Registration Info:
USAAF Serial# 44-83559

History:
The Museum's B-17P, S/N 44-83559 was manufactured by Douglas at Long Beach, California, and received by the USAAF on April 5, 1945. Below are the unit assignments of this aircraft:

April 6, 1945- To Topeka, Kansas, Air Transport Command (ATC)

April 8, 1945- To 4100th Army Air Force Base Unit (AAFBU), (ATC), Patterson Field, Ohio

October 15, 1945- Declared excess to USAAF needs

November 7, 1945- Returned to military use

November 11, 1945- To 4168th AAFBU (TAC), Lubbock, Texas

June 16, 1945- To 4141st AAFBU Air Material Command (AMC), Pyote, Texas

February 17, 1950- To 2753rd Aircraft Storage Squadron (AMC), Pyote, Texas

March 7, 1950- To Olmstead Field (AMC), Middletown Depot, Pennsylvania for modification to become a DB-17 aircraft

June 22, 1950- To 3200rd Drone Squadron, Air Proving Grounds (APG), Eglin AFB, Florida

February 28, 1951- To Eniwetok Atoll, 3200th Drone Squadron (APG), Marshall Island Group, Pacific

May 31, 1951- To 3200th Drone Squadron, Eglin AFB, Florida

October 13, 1952- To 3205th Drone Squadron (APG), Holloman AFB, New Mexico

October 16, 1952- To Eglin AFB, Florida same unit

July 8, 1953- To 3310th Technical Training Wing (APG), Scott AFB, Illinois

July 26, 1953- To 3205th Drone Group (APG), Eglin AFB, Florida

September 10, 1953- To Holloman AFB, New Mexico (APG), same unit

May 1958- Dropped from USAF inventory, airframe issued as a museum piece, Patrick AFB, Florida

The Air Force relegated S/N 44-83559 to the Strategic Air & Space Museum at Offutt AFB, Nebraska. The Fortress was flown to the Museum in May 1959 and has been on continuous display ever since. It is currently finished with camouflage colors and painted in the colors of "King Bee", an Eighth Air Force B-17F-65-DL from the 100th Bomb Group. The original "King Bee" had been commanded by the first director of the Strategic Air & Space Museum, and 44-83559 has been refinished down to the application of the "King Bee" serial number, 42-3474.