What happened to the B-17 bomber 42-3347 Charlene in WW2

Dear David Banks,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs), 1942-1947 in the Records of the Office of the Quartermaster General (Record Group 92), which have been digitized and may be accessed online using the Catalog We searched within the series for “42-3347,” but we were unable to locate any files related specifically to that number. This does not necessarily mean that there is no MACR for that particular plane; it may just indicate, for instance, that the quality of the text on the original document was not clear enough for a search to identify those numbers. You may wish to search within the series for other relevant and variant names, locations, or dates. Using quotation marks around your search terms can help limit the results. For example, we located 9 files related to "October 14, 1943"; 25 files related to "Oct. 14, 1943"; 48 files related to "14 October 1943"; and 10 files related to "14 Oct. 1943". The Name Index to the Series Missing Air Crew Reports (MACRs), 1942–1947 in Record Group 92 has also been digitized and may be searched online using the Catalog.

In addition, the MACR indices by date of loss and by plane tail number are available on microfilm. These indices were created by the Air Force for their use and include the missing aircrew report number, the country where the plane was lost, the Air Force number, the group or squadron number, the plane type, tail number and date the plane was lost. The copy in the custody of the National Archives (NARA), provided by the Air Force, is in extremely poor condition and does not copy well. We suggest you obtain a copy of this microfilm from the Air Force Historical Research Agency, 600 Chennault Circle, Building 1405, Maxwell Air Force Base, AL  36112-6424.

Next, we located numerous series of German Downed Allied Aircraft Reports in the National Archives Collection of Foreign Records Seized (Record Group 242) that might also contain some relevant information. Some of these records have been digitized and may be viewed online using the Catalog. For access to any non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RR2R) at archives2reference@nara.gov, and be sure to include as much information as possible in your inquiry, such as full names, dates, locations, unit designations, and so on in your inquiry.

You may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience.

If you are able to share any additional information about the bomber you are researching, such as the names of any pilots or crewmembers or their unit designation, then we may be able to direct you to additional, potentially relevant resources.

We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Thank you but sadly it doesntshow any information I am grateful though for your help

David,

The idea that a B-17 could fly without a crew for a considerable distance is not as far-fetched as it seems.  The B-17, along with its stablemate, the B-24 Liberator to a limited extent, were designed to be fundamentally stable aircraft.  That means they could maintain level flight without input from the controls.  One example I can point to is in Edward Jablonski’s Flying Fortress (Doubleday, 1965, pp. 162-167).  On a 25 November 1944 mission, a Fortress with one engine and abandoned by its crew landed—with landing gear down—- near British positions in Belgium.

Then there is the well-known story of the Lady Be Good (B-24D 41-24301) that flew a mission against Naples, Italy on 4 April 1943.  Upon returning to its base in Benghazi, Libya, the crew flew past the airfield and continued south into the Libyan desert.  When fuel began to run low, the crew abandoned the aircraft together.  The aircraft flew a further 16 miles south until fuel exhaustion brought the plane down.  The aircraft was fairly intact when found in 1958, but crew remains were not found until two years later.

I hope you find this information useful.  Good luck with your book.

A. J.