B-17

Representing all 3 companies that built the

Flying Fortress, these Kingman Fuel Cells

were pulled from the wings of (top to bottom)

a Boeing B-17G (B.A.C.), an early Douglas

B-17G and a Lockheed-Vega B-17F (V.A.C.).

Early in the scrapping operation and before things understandably became what might be described as chaotic, procedure called for the removal of minor, loose equipment while the planes were still on the ramp, followed by their being taxied to assigned areas in the desert where further dismantling occured, including the extraction of

oil and fuel...

KAAF equipment was leased to the Wunderlich Corp. for use in the salvage process and this USAAF Type F-2A Fuel Servicing Trailer, which only months before filled the tanks of thirsty aircraft, now had its role reversed by capturing thousands of gallons of drained high octane fuel and transfering them back into underground storage tanks.

FURTHER STUDY of this

information-packed photo reveals:

— The flat tire, broken hoses, trailer's nose resting on the ground and

Chevrolet 1-1/2 Ton Airfield Crash Truck

with its firemen on scene all pointing to

some kind of accident... quite possibly the

jarring-loose of the trailer from

its tractor as a result of negotiating

uneven desert terrain.

— Beyond that, notice the chance parking of

the 486th Bomb Group's B-17

on the left and the 487th's on the right.

— Still further into the background one can see Kingman's towering Hualapai Mountains, silently witnessing the ensuing carnage of

an Air Force's destruction...

Surrounding a sprinkling of B-17 trainers,

the 8th & 15th Air Forces were each heavily represented at Sales-Storage Depot No.41, specifically by the following Bomb Groups known to have had Fortresses in the fields at Kingman:

34th, 91st, 92nd, 94th, 95th, 96th, 100th, 303rd, 305th, 306th, 351st, 379th, 381st, 384th, 388th, 390th, 398th, 401st, 447th, 452nd, 457th, 486th, 487th, 490th & the 493rd of the 8th Air Force, plus the 2nd, 97th, 99th and 463rd Bomb Groups

of the 15th Air Force...

What may be its first time in print this

complete, the preceeding list was compiled

using only identified

B-17 Load Adjusters in the Depot 41 Museum Collection, so there's a good possibility

additional Bomb Groups were also present.

Now that these facts have been presented, will you agree an overwhelming amount of history was destroyed in this northwestern Arizona town after the War...?

Among the Flying Fortress treasures in the

Depot 41 Museum Collection

is this Waist Door recovered from another

Kingman junkyard in the mid 80's:

...Curiously, this well-worn & relatively rare

green B-17G sitting in the field at Kingman sports

a bare aluminum #4 engine cowl & waist Door,

odds are not the one above the bomber!

It's obvious the wrinkled Door has seen better

days, but when originally found it was

bent nearly in half.

A policy of never attempting the 'restoration' of these historical objects has been adopted over

the years, but this piece was considered

uniquely distinctive and therefore worthy of a much higher calling than merely being displayed in a less-than-dignified state, so a careful 'unbending' to a point approaching its original curve was performed.

The writing seen on the Door's skin are personal inscriptions from various B-17 friends I've met over the years, many of whom have left us in the quarter century since the signing began.