The Long Road Home: B-17G 44-83814
There was never a question
that a B-17 Flying Fortress should be the centerpiece of the
Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum’s exhibits. Judge Ben Smith,
a Georgia native, World War II 8th Air Force veteran, and author
of the 8th Air Force classic, “Chick’s Crew,” urged 8th Air
Force museum planners to seek out and secure rights to a B-17
because of that aircraft’s importance to the story of the Mighty
Eighth Air Force. The B-17 Flying Fortress and the B-24 Liberator
were the chariots that took the Mighty Eighth into battle. A
real B-17, not just a picture or replica, had to be included
in the history of the men of the Eighth Air Force in Europe.
Museum officials never ceased their efforts to locate and secure
a B-17. They explored every opportunity with enthusiasm. The
condition or location of the aircraft didn’t matter; every rumor
was examined, from a wreck in the Amazon to the badly maintained
property of the U.S. Government at a military museum – every
call was made, every contact followed up, every person contacted,
every rumor run to ground.
The Air Force had a few B-17s that would eventually be given
to deserving museums, both military and nonmilitary. The operative
word here was “eventually.” The Mighty Eighth’s name went on
a list and, as the B-17s were released on long-term loan or
donated outright, the Mighty Eighth Air force Museum moved up
the list. After 12 years, the museum had finally advanced to
number five. When would “eventually” mean the Mighty Eighth
was number one?
The B-17 is Located
Stories had circulated about
a B-17 in storage at Washington Dulles International Airport.
The
airplane was structurally sound, it was said, but had never
seen action in the war. Assembled just as the war ended, it
was bought as war surplus. 
Over the next 30 years, it was converted
twice, first to serve as a photo-mapping platform and then as
a slurry bomber or forest fire water bomber. Eventually, the
airplane, tail number 44-83814, became part of a 1984 aircraft
trade between the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
and the Black Hills Aviation Company in North Dakota. The B-17
was flown to Washington Dulles International Airport by its
owner and placed in long term storage by the Smithsonian. It
was to be displayed at some future date in an exhibit.
In the summer of 2008, the loan agreement between the Mighty
Eighth Air Force Museum and the Smithsonian Institution for
a World War II German Messerschmitt Me 163 “Komet” expired,
and the Smithsonian sent a crew to collect its property. The
Me 163 had been on display in the museum’s Combat Gallery. A
crew made up of representatives of the Smithsonian and the Mighty
Eighth museums disassembled the German war bird and prepared
it for shipment back to the Smithsonian. During a chance conversation,
the subject of B-17s came up, and one of the Smithsonian mechanics
mentioned to the Mighty Eighth’s maintenance superintendent
that there was a B-17 in storage at the Smithsonian that the
Mighty Eighth could get just for asking. The Eighth Air Force
Museum man dropped what he was doing and went straight to the
office of Dr. Walter Brown, the museum’s Chief Executive Officer
at the time. He relayed the conversation with the Smithsonian
employee to Dr. Brown, who immediately contacted Dr. Dik Daso,
Curator of Modern Military Aircraft at the Smithsonian Institution’s
National Air and Space Museum. Dr. Daso confirmed that the Smithsonian
was considering releasing the B-17. Indeed, he said, the Smithsonian
was looking for a good home for the aircraft, a home where it
would be put to use for educational purposes and never flown
again.
A Glimmer of Hope
Dr. Daso expressed a willingness
to present paperwork to the Smithsonian’s Board of Regents urging
release of the B-17 to the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum if the
Mighty Eighth would agree to a series of terms:
If the Mighty Eighth Air Force
Museum were to agree to these terms, Dr. Daso said he would
petition the Board of Regents at its meeting in August of 2008
to release the airplane to the Mighty Eighth. Dr. Brown prepared
the letter and posted it immediately. He also contacted several
sources associated with the Mighty Eighth to ensure that funds
would be available to transport the airplane to Pooler.
On the day of the Board of Regents meeting, the employees and
trustees of the Mighty Eighth held their breath. Would the measure
be approved? Agonizingly, the day passed with no word. Then
a week passed with no response despite several calls to the
Smithsonian.
Finally, the museum received word that the de-accession papers
had not gone before the Board of Regents after all. Other matters
had taken priority at the meeting and the Mighty Eighth would
have to wait until the next meeting—probably three to six months
away. Needless to say, the staff and the museum’s Board of Trustees
in Pooler were keenly disappointed. Dr. Brown tried to keep
the tone upbeat and positive, but the news was devastating to
him. He had been diagnosed with cancer and feared his chances
of ever seeing a B-17 arrive at the museum were very slim if
the transfer of ownership was delayed.
An Appeal from the Heart
Unbeknownst to him, a member
of Dr. Brown’s staff called Dr. Daso and relayed the news of
Dr. Brown’s terminal illness. If the de-accessioning were delayed,
he might never see the aircraft in the museum. The Mighty Eighth
was fully prepared to receive the aircraft. It had the funds
on hand and the manpower to transport it; it had a dedicated
space for the display, an educational program to support it—everything
required to meet the Smithsonian’s terms for gifting the B-17
to the museum. Was there nothing that could be done to overcome
this barrier?
After several phone calls between the staff and Dr. Daso, the
curator agreed to walk the de-accessioning papers through the
Board of Regents or to do the unthinkable—call a special meeting
of the regents for approval. Then, more silence.
Then, in mid-December, on the date of the monthly 8th Air Force
Historical Society meeting, Dr. Daso sent an email to Dr. Brown.
“Mission accomplished,” it said. “When can you come and get
her?”
This is but the first small chapter in the saga of the long
journey of the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum’s “City of Savannah.”
B-17G 44-83814 stands proudly today in a place of honor at its
permanent home in the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.
