Portrait of a Flying Lady: The Stories of Those She Flew with in Battle

by George Menzel, Turner Publishing Company

(From the Foreword) George Menzel has an investigative mind, as one might expect of a man whose main career was with the FBI...he would not rest until he had traced the reason for an artist's choice of subject in a print that fascinated. The subject was a B-17 Fortress bomber bearing the markings of the squadron with which, as a young man, George Menzel had served during the trouble with Adolf Hitler and his supporters. Soon the detective discovered that the individual Flying Fortress portrayed by the artist had been involved in a remarkable adventure. And, like all good detectives, George Menzel did not rest until he had gathered and sifted all the evidence.

280 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1994

Reviews

[Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about the 615 Squadron of the 401st Bomb Group of the 8th Air force in WWII. It mostly deals with an incident that happened when a B 17 diverted to Russia after being damaged in a raid over Berlin. The pilot was accused of harboring a fugitive by the Russians and resulted in court martial that was horribly run by the officers appointed to serve on it. Seven years later the pilot was cleared of these charges. The pilot on this mission flew the aircraft on the cover of the book. It was the last time he and his crew saw the B17. The plane was broken up at Kingman, AZ after the war.