Sleepy Time Gal

B-17F S/N 42-3988

There were many aircraft in WWII called "Sleepy Time Gal", named after the song performed by Art Landry 1925 (not being from that generation, I'm just guessing that guys in WW2 were more familiar with Glenn Miller's 1935 rendition). The Boeing B-17F that Staff Sergeant Evon Philip Wells was a crewmember of in 1944 flew out of RAF Great Ashfield, Suffolk, England and was attached to the 385th bomb group (heavy) and the 550th bomb squadron (SG) (heavy) of the USAAF 8th Airforce.

He was on his first mission when they were damaged, initially by flak over the target in Germany, and fatally by Luftwaffe fighters over France. Here is his official account as provided by the US War Dept to the Camden County (N J) Courier-Post, plus the War Dept accident reports made available only recently including the crew list (hard to read), the Incident Map, The MACR (Missing Air Crew Report) Data, and a written account including information from my father and the other surviors.