Their Origins
The following list of names explains how many of the B-17 planes of the 452nd Bomb Group based at Deopham Green, England during WWII obtained their names. In almost every instance, a crew member was contacted to verify or substantiate this information so that this historical record will stand as factual long after the men who flew these planes are gone.
Ain’t Miss Behaven: While the crew of this plane was still in training, the pilot, Oliver E. Wright, was married in Dalhart, Texas, just before going to England. He chose this name for their plane because of his newly married status. This name comes from the popular jazz classic “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (Savin’ My Love For You) which was recorded by pianist and singer Fats Waller. It was also occasionally song by Louis Armstrong. There were three planes with this name in the 452nd Bomb Group: Ain’t Miss Behaven (#42-97864); Ain’t Miss Behaven II (#42-102541); Ain’t Miss Behaven III (#42-31368).
Bachelor’s Den: During the crew’s training at Dyersburg, and later at Camp Kilmer while waiting for a boat, they discussed what they should name their plane. There were a lot of good suggestions and most included a nude babe. However, they finally settled on “Bachelor’s Den” because they were all bachelors and the pilot, Norb Ostrye, wanted to keep it that way. He didn't want any more responsibility for lives like having to write a wife and let her know any bad news. When they arrived at Deopham Green they were scheduled to do all their practice flights flying in old war weary birds, and also on their first mission as a crew. Ostrye asked Major Baker if they could be scheduled on a plane they had already flown and that they thought was in pretty good shape. He gave them the go ahead and the enlisted guys on the crew saw to it that the nose art got painted. One other reason Ostrye wanted that B-17 was because it was crewed by Sergeant Gassoway from Texarkana. He had impressed him as being a real professional. Incidentally, while they were at Kilmer, the flight engineer, Forrest Hanlon, snuck off to Washington and got married. He later told his crew on their way home. Plane #43-38982.
Big Barn Smell:
This plane was named because the ball turret gunner, Louis Hodson, on this plane came from the small town of Pratt, Kansas, and was born and raised on a farm with a barn and lots of different types of farm animals. Paul N. Gilbert was the pilot. Plane #42-107087.
Big Noise, The: When the crew
started the engines it made so much noise that nobody could hear each other, so someone made a comment to call the plane "The Big Noise". The name might have been inspired by the 1944 Columbia Pictures movie by that name starring Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy. William E. Denham was pilot. Plane #42-39902.
Big Time Operator: This was a replacement plane for pilot John J. Pesch and co-pilot Joyce C. Amley. Pesch and Amley had earlier survived a German fighter attack which badly damaged their original plane known as “Four Freedoms” on March 23, 1944. Due to the dire situation, the other eight crew members were ordered to bail out while the pilot and copilot struggled to maintain control of the plane. Pesch and Amley eventually crash landed in England. Their feat was outstanding, and being proud young men they thought of themselves as being “big time operators”, so they named their next plane this name. They had 8 parachutes painted on this plane in honor of their other crew members who had bailed out of “Four Freedoms”. Plane #42-97256.
Borrowed Time: The ball turret gunner on this plane, John F. McCallum Jr., named this plane. Just before entering the War, he went to see a movie which was titled "Borrowed Time" in his home town of Anderson, South Carolina. The crew's pilot was William C. Gaither. Plane #42-102622(?).
Buffagator: The pilot of this plane, Paul R. Fauth, was from Buffalo, NY, and the copilot, Bill MacDonald, was from Florida. Since there are alligators in Florida and the pilot lived in Buffalo, the two men chose to combine two names into one coming up with "Buffagator". The name was not painted on the plane, but they had wanted to paint the head of a buffalo onto the body of an alligator. Plane #43-38231.
Chastain's Kindergarten: The crew of this plane were under the teaching and direction of their pilot Luther Chastain. Since everyone was new to experiencing flying combat missions they thought of themselves as being in kindergarten. Plane #43-38179.
