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ries released in January, 2024, called ‘Masters of
the Air’ from the production team of Gary Goetz-
man, Kirk Saduski, Tom Hanks and Steven Spiel-
berg. The series brought the fate of the Bloody
Hundredth and, through it, other allied air units
in World War II to a very wide audience.
One of the radar pathfinders of the 100th Bomb Group, B-17G s/n 44-8183, which flew with the unit from November 1944 until the end of the war. (Author’s collection)
Sources (common for this article, also as for the following
eleven articles about featured aircraft from the 100th BG):
- Century Bombers, Richard LeStrange, 1997
- Plane Names & Bloody Noses, Ray Bowden, 2000
- The Story of the Century, John R. Nilsson, 1946
- High Noon over Haseluenne, Luc Dewez & Michael P. Faley, 2009
- The Forgotten Man, The Mechanic, Kenneth A. Lemmons, Cindy Goodman, Jan Riddling, 1999
- Seven Days In October, Paul Andrews, Michael P. Faley, 2005, 2015
- Damn Lucky, Kevin Maurer, 2022
- With crew #13, Earl Benham, 1990
- 100th Bomb Group Foundation Archives
- Archives of the US Air Force Research Agency, Maxwell, Alabama
- National Archives and Record Administration, College Park, MD
- Archive of the Museum of Air Battle over the Ore Mountains on September 11th, 1944
- Ray Bowden/USAAF Nose Art Research Project
- Personal conversation with 100th BG veterans and historians
- Abbreviated History of the 100th Bomb Group, Harry Crosby, Jan Riddling and Michael Faley
- Bloody Hundredth, The Most Famous Heavy Bomb Group of World War II, Dewey Christopher
- Hang the Expense, a History of the “Big Frank” Valesh Crew, John R. “Dick” Johnson
- I Saw Regensburg Destroyed, Bernie Lay, Jr., Saturday Evening Post Magazine, 1943
- Original 100th, Crew #22, Piccadilly Lily, Paul M. Andrews and David Aiken
- Port Arthur News, March 23 1944
- Schweinfurt – 14 Oct 43 “Black Thursday”, Robert Hughes
- The Jeffersonian Democrat, Sept 30 1943
- Sgt. Walters shoots down enemy plane…, local newspaper articla, 10 December 1943
- The unmanned plane, Sven Persson, www.forcedlandingcollection.se
- The US Eighth Air Force in Europe / Black Thursday Blood and Oil; Martin Bowman, 2012
- www.100thbg.com
- www.100bgmus.org.uk
- www.mildenhall.af.mil
The Eduard Model Accessories release of the
B-17F in 1:48th scale as ‘The Bloody Hundredth
1943’ Limited Edition model kit, prepared in col-
laboration with the 100th BG Foundation focusing
on the early months of the 100th Bomb Group’s
fighting in Europe, is a significant element in
the field of plastic modeling which draws on the
history of the 100th Bomb Group while helping to
preserve its legacy.
By the time Waltham’s own Lt. Thomas E. Murphy,
a former transport pilot, touched down on June
8th, 1943 with his crew in their new B-17F ‘564’
at Thorpe Abbots, the 8th Air Force had eleven
months and 61 bombing missions under its belt.
Still, at that point, the Bombing offensive against
Germany was in its infancy and toughest was yet
to come. And one of its greatest symbols would be
Murphy, his crew, and their B-17.
The aircraft was christened ‘Piccadilly Lily’ and
a pinup nude with a glass in her hand and a halo
above her head were painted on the right side of
the nose. The name was inspired not only by the
well-known song ‘Lily from Piccadilly’, but also
by girls with big hearts who waited in the streets
leading from London’s Piccadilly Circus for the
return of Allied airmen and soldiers, especially
American, to help them better endure the hard-
ships of war.
Two weeks after arriving in England, the 100th
Bomb Group was fully ready for combat. Piccadilly
Lily also took part in the first two missions, but
these were not credited because they were diver-
sionary rather than bombing tasks. Confirmation
of participation in these diversionary missions,
nicknamed ‘Decoy’, later appeared on this aircraft
in the form of two painted ducks mission mark-
ings. These missions were intended to lure Ger-
man fighters over the North Sea, after which the
main attack force of the 8th Air Force headed for
the Ruhr region.
Three days later came an actual bombing mis-
sion to Bremen. A baptism of fire befitting a unit
soon to be nicknamed ‘The Bloody Hundredth’.
Murphy and his crew with Piccadilly Lily played
their role. The unit paid the price of three B-17Fs.
On Thursday, August 17, 1943, the 100th Bomb
Group took off on its 16th mission that was be-
come the first milestone in the ill-fated unit’s rep-
utation, as well as the reason for the unit’s first of
two Distinguished (Presidential) Unit Citations that
the 100th BG received. The targets of the famous
Title photo: Piccadilly Lily at Telergma airfield in North
Africa after the Regensburg mission on August 17, 1943.
The crew of Capt. Thomas E. Murphy after landing from
the mission to Regensburg. Second from the left is
future author and screenwriter, Lt. Col. Bernie Lay.
PICCADILLY LILY
B-17F-30-VE 42-5864 EP
-
A
Text: Jan Zdiarský
Color profiles: Michal Fárek
Photos: 100th Bomb Group Archives
Speciál B-17F / The Bloody Hundredth 1943 INFO Eduard
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June 2024