Amazing B-17 Flying Fortress Stories Of WW2 You Might Have Missed

#3: The B-17 Gunship/Reconnaissance Fortress named “Ol’666”

If you are enjoying the AppleTV+ series “Masters of the Air” here is another B-17 WW2 story of interest.

Serial number 41-2666 known as “Lucy” to some and “Ol’666” to others, this B-17 became a legend due to her crew who called themselves the “Eager Beavers” (they liked to volunteer for missions). In the South Pacific island of Papua New Guinea, this B-17 was stripped down to save weight and fitted with extra machine guns (19 .50 cals) and a camera. During a solitary mission to photograph a potential assault landing, the gunship was attacked by 20 to 30 Japanese Zero fighters, taking heavy damage. The Eager Beavers fought off the attack and returned to base with four wounded and one killed. 2 Medals of Honor were awarded and the rest of the crew received Silver Stars for the action making the Eager Beavers the most decorated crew of a single mission to this day. For an airplane that was considered unfixable to begin with, it was rebuilt and flown again on future missions in the South Pacific.

Ol’666 was a beast, but the real story is the Eager Beavers and their bravery. Valor is in you. Set it free.