Cow Town Boogie: This plane was named by its pilot, William E. Stevenson, who was from Texas in honor of the many “cow towns” there. Stevenson was ill the day it was interned in Sweden with Robert C. Schimmel as its pilot. Plane #42-39995.
Cyanide for Hitler: The pilot, George P. Remmenga, had originally named this plane “Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” in honor of his wife, Jeannie, who had light brown hair. The rest of the crew was not too fond of the plane being named only by the pilot, so Remmenga later agreed to have the name “Cyanide for Hitler” painted on the sides above the wings. Unfortunately the name did not get painted on the plane until after the last combat mission was flown. Plane #43-39439.
Da Poiple Boid:
The majority of this crew was from New York or the New England area. Someone called their plane “The Purple Bird”, but in the New England accent it sounded like “Da Poiple Boid”, so this name stuck with the plane. John C. Moynihan was the pilot. Plane #443-38318.
Delta Girl: Named by the pilot, Hugh E. Noell, whose wife (Claire McLean Noell) was born and raised in the Mississippi Delta. A little town called Itta Bena right in the heart of the Delta.
They got married about a year before Hugh got shipped overseas and he named his plane after her. Plane #42-37960.
Deuces Wild: Since the last three digits of the tail number were “222” the crew aptly named the plane. Carl E. Tyner was the pilot. Plane #42-97222.
Dinah Might: The crew of this plane all put names into a hat and drew out the winning name which just happened to be the one submitted by their pilot, Clyde T. Boy. The name had no special meaning to him. Plane #42-37950. There was also a plane known as "Dinah Might II" which was plane #42-97529.
Dixie Jane: The left waist gunner, Paul E. Simerly, named the plane the morning they were shot down (March 8, 1944). His mother’s middle name was “Jane” and they lived in the South part of the United States known as “Dixie”. Plane #42-31354.
Dog Breath: When the original crews were still in training in Pyote, Texas, they would often enjoy a late night of drinking and dancing at a hall and beer parlor at the small town of Monahans. One pilot, Herman “Butch” Beuchat, would often have trouble getting his copilot Everett Phillips out of bed the next morning. On one particular morning Beuchat was trying to get Phillips to wake up and Phillips blew in his face. Beuchat replied something like ”Man, you have dog breath!” He then paused for a bit and said “That’s what we are going to name our plane”, and they did. Plane #42-31330.
Dol: This plane was named by Larry Forszen who was an original pilot with the Group. He was married and his wife's name was Dolores. The name “Dol” was written on the nose of the plane which he called her. The name “Winnies” was written on the chin turret which was the name of the girlfriend of bombardier Robley O’Farrell. Plane #42-31810.
Dorothy C: This plane was named in honor of the pilot’s fiancé at the time who was Dorothy Campbell from Houston, Texas. The pilot was William A. Wyatt. Plane #44-8249.
Duchess of Fubar: The crew of this plane wanted to use the popular acronym “FUBAR” which stood for “Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition”. (Sometimes the first word is substituted for another “F” word). Being sure it applied to them, they added the name “Duchess”. They were right since they were shot down early in their combat missions. The nose had a painting of a lady and the word “FUBAR”. Robert J. Brennan was the pilot. Plane #42-39985.
E-Rat-Icator: Since the goal of this crew, and the Allies in general, was to eradicate Hitler and his Nazi regime, they chose the name and nose art which depicted a showering bomb aimed at Hitler depicted as a rat. This was the only original 452nd Bomb Group plane to never be taken out of service due to enemy action and return home after the War. The original pilot was Jack Mitsch. Plane #42-39970.
Eastward Hup: The original crew was standing around trying to figure out a name for their plane when the squadron commander, Donald E. Bilger, suggested they name the plane “Westward Ho”. The original pilot, John J. Pesch, decided to parody this suggested name and came up with “Eastward Hup” instead. Plane #42-39916.
