B-17E 41-2595 Owned by Mike Kellner of Lake Bluff, Illinois
Under
restoration in Crystal Lake, Illinois
Photo by Jeff Dingbaum
Photo by Jeff Dingbaum
Photo by Flypast
41-2595 was accepted by the Army on 14 February
1942 and spent its first year as a trainer. Its first crew christened it
Desert Rat, traces can still be seen through the layers of paint.
As the F and G models were being phased into
use during the war the older E models were pressed into other services.
On 17 August 1943 serial number 41-2595 was taken to Patterson Field in
Ohio to be converted from the standard E model to a cargo carrier as part
of the C-108 program. 41-2595 was the second B-17 selected for the program,
becoming XC-108A. The most obvious external change was in the addition
of a large hinged door that lifted upwards in the left aft fuselage. Other
changes included moving the radioman and navigator behind the pilot and
copilot in the area where the top turret was previously located, opening
up the bulkhead door in the rear of the bomb-bay leading to the former
radio room, stripping armor and armament, taking out the bomb racks, sealing
the bomb bay doors and putting a floor over them. Hardware was added
for litters, cargo or troops.
The conversion was finished and was ready
to enter back into service on 2 March 1944. In late March 41-2595 was sent
to Chabua, India. The C-108 program was less than successful in this theater
due to the thirsty 1820 engines and lack of spare parts. It returned to
the U.S. via the North Atlantic ferry route in October 1944, to Dow Field,
Bangor, Maine. After service at Dow Field it was authorized for salvage
on Christmas Day 1945.
The owner of an auto junk yard nearby Dow
Field was the successful bidder for salvaging the B-17. He started to cut
it into small pieces, but for some unexplainable reason the effort was
abandoned. It sat in this state, forgotten for over 35 years. While
it sat a forest literally grew up around the plane. Trees 6-8 inches in
diameter grew around the wings and the fuselage settled into the forest
floor.
In the mid 80's Mike Kellner of Lake Bluff,
Illinois, and his brother Ken attended several auctions, looking for a
project to restore. While attending an auction in Ohio they met a man that
was putting together a database of airframes suitable for projects. Mike
told him that they were looking for a B-17. Two weeks later the gentleman
called back and said that he had located one in Maine.
In 1985 Mike purchased the remains of the
aircraft for a reported $7,250. When Mike went to recover his airplane
it was comprised of 7 large pieces, the forward and rear fuselage, a nose
section that made up the bombardier and navigator compartment, and outboard
and inboard wing sections (2 each). The plane and all of its parts eventually
made their way to Gault Airport in Illinois. It sat again for several years
while extra parts and equipment could be rounded up. The restoration is
now in the early stages. Plans are to restore it as the only flyable B-17E.
