Delivered at Cheyenne, Wyoming, on 23rd March 1944, #42-102661 was assigned to the 544^th Bomb Squadron as a new replacement aircraft on May 1^st 1944, and would be identified as SU-L.

Big Dog’s first contribution to the war was Mission #116 on 27th May 27 1944, targeting railway marshalling yards in Mannheim (Germany) while manned by the crew of 2^nd Lt. Robert Encil Kelley, with bombing reportedly being successful with the attack covering the target. Soon after, the aircraft attacked two bridges in Caen during Mission #128 on D-Day, 6th June 1944, as part of I Squadron. The aircraft was once again flown by 2^nd Lt. Robert Encil Kelley, though with some crew change, including a 547^th Bomb Squadron Bombardier (2^nd Lt. James Joseph Lacroix) instead of Togglier SGT. Angelo Sam Sabella.

Big Dog was forced to abort Mission #153 on 7th July 1944 after take-off, as heavy cloud led to pilot 2^nd. Lt. Bert Franklin Strong being unable to locate and join the rest of the High group in heavy cloud for this mission. However, the aircraft acted as the Wing Lead on 7th August 1944 for Mission #174 while manned by the crew of Captain Alfred Charles “Coach” Nuttall. The target was a Luftwaffe fuel depot in Dugny (France) with the combination of two objectives being the subject of the mission, the Luftwaffe and its fuel supplies. However, the mission was not a success, with all the bombs either being dropped several miles East or at an alternative target at Chateaudun Airfield (France) because the High Group were unable to sight the primary target.

While flying on Mission #189 on 8th September 1944, Flight Officer Joseph David Patella’s crew were forced to jettison their payload short of the primary target, the I. G. Farben Chemical Works in Ludwigshafen (Germany), resulting in #42-102661 returning early. Just over two weeks later, 26th September 1944 on Mission #199, the aircraft aborted the raid due to there being “Too much oil, overflowed when heated”. After bombing the primary target on Mission #201 28th September 1944 (steelworks in Magdeburg, Germany), the aircraft and its crew (that of 2^nd Lt. William Felix Combs) left the formation for unknown reasons but returned to base without incident.

The aircraft suffered further issues on 6th December 1944 during Mission #236, with Big Dog experiencing an internal failure on engine #1. 2^nd Lt. Joseph Francis McKone and his crew aborted the mission without further incident. Big Dog successfully bombed railroad marshalling yards at Dresden (Germany) on Mission #266 14th February 1945, yet the aircraft once again experienced an internal engine failure and was forced to return independently under the guidance of 2^nd Lt. Taylor Hall Jackson and his crew.

The aircraft’s participation on Mission #272 on 23rd February 1945 became improvised upon the failure of the amplifier of engine #4, leading to 2^nd Lt. Willard Jerome Turner III and his crew to attack a Target of Opportunity when flying back to Grafton Underwood. Though the original target was railway marshalling yards in Plauen (Germany), the crew ultimately dispatched their bombs on Zwolle in the Netherlands.

The following mission, Mission #273 on 24th February 1945, marked its century of credited combat missions. Flown by 2^nd Lt. Russell E. Graehl, Big Dog participated in the attack against a submarine construction shipyard in Hamburg without incident. Less than a week later on Mission #279 however, the aircraft was struck by flak having joined the formation originally as a flying spare. Consequently, the propellor of Engine #4 was feathered although it remained controllable. The pilot, 2^nd Lt. Daniel Frank Kowats, landed in Prosnes (France) instead of returning to Grafton Underwood. Big Dog returned to action over a month later on 11th April 11 1945 during Mission #309, bombing an underground oil storage depot in Freiham (Germany) under the command of 2^nd Lt. Harry Lawrence Whalstrom.

#42-102661 was forced to abort from Mission #315 on 20th April 1945 due to an uncontrollable propellor, undertaking a training flight three days later on 23rd April before flying its final sortie on Mission #316, 25th April 1945. Manned by the crew of 2^nd Lt. Harris Leroy “Jack” Moorhead, the aircraft attacked the Skoda Armament Works in Plzen (Czechoslovakia), in which was to be the very last 8th Air Force combat mission of WW2.

Having flown 109 missions with the 384^th Bomb Group, Big Dog was transferred to Istres in France for mapping duties, before being salvaged on 29th December 1945.

Research courtesy of Charlie Saddington on behalf of 384th Bombardment Group Museum.

With kind thanks to the 384th Bomb Group website (384thbombgroup.com) for permission in using material from their records in the making of this story. It holds a wealth of information, documents and photographs of their activities during World War 2.