Evanton Babe: The navigator of this plane, Charles J. Mueller, stated that upon their arrival in England, the scheduled airfield at Prestwick, Scotland, had difficult weather conditions for landing, so then landed at an RAF airfield at Evanton Bay. The runway was short and not designed for bombers, so both tires blew out due to the accelerated stop. While replacing the tires, the RAF ground crew painted a lady on the nose of the plane and called her "Evanton Babe". Robert C. Schimmel was the pilot. Plane #42-31919.
Feather Merchant:
The name for this plane was from the cartoon strip called “Lil Abner”. The cartoonist, Al Capp, would invent ficticious characters in his strip and one was an eastern salesman who was working the Lil Abner area selling his wares. He was inclined to blow hot air and sell items that the people did not need so they gave him the name “Feather Merchant”. During training, the pilot Jim Shawhan would call someone a “Feather Merchant” if they made a goof. They would quickly reciprocate and call him one when he made a mistake. The nose art was a big white ball with top hat, glove, and cane inside the ball with the name next to the ball. James H. Shawhan was the pilot. Plane #43-37644.
Final Approach: It was the consensus among the crew lead by pilot Floyd C. Cole that they would call any plane they were flying aboard this name in the hope that they would always experience that “final approach” at Deopham Green after a combat mission. Although the crew had their jackets with nose art painted on the backs with this name, there was never nose art painted on any plane since this crew were assigned different planes for each mission. It was a symbolic name for whatever plane they were aboard and not specific to one single plane.
Four Freedoms: The original crew of this plane recognized being fortunate to live in the United States and enjoy the four basic freedoms bestowed to every citizen 1) The freedom of speech and expression everywhere in the world. 2) The freedom of every person to worship God in his own way everywhere in the world. 3) The freedom from want--which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants--everywhere in the world. 4) The freedom from fear--which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor--anywhere in the world. The crew was not so sure of the last freedom while flying combat missions! They named the plane “Four Freedoms” while they were still training in the States and had the name written on the nose. John J. Pesch was the original pilot. Plane # 42-38157.
Frivolous Sal: The tail gunner of this plane, Ernie Alban, named this plane after a popular song titled "My Gal Sal (They Called Her Frivolous Sal)". Plane #42-31332.
Grusom’ Crewsom’: The pilot of this plane, Paul F. Maruska, originally wanted to name their plane “Grusom’ Crewsom”, but the commanding officers did not think it was a good idea since it might be a negative reminder to the gruesome affects of the War. The crew then changed their plane name to “Short Snorter” instead, but several crew members went ahead and had “Grusom’ Crewsom” painted on their jackets anyway while others had “Short Snorter” on theirs. Their plane had the words “Short Snorter” stenciled on the nose of their plane, but there was no other artwork. The term “short snorter” refers to a drinking ritual that apparently had several different explanations. The best explanation says that any new airman was entitled to a “short snorter” upon arriving overseas. A "snorter" is a drink of liquor, usually swallowed in one quick gulp. A "short snorter" is a drink of liquor that's not quite full. Everyone present at the bar would sign their names to a paper currency such as a $1 bill that each airman had kept just for that purpose. The unlucky airman with the least amount of signatures on his $1 bill got the honor of buying the round of drinks.
Hank from Dixie: The name “Hank” was the name of the pilot, Henry Wilson. The name “Dixie” was named after Wilson’s wife who had that name. Plane #42-37954.
Ida Wanna:
The crew of this plane would say “I Don’t Want To Go” in reference to going on a combat mission in their plane, so they chose the name “Ida Wanna” for short. Robert A. Minardi was the pilot. Plane #44-8634.
Inside Curve: The plane was named by the radio operator, John “Sparky” Collier, who was a big St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan. Collier knew that the inside curve pitch in baseball was the hardest to hit so the crew agreed to affix the name to their plane. Elliot Eakin was pilot. Plane #42-39973.
