| Ol' Scrapiron | |
| Aircraft No. 42-31582, a B-17G-10-BO, was completed at Boeing Seattle plant on Thanksgiving, 1943. Records indicate that it was assigned to the 447th on 23 January 1944, but for reasons unknown it appears to not to have flown in combat until June. No. 582 flew a total of 63 combat missions. No photographs of 42-31582 have been positively identified. |
 |
From a painting by Robert Peters
(Courtesy of Mr. Jack D. Keller) |
Sgt. Jack D. Keller with his Ol' Scrapiron jacket. |
Combat Missions
| No. |
DATE |
TARGET |
PILOT |
| 1 |
6/21/1944 |
BERLIN |
Lt. Read |
| 2 |
6/22/1944 |
NUCOURT |
Lt. Lefebvre |
| 3 |
6/25/1944 |
AREA #1 "ZEBRA" |
Lt. Read |
| 4 |
7/7/1944 |
MERSEBURG |
Lt. Read |
| 5 |
7/14/1944 |
AREA 10, CADILLAC |
Lt. Martenson |
| 6 |
7/18/1944 |
CUXHAVEN |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| |
Aircraft
named Ol' Scrapiron by Dahlgran crew |
|
| |
How "Ol' Scrapiron"Got Its Name
by Jack D. Keller |
 On April 29, 1944, Lt. Robert C. Stevenson was killed on his first mission en route to Berlin, Germany, with Lt. E. D. Johnson in A/C #501 [42-97501] as Co-pilot. Our group lost ten aircraft and one ditched in the North Sea for a total of eleven B-17s lost. Lt. Stevenson was a very mild mannered, easy going person. One evening a group of officers were out on the town having a good time when a bunch of rowdies started to hassle them. Lt. Stevenson was being pushed around, so the story goes, and when he had enough, he single-handedly cleaned house. Problem solved. So our officers called him "Ol' Scrapiron."
When Lt. Dahlgran, our original Co-pilot, became Command Pilot he asked for his original crew back. We flew in A/C #42-31582, thus the name "Ol' Scrapiron" was voted by the entire crew. God Bless Lt. Robert C. Stevenson! I, Jack D. Keller, flew only eight missions with Lt. Dahlgran as Command Pilot: six in 582, one in 803, and one in 572. It was sure nice to be back with Lt. Dahlgran.
Jack Keller |
| 7 |
7/20/1944 |
MERSEBURG |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 8 |
7/24/1944 |
ST. LO AREA |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 9 |
7/25/1944 |
ST. LO AREA |
Lt. Peterson |
| 10 |
8/4/1944 |
ARRAS-OSTEND |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 11 |
8/8/1944 |
BRETTEVILLE |
Lt. Warriner |
| 12 |
8/11/1944 |
BELFORT M/V |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 13 |
8/13/1944 |
SEINE R. AREA |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 14 |
8/15/1944 |
HANDORF A/F |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 15 |
8/16/1944 |
ROSITZ |
Lt. Phillips |
| 16 |
8/25/1944 |
RECHLIN |
Lt. Helms |
| 17 |
8/26/1944 |
BREST |
Lt. Catchpole |
| 18 |
8/27/1944 |
BREST |
Lt. Kenney |
| 19 |
8/30/1944 |
BERLIN |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 20 |
9/1/1944 |
MAINZ |
Lt. Catchpole |
| 21 |
9/3/1944 |
BREST |
Lt. Gunn |
| 22 |
9/11/1944 |
FULDA |
Lt. Read |
| 23 |
9/13/1944 |
STUTTGART |
Lt. McKindly |
| 24 |
10/2/1944 |
KASSEL |
Lt. Gunn |
| 25 |
10/18/1944 |
KASSELL |
Lt. Moses |
| 26 |
10/19/1944 |
MANNHEIM |
Lt. Lefebvre |
| 27 |
10/22/1944 |
MUNSTER |
Lt. Poynor |
| 28 |
10/25/1944 |
HARBURG |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 29 |
10/26/1944 |
HANOVER |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 30 |
11/2/1944 |
MERSEBURG |
Lt. Fargo |
| 31 |
11/16/1944 |
DUREN AREA |
Lt. Rohde |
| 32 |
11/21/1944 |
KOBLENZ |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 33 |
11/26/1944 |
HAMM |
Lt. Poynor |
| 34 |
12/4/1944 |
MAINZ |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 35 |
12/6/1944 |
MERSEBURG |
Lt. McMath |
| 36 |
12/10/1944 |
KOBLENZ |
Lt. Dahlgran |
| 37 |
12/24/1944 |
BABENHAUSEN |
Lt. Poynor |
| 38 |
1/14/1945 |
MADGEBURG |
Lt. Neal |
| 39 |
1/15/1945 |
AUGSBURG |
Lt. Whitney |
| 40 |
1/16/1945 |
DESSAU |
Lt. Hodge |
| 41 |
1/20/1945 |
HEILBRONN |
Lt. Hodge |
| 42 |
1/29/1945 |
KASSEL |
Lt. Beighley |
| 43 |
2/1/1945 |
WESSEL |
Lt. McMath |
| 44 |
2/3/1945 |
BERLIN |
Lt. McMath |
| 45 |
2/6/1945 |
BERLIN |
Lt. Hodge |
| 46 |
2/14/1945 |
WESEL |
Lt. Hodge |
| 47 |
2/15/1945 |
WESEL |
Lt. Hodge |
| 48 |
2/22/1945 |
AALEN |
Lt. Hodge |
| 49 |
2/24/1945 |
BREMEN |
Lt. Wolf |
| 50 |
2/25/1945 |
NEUBERG |
Lt. Wright |
| 51 |
2/26/1945 |
BERLIN |
Lt. Wright |
| 52 |
3/1/1945 |
ULM |
Lt. Hodge |
| 53 |
3/7/1945 |
DATTELN |
Lt. Hodge |
| 54 |
3/8/1945 |
FRANKFURT |
Lt. Hodge |
| 55 |
3/9/1945 |
FRANKFURT |
Lt. Hayse |
| 56 |
3/11/1945 |
HAMBURG |
Lt. Wolf |
| 57 |
3/12/1945 |
MARBURG |
Lt. Hodge |
| 58 |
3/14/1945 |
HANOVER |
Lt. Thomas |
| 59 |
3/15/1945 |
ORANIENBURG |
Lt. Malone |
| 60 |
3/20/1945 |
HAMBURG |
Lt. Baker |
| 61 |
3/21/1945 |
WITTMUNDHAFEN |
Lt. Wright |
| 62 |
3/22/1945 |
HELBERT AREA |
Lt. Eakes |
| 63 |
3/23/1945 |
HOLZWICKEDE |
Lt. Bruckman |
|
|
 |
| See also: Crew Profiles- Bruckman |
