#42-102518 was built by the Boeing Airplane Company and delivered at Cheyenne, Wyoming, on 10th March 1944, completed in a natural metal finish, before being delivered to Grafton Underwood as a replacement aircraft on 15th April 1944. 

Damn Yankee was to fly its first mission five days later on Mission #92, a successful attack against V-weapon service bunkers in Sottevast (France) and flown by 2^nd Lt. Dewayne “Ben” Bennett on what was his 5^th mission.

27th April 1944 saw Damn Yankee attack the service bunkers in Sottevast again on Mission #96, this time as High Squadron lead. However, a malfunction with its bomb doors led to the aircraft failing to attack the target, instead later dropping a pair of 1,000lb General Purpose bombs between the target and the Initial Point. The bomb doors malfunctioned again on Mission #110 during an attack on Luftwaffe controlled Orly Airport in France, this time returning to Grafton Underwood without dropping its bombs.

Damn Yankee served as Low Squadron lead on Mission #121 (flown by 2^nd. Lt. Bernard Joseph Pompe), which had to search for Targets of Opportunity as both the primary (Colmar rail marshalling yards, France) and secondary target were unsuitable for attack due to bad weather and cloud cover. After finding a suitable target, later determined as the rail marshalling yards at Roosendaal, Netherlands, Damn Yankee and the rest of the contingent performed three passes before bombing. 

On 23rd October 1944 Damn Yankee suffered a landing gear collapse upon return to Grafton Underwood after a training mission. According to the subsequent report, Co-Pilot 2^nd Lt. Paul Hanson Weaver was in control of the aircraft and had conducted a normal approach while being watched by 1^st Lt. William Andrew Johnstone, the Pilot. However, the aircraft was reported to have levelled off too high and was in a three-point attitude ahead of landing, eventually leading to the tail wheel touching down first before the main gear. Due to the subsequent 'heavy' landing, the left main gear then collapsed and caused Damn Yankee to skid an estimated 50 feet off the runway, without injury to any crew. The report, authorised on 25th November 1944, determined that the aircraft did not in itself land with sufficient force to induce the gear collapse, apportioning 50% of the blame on pilot error, and 50% on the material failure of the drag link bolts within the undercarriage assembly. Damn Yankee returned to action on 16th November 1944 for Mission #226. The accident led to an order being issued for all pilots to report ‘heavy’ landings, upon which crew chiefs were to inspect the drag link bolts.

The successful completion of Mission #263 on 22nd January 1945, a raid over a rail marshalling yard in Mannheim (Germany), saw Damn Yankee complete its 100^th mission. The aircraft was used as a hot camera ship - for Radio Operator and Gunner Sgt. August Michael Lazarro, this was his first mission, while for Flight Engineer T/Sgt. Francis Glen Hanrahan and Flexible Gunner S/Sgt. Earl Elery Virtue, this was their last as they completed their combat tours. 

Manned by crew from 547^th Squadron for Mission #281 on 4th March 1945, Damn Yankee was forced to abort and return to Grafton Underwood with a feathered #3 engine. Mission #294, however, saw the aircraft called into action as a ground spare - with #43-38800 Busy Buzzard returning shortly after take off after feathering #1 engine, the crew quickly transferred to Damn Yankee, soon catching the formation up and completing the mission. 

During Mission #312, the aircraft was forced to return due to mechanical  failure, though it returned to action for its final raid for Mission #314 three days later on 19th April 1945. Damn Yankee had been assigned to Mission #316 but was an unused ground spare aircraft, thus ending its time with the 384th Bomb Group flying from Grafton Underwood on combat missions.

The aircraft was part of the group transferred to Istres, France, before being salvaged on December 10^th 1945 in Germany.

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 the Group’s activities during World War 2.

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