Invictus: The pilot of this plane, Frank S. Stephens, studied poetry in college before the War. The name comes from a famous poem by William E. Henley. Plane #42-97525.
Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair: The pilot, George P. Remmenga, named this plane in honor of his wife, Jeannie, who had light brown hair. The rest of the crew was not too fond of the plane being named only by the pilot, so Remmenga later agreed to have the name “Cyanide for Hitler” painted on the sides above the wings. Unfortunately the name did not get painted on the plane until after the last combat mission was flown. Plane #43-39439.
Junior: The pilot, Stephen A. Gaal, boarded the Queen Elizabeth on March 31, 1944, to go to Deopham Green the day his first son, Stephen Gaal, Jr., was born. The crew decided to name the plane for Gaal’s son. Plane #42-39990.
Karen B: The pilot, Paul Skinner, named this plane in January of 1944 in honor of his 6 year old daughter, Karen Barbara Skinner. Plane # 42-39920. There were also planes named Karen B II, III, IV and V. Karen B III was most likely plane #44-6001, the other serial numbers are still unknown.
Kickapoo Joy Juice: This name comes from the concoction often brewed up in Al Capp’s cartoon known as “Li’l Abner”. The crew’s pilot was Howard K. Morehouse. Plane #42-97220.
Lady Jeannette: The true origin of the name for this famous plane is still uncertain. One possibility has it being named after the town of Jeannette, Pennsylvania, or the large glass company located there. Another possibility is the plane being named after the famous singer of that era, Jeannette MacDonald. The third possibility might have it named after a girlfriend of the pilot. There was no nose art on the aircraft; however, the name, “Lady Jeannette”, was written across the fuselage under the pilots windows. This is the correct spelling for this plane’s name. Others have incorrectly named this plane “Lady Janet” or other variations. This plane is the only B-17 to have a dual award over enemy territory and crash there. Medal of Honor recipients, the pilot Donald J. Gott, and the co-pilot William E. Metzger, Jr. Plane #42-97904.
Little Chum: The crew named this plane after the right waist gunner, Ralph Goschey, who was a small guy. Dixson Wands was the pilot. Plane #42-39971.
Manchester Misses:
This plane was named as a result of five young ladies who were working as typists for the Manchester Oxide Company in Manchester, England. They had heard Princess Elizabeth had adopted and named her own B-17, so they wanted to do it too. Arrangements were made for the young ladies to come to the airfield at Deopham Green and hold an official ceremony and adopt their plane. The girls were introduced to the crew and were delighted when they saw the nose art on the plane showing a winged-typewriter with the words “Manchester Misses” beside it. The ceremony took place on March 13, 1945, and gathered many people from the news media. The names and ages of the five young ladies were: Vera Reynolds (21), Margaret Brown (16), Peggy Telford (26), Iris Roberts (19), and Violet Bowman (18). This plane survived the War and was piloted by Clem Schaller. Plane #44-8799.
Marjorie Ann: The pilot, George Williamson, was married and his wife’s name was “Marjorie Ann”. The flight engineer, Walter J. Honcik, who was also married, had also named his oldest daughter “Marjorie Ann”, so the plane was named this while they were still training in the States. Honcik had written the names “Margy” and Juny” near both of his top turret guns in honor of his two daughters. George Williamson was the original pilot. Plane #42-39903.
Mollita: This plane was named after the daughter of Col. Casey Odom of the 452nd Bomb Group. His daughter is named Mollie and in Spanish it is "Mollita". Col. Odom always called his daughter his "Little Mollita". Plane #43-37817.
