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Showing results for tags 'Academy 1:72 B-17E'.
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I'd like to join in on this one and I know time is ticking. But I need some help first. I'm looking to build a B-17E, "Birmingham Blitzkrieg". There are several reasons for this. I live in Birmingham (never mind eh!), it was one of the aircraft on the first Eighth Air force mission involving B-17's and so on. Can I make a USAAF B-17E from this kit..... I know it might sound like a daft question (it says B-17E on the box don't it?) but just want to make sure that there weren't too many modifications made to the standard B-17E for the RAF. Decals aren't a problem as they are available. And before anyone asks, I won't be painting it as an assembly ship (red and white stripes!) just to get a build finished will be an achievement as lately the mo-jo is not good. I've found a newspaper cutting from the Tuscaloosa News 19th August 1942 which names both the pilot, Lieutenant Tom Borders, and the belly gunner, Sergeant Kent West, who is credited with a Focke-Wolf 190 (his story was written up in YANK MAGAZINE 2/9/1942 and in there West says it was an Me109) on the first raid mentioned above. Doing a build doesn't get any better when you can add history to it. Kent was the first Eighth Air Force gunner to shoot down an enemy aircraft in the European Theatre. At this Time 41-9100 served with the 414th BS as part of the 92nd BG More info found making this build most definitely my priority for GB's at present. Lieutenant Thomas Borders was PAINTED by artist Peter Hurd for Life magazine and you can see Tom's painting in the Life Magazine 15 Feb 1943. However, it notes that some of those men he painted have since been killed (presumably before the issue of the magazine)or are MIA and, unfortunately, Tom is one of those. I found out that Tom was killed on a mission to Bizert, Tunisia on the 26th December 1942 in a B-17F serial 41-24413 as part of the 414th Squadron, 97th Bomber Group. In fact I think the crew who flew that very first mission with Borders over Europe were all killed over Bizert. I have also found a photo of 5 crew men stood under "Birmingham Blitzkrieg" however, although there is a tall gent in the centre, he don't look like the painting by Hurd of Thomas Borders. http://img3.fold3.co...0_4512_3531.jpg Deacon
