B-17 Queen of the Skies was a game made by the now gone Avalon Hill game company. It was a solitare game which pitted you, your crew, and your B-17 against the German Luftwaffe during World War II. It was and still is an elegant game that has tons of replayability. The basic premis is you crew your aircraft to targets in occupied Europe against a sometimes determined Luftwaffe. You could get a 'milk run' mission this turn where you see no enemy and then get that 'Schweinfurt raid' mission the next. You kept track of every crewman in his position as you fended off the German attacks and dropped your ordnance on the target. Then you tried to get home again.
A single mission could be done in less than an hour and a big mission in less than an hour and a half. The neat part was that with a couple of die rolls everything was set and off you went into the Wild Blue Yonder. You learned to love your crew and learned to hate the enemy fighters. You sweated every roll. All you wanted was your 25 missions and go home. Sometimes it did not happen....
I am part of the on-going campaign game with the 400th Heavy Bombardment Group stationed in Deopham Green, Station 142 in England. We are fielding 4 complete squadrons of B-17s. I am assigned to the 402nd squadron and currently piloting "Silver Lining", a B-17G model heavy bomber.
Composite Mission Record |
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Mission | Pilot | CoPilot | Bombardier | Navigator | Engineer | Radio | RWaist | LWaist | Ball | Tail |
1 Thumper |
Radee | Brandon | Warking (109) |
Allen (LW) |
Bojamin (190) |
Hill | Sheeto (190) |
Brown | Sharpe (190) |
Reed (109) (110) |
2 Thumper |
Radee | Brandon | Warking | Allen | Bojamin | Hill | Sheeto (190) |
Brown | Sharpe | Reed |
4 Thumper |
Radee (LW) |
Brandon (LW) |
Warking (LW) |
Allen (LW) |
Bojamin (SW home) (190) |
Hill | Sheeto (.5x110) |
Brown | Sharpe (190) |
Reed (.5x110) |
5 Thumper |
Radee | Brandon (LW) |
Warking | Allen | Clay | Hill (LW) |
Sheeto | Brown (LW) |
Sharpe | Reed (110) |
6 Thumper |
Radee | Brandon | Warking | Allen (KIA) |
Clay | Hill | Sheeto | Brown | Sharpe | Reed |
8 Thumper |
Radee | Brandon | Warking | Lee | Clay (190) (109) |
Hill | Sheeto | Brown | Sharpe (SW home) (109) |
Reed |
9 Thumper |
Radee (LW) |
Brandon (LW) |
Warking (LW) (190) |
Lee (109) |
Clay (190) |
Hill | Sheeto (KIA) |
Brown | Cannady (190) (109) |
Reed (6-110) |
10 Thumper |
Radee | Brandon | Warking | Lee | Clay (109) |
Hill | Watkins | Brown | Cannady | Reed |
12 Thumper |
Radee | Brandon (KIA) |
Warking | Lee | Clay | Hill (109) |
Watkins | Brown | Cannady | Reed |
13 Thumper |
Radee | Kirkland (LW) |
Warking | Lee (LW) |
Clay (190) |
Hill | Watkins | Brown | Cannady | Reed (LW) (190) (110) |
14 Thumper |
Radee | Kirkland | Warking (KIA) |
Lee (SW home) |
Clay (SW recovered) |
Hill | Watkins (LW) |
Brown (LW) |
Cannady | Reed |
16 Thumper |
Radee (KIA) |
Kirkland (KIA) |
Salle (KIA) |
Baker (KIA) |
Clay (KIA) |
Hill (KIA) |
Watkins (KIA) |
Brown (KIA) |
Cannady (KIA) |
Reed (KIA) |
17 Silver Lining |
Stackpole | Martin | Lossing | Coddington | Catton | Frassanito | Arnold | Wheeler | Slade | Shue (LW) |
18 Silver Lining |
Stackpole | Martin | Lossing | Coddington | Catton (109) |
Frassanito | Arnold | Wheeler | Slade | Shue |
Mission Notes |
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1 | Bonn, Germany 01 Oct 1943 |
industry | 30% | 1 LW, 6 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
2 | Lille, France 05 Oct 1943 |
industry | 60% | 1 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
3 | (stood down) | - | - | - |
4 | Paris, France 01 Nov 1943 |
industry | 30% | 1 SW home, 4 LW, 3 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
5 | Rennes, France 14 Nov 1943 |
rail | Abort | 3 LW, 1 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
6 | Lorient, France 20 Nov 1943 |
sub pens | 30% | 1 KIA (Report) |
7 | (stood down) | - | - | - |
8 | Ramilly-sur-Seine, France 10 Dec 1943 |
aircraft | 60% | 1 SW home, 3 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
9 | Berlin, Germany 01 Jan 1944 |
industry | Abort | 1 KIA, 3 LW, 11 enemy aircraft shot down, Silver Star awarded to SSG James Reed (tail gunner). Reed promoted to TSG. (Report) |
10 | Hamm, Germany 05 Jan 1944 |
rail | 60% | 1 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
11 | (stood down) | - | - | - |
12 | Kassel, Germany 15 Jan 1944 |
industry | abort | 1 KIA, 1 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
13 | Rennes, France 21 Jan 1944 |
rail | 40% | 3 LW, 3 enemy aircraft shot down. Air Medals awarded to TSG James Reed (tail gunner) and TSG Ty Clay (engineer). (Report) |
14 | La Rochelle, France 29 Jan 1944 |
industry | abort | 1 KIA, 1 SW home, 1 SW recovered, 2 LW. Air Medals awarded to SSG Mike Brown (waist gunner) and SGT Jimmy Watkins (waist gunner). (Report) |
15 | (stood down) | - | - | - |
16 | Antwerp, Belgium 05 Feb 1944 |
industry | 0% | 10 KIA. "Thumper" was shot down by enemy aircraft. Aircraft exploded. (Report) |