Mon Tete Rouge: This plane was named by its original pilot Harold G. “Hal” Fulmer. His wife, Alyce, had sort of reddish hair and had some French ancestry in her, so he came up with the French name “Mon Tête Rouge”, which is translates to “My Red Head”. Fulmer later found out that “Mon” in French is actually the masculine word instead of the feminine word “Ma”. It was already painted on the plane, so he left it as it was. This plane was an olive drab plane with a red-headed lady painted on her knees and slightly leaning backward. Some historians have incorrectly also called this plane “Tangerine” because another pilot named Glenn T. Butterworth was flying “Mon Tete Rouge” when he was shot down with it. It was incorrectly assumed that the lost plane was “Tangerine”. Mon Tete Rouge was plane #42-31331. There was a second plane known as “Mon Tete Rouge II” which was plane #42-97069.
Mon Tete Rouge II: This plane was named by Master Sgt. Jim Hendricks who was part of the ground crew, and also friends with the original “Mon Tete Rouge” pilot Harold G. “Hal” Fulmer”. Unbeknownst to Fulmer, who was now a squadron commander, Hendricks one day painted in blue letters the words “Mon Tete Rouge II” on a new silver colored plane. Fulmer does not remember if he ever personally flew this plane, but possibly only once or twice at the most. Plane #42-97069.
My Achin' Back: The original pilot of this plane, Eugene Lohman, gave this nickname when they were training in Walla Walla. At that time one of the crew's favorite jocular expressions was "Oh, my achin back" whenever they saw that they were scheduled to go on one of those long bone-weary formation flying training sessions". Plane #42-39976.
Old Outhouse: This plane was named by its original pilot Henry C. Althaus. He was an original pilot with the Group and had joined them just after leaving training at Rapid City, South Dakota. Since his last name Althaus was pronounced like “outhouse”, he decided it would be a neat name for his plane. He later became a squadron commander in the Group. Plane #42-31366.
Our Buddy: The entire crew of this plane wanted to name their plane in honor of the men who flew the fighter plane escorts who were able to accompany and provide protection for the bombers the entire route when additional fuel tanks were added to the fighters. The fighters were often referred to as “Little Friends” by the bomber crews, so this crew chose to name their plane “Our Buddy” in appreciation for the continued protection. The nose art featured a picture of a P-47 fighter plane with the name “Our Buddy” next to it. Norman R. Moore was the original pilot with Thomas R. Dickenson his copilot. Dickenson later became the pilot. Plane #42-39972.
Passionate Witch: The pilot, Robert M. Cook, named his plane after the 1941 novel "Passionate Witch" authored by Thorne Smith. This novel was about a meek businessman marrying a beautiful witch. In the 1960's the popular TV show "Bewitched" was based upon this novel. Plane #42-38124. Cook's replacement plane was "Passionate Witch II". Plane #42-32082.
Puddin’s Pride: Named in honor of the wife of the original bombardier, Buck Roberts, who often called his wife, Fontaine, by the name of “Puddin”. The pilot was Russell E. Harriger. Plane #44-6560.
Punched Fowl, The: This plane was named by its original pilot James H. “Jimmie” Vallee. The nose art consisted of two ducks somewhat resembling the cartoon characters of Donald and Daisy Duck with the words “The Punched Fowl” next to them. The female duck is looking away with her tail feathers all ruffled, while the male duck is standing with a grin and a halo over his head. Supposedly this name was a reference to having obtained sex.
Ramblin’ Wreck:
This plane is believed to have been the only 452nd Bomb Group plane to survive both missions to Poltava, Russia, on June 21, 1944, and September 11, 1944. The pilot who flew the plane on the first mission to Poltava, replied when asked what he thought of the damaged plane, he said "It's just a ramblin wreck!" So this is where the name came from, but there was a lot of talk about the name "Patches". The nose art on the plane included cartoon drawings of the four ground crew members. Raymond Kess (Crew Chief), Norman “Big Andy” Anderson (Assist. Crew Chief), George Hadfield, and James Stafford. The pilot on the second mission to Russia was John S. Duckworth. Plane #42-97345.
