European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 23, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                July 1985 the stars and stripes Page 3 file photo b17 flying fortresses on a bombing Mission Over nazi Germany during world War ii the heavily armed planes flew thousands of missions in Europe and the Pacific veterans to Mark 50th anniversary of b17 Seattle up the memories of the greatest Damn air planes Ever built and the men who flew them Are bringing thousands of world War ii veterans and their families to Seattle to Mark the 50th anniversary of the b17 flying retired air Force Curtis Lemay and five surviving medal of Honor winners who flew in b17s Are among people expected for the anniversary Celebration of the bombers first flight in july officials at Boeing aerospace prime builder of the aircraft and sponsor of the july 2628 the heavily armed planes flew thousands of missions in the european and Pacific Heaters during world War some tears will be shed for those who never returned from their but the anniversary get together will also revive fond memories of the plane and camaraderie among the said Frank Sam Houston of a former b17 it was probably one of the greatest Damn air planes Ever said a retired Northwest airlines Pilot who flew with the 452nd bomb group out of eng land during the some b17s were built during world War ii and about were lost in but Only a few of the original Fly ing fortresses survive because most were Cut up for scrap after the the germans captured some b17s that landed or crashed behind enemy they were repaired and turned around with Luftwaffe Crews to infiltrate legitimate formations and shoot Down although Boeing designed and produced the first most of them were built by the Douglas and Lockheed aircraft Compa Nies in identical the flying fortress could take incredible former Bombardier John of recalled a Mission in which his plane was riddled by antiaircraft fire and fighter when we we had 300 and one engine was shot said now a civil Engineer for puget it came and no one was one b17 limped Home with its lofty Tail almost severed after colliding with a Ger Man Houston said to offset the horrors of we had a Knack of making fun of ourselves in terrible to keep each other it May have been our finest Many of the former fliers fondly remember the nicknames of their planes Hells Texas miss behave and hairless to name a James of san a 17 year old Buck private when the first b17 checked the b17 to the greatest plane Ever Clint of confessed a love affair with the she used to Fly through flak so thick you could walk on said a former Ive had a love affair with the plane was also the Pride of those who built it could never have said Leo Pelzer of who was a Rosie the Riveter for Boeing in 1943 and i put too Many hours into the with wingspan that measured nearly 104 were capable of Fly ing at More than 200 Mph at altitudes above feet and could cover Miles with pounds of bombs before two restored b17s will be on display and will be flown during the 50th anniversary just seeing the old aircraft will be an emotional event for Many said Don of a Boeing Engineer and former b17 this Means an awful because there Arent too Many of these planes Sachs this is a very significant were expecting More than veterans and their it will be very Good to see those said Irv of a former Nav we dont know what happened to a lot of some of the planes came to a somewhat inglorious he one is on top of a Gas station in port land Oregon As a Levin another one is parked at Dulles International Airport outside and will be exhibited in a planned Extension there of the smithsonian institutions air and space Spoffo As Fornauf coffins honoured in Hall of Fame Ohio a sixteen years to the Day after Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the Armstrong was on stage at the National aviation Hall of Fame honouring Michael the third Apollo 11 Collins stayed aboard the spacecrafts command orbiting the Moon As his colleagues went for a walk on its a native of who took the one Small step for one giant leap for Mankind on july presented Collins for enshrinement in the congressionally chartered Hall of Fame himself a member of the described Collins As a col league and Man with whom i share a Spe Cial memory on the 20th of who opened his own aerospace consulting firm in became undersecretary of the smithsonian institution in 1971 and founded the National air and space museum in this is the Best possible time in history in which to and the most interesting profession to be in at this time is Aero Collins Verne Secretary of the air spoke about Arctic aviator Carl Benja min a North Dakota native who died in 1929 at age the first Man to Fly Over the Arctic flew Over the North pole in earning the medal of and became the first Man to Fly Over both Polar regions of the he was killed in an air crash while in route to Rescue passengers in the Bering former astronaut John now a senator from honoured air Force John who performed research on the effects of High forces and weightlessness on the human that led to development of the ejection Stapp did not attend the Barry read the commendation for the late air Force George Scratchley former chairman of the joint chiefs of for enshrine Brown died in after 37 years in military Canadas precision flight the which performed at the Dayton International received a spirit of flight David Hartman of Abc tvs Good morning America program was master of