On the right, however, is a 401st BG photo of what the art really-might-have looked like. No photo of the specific B-17 is known to exist; only this nearly-70 year old photo of someone's flight-jacket, which may or may not have been anything like what it actually looked on the bomber*.
The struggle for capturing the correct nose art for "Satan's Chillen" continues - I'm lost in the 21st Century haze of fading memories, lack of documentation and imagination. This sucks because I understand that each post establishes itself into the digital record.
So, to the folks of 2050, I'm doing the best I can. Sometimes I have to punt. So, I'm moving forward on "Satan's Chillen'" knowing that no photograph of the actual bird is known to exist and likely will never come to light.
In the meantime, Satan's Chillen's bombardier has a story to tell. In this time of bombing Libya, bear in mind that back in WW2, there were no "Cruise Missiles" or single-pilot jets guided by a team of digital genius. Nope. WW2 was low-tech, guys in windows, looking over the precipice of a bombsight with a finger on a mechanical switch.
I hope you listen to the bombardier tell (in the words of my kid), "A funny story." - click below:
*Dick said the jacket art was "very close" to what actually appeared on his B-17G. But without a photograph, we just. Can't. Tell. For. Sure.