17 | Rotterdam, Germany 12 Feb 1944 |
industry | 20% | 1 LW (Report) |
18 | St Omer, France 15 Feb 1944 |
airfields | 0% | 1 enemy aircraft shot down (Report) |
PERSONNEL RECORD | |||||||
Name | Rank | Position | Date of Assignment |
Status | Missions | Kills | Notes |
Edwin Stackpole |
1LT | Pilot | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (Pennsylvania) | |
Jay Radee |
CPT | Pilot | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 12 | 0 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. Wounded on missions 2 and 4. (California) |
Harry Martin |
2LT | Co-Pilot | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (Massachusetts) | |
Gary Brandon |
1LT | Co-Pilot | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 9 | 0 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 12. Wounded on missions 4, 5, and 9. (Tennessee) |
David Kirkland |
2LT | Co-Pilot | 17 JAN 44 | KIA | 3 | 0 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. Wounded on mission 13. (Arizona) |
George Coddington |
2LT | Navigator | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (Florida) | |
Patrick Allen |
1LT | Navigator | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 5 | 0 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 6. Wounded on missions 1 and 4. (Iowa) |
Raymond Lee |
2LT | Navigator | 26 NOV 43 | SW (home) |
6 | 1 | ![]() Wounded on missions 13 and 14. Shot down ![]() (New York) |
Thomas Baker |
2LT | Navigator | 31 JAN 44 | KIA | 1 | 0 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. (Ohio) |
Edward Lossing |
2LT | Bombardier | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (Connecticutt) | |
Jacob Warking |
1LT | Bombardier | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 11 | 2 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 14. Wounded on missions 4 and 9. Shot down ![]() Shot down ![]() (Virginia) |
Johnnie Salle |
2LT | Bombardier | 31 JAN 44 | KIA | 1 | 0 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. (Minnesota) |
Benson Catton |
TSG | Engineer | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 1 | Shot down ![]() (New York) |
|
Ben Bojamin |
MSG | Engineer | 10 SEP 43 | SW (home) |
3 | 2 | ![]() Wounded on mission 4. Shot down ![]() ![]() (Michigan) |
Ty Clay |
TSG | Engineer | 03 NOV 43 | KIA | 9 | 5 | ![]() ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. Wounded on missions 14. Received Air medal on mission 13. Shot down ![]() ![]() ![]() Shot down ![]() ![]() (Wyoming) |
Bruce Frassanito |
SGT | Radio Operator | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (New Jersey) | |
Geoff Hill |
SSG | Radio Operator | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 12 | 1 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. Wounded on mission 5. Shot down ![]() (Texas) |
Oliver Slade |
SGT | Ball Gunner | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (New York) | |
Michael Sharpe |
SSG | Ball Gunner | 10 SEP 43 | SW (home) |
6 | 3 | ![]() Wounded on mission 8. Shot down ![]() ![]() Shot down ![]() (Wisconsin) |
William Cannady |
SGT | Ball Gunner | 13 DEC 43 | KIA | 6 | 2 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. Shot down ![]() Shot down ![]() (Texas) |
William Arnold |
SGT | Waist Gunner | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (Illinois) | |
Carl Wheeler |
SGT | Waist Gunner | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | (Illinois) | |
Erik Sheeto |
SSG | Waist Gunner | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 7 | 2.5 | ![]() Killed in action on mission 9. Shot down ![]() ![]() Shot down .5 x ![]() (Tennessee) |
Jimmy Watkins |
SGT | Waist Gunner | 03 JAN 44 | KIA | 5 | 0 | ![]() ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. Wounded on mission 14. Received Air medal on mission 14. (Wisconsin) |
Mike Brown |
SSG | Waist Gunner | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 12 | 0 | ![]() ![]() Killed in action on mission 16. Wounded on missions 5 and 14. Received Air medal on mission 14. (California) |
Gregory Shue |
SGT | Tail Gunner | 07 FEB 44 | 2 | 0 | ![]() Wounded on mission 17. (California) |
|
James Reed |
TSG | Tail Gunner | 10 SEP 43 | KIA | 12 | 11.5 | ![]() ![]() ![]() Received Silver Star on mission 9. Killed in action on mission 16. Wounded on mission 13. Received Air medal on mission 13. Shot down ![]() Shot down ![]() Shot down ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Shot down ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Shot down .5 x ![]() (Rhode Island) |
CURRENT AIRCRAFT | |
B-17G |
Aircraft manufactured at Boeing plant in Seattle, Washington in 1942 |
MISSING or LOST AIRCRAFT | |
B-17G |
"Thumper"
was lost in action against the enemy over Antwerp, Belgium just before the bomb run. She
was last seen under heavy attack by enemy aircraft and exploded. No chutes seen. Aircraft manufactured at Boeing plant in Seattle, Washington in 1942 |
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