, completed at Being Aircraft Factory, Seattle, Washington in late 1942. The Boeing serial number was 4590, and the assigned military serial number was 42-29476. 31 Dec 1942: delivered to Denver, Colorado
19 Feb 1942: Assigned to 94th Bomb Group, Pueblo, Colorado
March 1943: Delivered to 94th Bomb Group, Smokey Hill Air Base, Salinas, Kansas.
The assignment of the airplanes for the 94th Bomb Group was determined by the pilots drawing numbers from a hat.
On 18 March the squadron planes began their flights to England.
18 Mar 1943: arrived Gulfport, Mississippi
5 Apr 1943: arrived Middletown, Pennsylvania
10 Apr 1943: arrived Presque Isle, Maine
15 Apr 1943: arrived Gander, Newfoundland
17 Apr 1943 arrived Prestwick, Scotland
18 Apr 1943: arrived Thurleigh Airfield, England
22 Apr 1943: assigned to the 8th Air Force, England
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13 May 1943: 1st mission, St. Omer, France, German airfields
The bomb load explosed in St Omer instaed of the airfields. It was a sunny afternoon and everybody was outside. 113 civilians victims died.
14 May 1943: 2nd mission, Antwerp, Belgium, German Ford and General Motors factories
15 May 1943: 3rd mission, Emden Germany, naval supply depots and submarin pens
19 May 1943: 4th Mission, Flensburg, Germany, marine shipbuilding yards
21 May 1943: 5th mission, Emden, Germany, naval supply depots and submarine pens note: the first five missions of the 410th Squadron were flown from Thurleigh Airfield, England
25 May 1943: flew from Thurleigh to new home base, Earles Colne, England
27 or 28 May 1943: flew flight to Alconbury airfield and back
29 May 1943: 6th Mission, Rennes, France, naval supply depot
note: the only mission flown from Earles Colne for 42-29476 was the 29 May mission, as the plane was shot down near Champs Geraux.
Rob "Bolling" Rawlison remembered the hecox crew as one of the most serious.
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