The Reincarnation: This plane was named by the 466th Sub-Depot under the direction of T/Sgt. Richard F. O’Neil. During their spare time the members of the 466th used many spare parts from four previously wrecked or battle damaged planes to build their own plane. Thus a new plane from available parts was reincarnated. This plane was easily spotted since it was an older olive drab colored plane with a newer silver nose. Plane #42-31525.
Rosalie Ann: A joint name honoring two of the crew members wives. The lead navigator was Marvin Byer whose wife's name was Rosalie. The pilot was Ed Hartman whose wife's name was Ann. Plane #42-38145. There was also a plane named Rosalie Ann II which was plane #44-8201.
Rose Etta: The pilot, Edgar W. Hackworth, was the only married crew member. His daughter was named “Rosetta”, so that is the name the crew agreed to name their plane. They picked up the plane in Nebraska and flew their first combat mission on May 30, 1944, and eventually finished their 30-mission tour. Plane #42-97977.
Section Eight: The crew of this plane was an original crew with the Group. After arriving in England the flight engineer, Richard J. Walsh, decided their plane needed a name. There was not much feeling either way when Walsh suggested "Section Eight ", and everyone agreed with that name. Walsh arranged to get the name with an Eight Ball design painted on the plane. In United States military terms, a “Section 8” means a discharge based on military assessment of psychological unfitness or character traits deemed undesirable. In their mind it meant they must be “crazy” for getting into a bomber and flying over Germany. Paul E. Suckow was the pilot. Plane # 42-31784.
Shed House Mouse: When pilot James C. “Jim” Reynolds and his crew arrived in England he told the crew they could name their plane whatever they wished. They came up with the name “Sh_t House Mouse” referring to a mouse being inside an old outhouse. Perhaps it had something to do with them being a little entity in a big terrible stinky place meaning the War. The clean version of the plane name was “Shed House Mouse” which sounded about the same. Plane #42-39858.
Short Snorter: The pilot of this plane, Paul F. Maruska, originally wanted to name their plane “Grusom’ Crewsom”, but the commanding officers did not think it was a good idea since it might be a negative reminder to the gruesome affects of the War. The crew then changed their plane name to “Short Snorter” instead, but several crew members went ahead and had “Grusom’ Crewsom” painted on their jackets anyway while others had “Short Snorter” on theirs. Their plane had the words “Short Snorter” stenciled on the nose of their plane, but there was no other artwork. The term “short snorter” refers to a drinking ritual that apparently had several different explanations. The best explanation says that any new airman was entitled to a “short snorter” upon arriving overseas. A "snorter" is a drink of liquor, usually swallowed in one quick gulp. A "short snorter" is a drink of liquor that's not quite full. Everyone present at the bar would sign their names to a paper currency such as a $1 bill that each airman had kept just for that purpose. The unlucky airman with the least amount of signatures on his $1 bill got the honor of buying the round of drinks.
Silver Shed House: This was the second plane flown by pilot James C. “Jim” Reynolds. His earlier plane was an older olive drab colored plane known as “Shed House Mouse”. When it was damaged on March 20, 1944, his replacement plane was a newer silver colored one, so he named it the “Silver Shed House”. Referring to it as a silver colored flying outhouse. Plane # 42-107073.
Sunrise Serenade: The mother of the pilot, Francis C. Smedley, dearly loved the Glenn Miller tune “Sunrise Serenade” so the crew agreed to affix the name to their plane. This song was written in 1938 by Frankie Carle with the lyrics by Jack Lawrence. Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra first recorded it in early 1939, but it did not become popular until Glen Miller recorded it on April 10, 1939, at Victor Studios in New York City. Plane #42-37949.
Smokey Liz: The pilot, Fred Whitlinger, was from Pittsburgh known as the “smokey” city. His wife’s name was Dorothy Elizabeth. The crew figured that naming the plane “Smokey Dottie” didn’t sound too good, so they chose “Smokey Liz” instead. Plane #42-31360. The B-17 known as "Smokey Liz II" was Plane #43-37542.
