The Pink Lady (B-17G)
Encyclopedia
The Pink Lady is the current nickname of a B-17G Flying Fortress bomber. It is one of the few B-17s still in flying condition, and the only flying survivor to see action in Europe during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

.

Rolled out of the Lockheed-Vega
Vega Aircraft Corporation
The Vega Aircraft Corporation was a subsidiary of the Lockheed Aircraft Company responsible for much of its parent company's production in World War II. The company was first formed in August 1937 as the AiRover Company to produce a new lightplane design...

 production facility in Burbank, California
Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in Los Angeles County in Southern California, United States, north of downtown Los Angeles. The estimated population in 2010 was 103,340....

 in December, 1944, The Pink Lady was then only known as a B-17G-85-VE Fortress, serial number 44-8846. On March 1, 1945, 44-8846 was flown to RAF Polebrook
RAF Polebrook
RAF Polebrook is a former World War II airfield located 3.5 miles east-south-east of Oundle, at Polebrook, Northamptonshire, UK. The airfield was built on Rothschild estate land starting in August 1940....

, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, and assigned to the 511th Bomb Squadron, 351st Bomb Group. Since she entered active service so close to the end of the war, 44-8846 only flew six missions over Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, the last one being on April 20, 1945, when the 351st ended combat operations. She was transferred to the 365th Bomb Squadron, 305th Bomb Group, based at RAF Chelveston
RAF Chelveston
RAF Station Chelveston was a military airfield located on the south side of the A45, 5 miles east of Wellingborough, near the village of Chelveston in Northamptonshire, United Kingdom....

, England, when the rest of the 351st returned to the United States.

She featured as the fictional B-17F Mother and Country, in addition to The Pink Lady, in the film, Memphis Belle
Memphis Belle (film)
Memphis Belle is a 1990 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick, starring Matthew Modine and Eric Stoltz and introducing Harry Connick Jr. in his screen debut...

, being painted on one side to resemble the older B-17F. The Pink Lady was kept at Paris - Orly Airport, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, just to the south of Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, until its hangar was listed for demolition. It is currently being stored in a hangar in St Yan, (Saône et Loire), France.

Painting schemes and registration numbers

Below is a non-exhaustive chronological list of the Pink Lady's painting schemes and registration numbers from 1945–2006:

Entire Aircraft: Unpainted Aluminum

1945: s/n 48846 on tail

1945, March: white J in black Triangle 48846 M on tail (with red diagonal stripe), DS : M on fuselage, M on nose turret

1945, May: white G in black Triangle 48846 XK: M on fuselage

1954: Institut Geographique National logo on tail, F-BGSP on fuselage

1965: IGN, registered as ZS-DXM

1979: WFU

1985: 48846 on tail, F-AZDX on fuselage, "Lucky Lady" artwork added to nose for air-show tour

Entire Aircraft: Olive Drab upper surfaces, light gray lower surfaces

1989: Officially registered as F-AZDX, was painted for the movie Memphis Belle
Memphis Belle (film)
Memphis Belle is a 1990 film directed by Michael Caton-Jones and written by Monte Merrick, starring Matthew Modine and Eric Stoltz and introducing Harry Connick Jr. in his screen debut...

as:
  • Left side: 28703 (25703?) on tail, DF-S on fuselage, "Mother and Country" on nose
  • Right side: 122960 on tail, G-DF on fuselage, "The Pink Lady" artwork on nose


1993: large text below pilot and co-pilot side windows:
B 17
FAURE
EVER
  • On right-hand side, 5 yellow bombs painted after the word "FAURE", under which there were 2 swastikas


1998: 22955 on tail, F-AZDX on fuselage, "Mother and country" artwork on nose

2002: Triangle-J 48846 M on tail (with red stripe), M-DS on fuselage (nose turret removed)
  • Left side: "The Pink Lady" artwork, and 846 on nose
    • 6 yellow bombs painted below pilot's side window
    • Blue number "7"
    • TEXT (black stencil):
      • U.S. ARMY-MODEL B-17G-85-VE
      • AIR FORCES SERIAL NO. 44-8846
      • CREW WEIGHT 1200 LBS
      • (+ 5 lines of smaller text)
  • Right side: "Mother and Country", and "The Pink Lady" artwork on nose
  • Top left wing: Star
  • Right Bottom wing: Star


The current paint job does not have "The Pink Lady" artwork on right nose, but is otherwise like its 2002 configuration.

This aircraft was present at "The Flying Legends" (Duxford, UK) air display on 12 & 13 July 2008. The "Mother and Country", and "The Pink Lady" artwork was present on the right side nose area.
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