Sweet Stuff: While at Deopham Green, the top turret gunner, Paul Johnson, asked his pilot, Gilbert J. Meneley, if he had a daughter at home. Meneley replied “Yes, her name is Ilene”. At that time Meneley’s daughter was about 15 months old. Johnson then asked Meneley if he called her by any other name and Meneley replied “Yes, ‘Sweet Stuff’”. A few days later Meneley noticed that Johnson had arranged for someone to paint this name on the nose of their plane, so their plane became known as “Sweet Stuff”. Plane #44-8527(?).
Tangerine: This plane was named by its original pilot Glenn T. “Tay” Butterworth who liked the popular song “Tangerine”. This song was made famous by the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra and held the No. 1 spot from May 9, 1942 until June 13, 1942. It was also in the 1942 film titled “The Fleet’s In”. Plane #42-31319.
Terry - A - Long: The pilot, Duncan M. Sanderson, named this plane in honor of his wife whose maiden name was Theresa “Terry” A. Long. Plane #42-31348.
That’s All Jack: After the release of the bombs over the target, the original copilot of this plane, William H. Major, would reply out loud “That’s all Jack”, and then they would begin their route back to base. Family members of Major, who died soon after the War, have said there is not a specific reason he would say this phrase, but rather just something he liked to say. There was no one named “Jack” on their crew. Clifford R. Olson was pilot. Plane #43-37673.
Three Cads and a Lad: This name refers to the four officers of the plane (Evers, Kaminski, Jacobs, Tully). The nose art depicted three men in British coal miner clothes “The Cads” holding beer mugs standing next to a clean cut gentleman “The Lad” with a halo over his head. (Kaminski was the Lad). Leland J. Evers was the pilot. Plane #42-31334.
Utah Gal: The pilot of this plane was Robert K. Hawkins from Utah. He was married to a redhead named Beth, a gal who was also from Utah, hence the name. Plane #43-38614.
Why Worry: The crew of pilot Robert C. Patrick were at the airfield in Deopham Green coming up with clever names for their plane. A short time earlier the King and Queen of England had been invited to view another American 8th Air Force airfield. Some of the nose art on the B-17’s there was risqué in nature so the commanders covered up a lot of the planes so the Queen would not be offended by the names or nose art on them. Patrick’s crew had chosen several clever names, but because of the incident with the Queen, their commanders kept telling them they could not use any of the names they had come up with. After being frustrated, one crew member said “Ah, why worry about it”, and they had just about given up the idea of naming their plane. Then another crew member said “That’s it, we’ll name her Why Worry”. Plane #42-97864.
Windy Lou: The pilot, Phillip O. Darr, was from the windy city of Chicago and his wife's name was Lucille, so the name "Windy Lou" was affixed to the plane. Plane #42-31780.
Woolf Pack: The original crew of this plane named it after their pilot, Wilford W. Woolf. Plane #42-97206.
Worry Bird, The: The crew of this plane thought their pilot, Earl W. Truex, was a “worry bird”, so they aptly named the plane. He had good reason since theirs was among the first from the Group to get shot down. Plane #42-37946.
You’ve Had It: This phrase was popularly used by many of the guys within the Group when something happened that wasn't exactly to their benefit. Ground crew member Dale Hunter remembers one crew naming their plane because of this phrase. The 452nd Bomb Group had two planes by this name. The first one was piloted by Otis L. Stogsdill and was among those planes that crashed on the May 12, 1944, mission to Brux. The second plane flew later in the War and probably had several different pilots. The artwork on the nose for the later plane had one of the most detailed nose art of any 452nd Bomb Group plane. It featured a reclining redhead damsel that was almost an exact replica of the centerfold painting that appeared in the February 1941 issue of Esquire magazine titled "Lullaby For A Dream". It is unknown if the original plane with this name featured any nose art. Planes #42-97143 and #43-39143.
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