Old 666 was a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress heavy bomber, serial number 41-2666, assigned to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 19th and 43rd Bombardment Groups in 1942–1943. It is notable for being the aircraft piloted by Lt. Col. (then Captain) Jay Zeamer Jr. on the 16 June 1943 mission which earned him and 2nd Lt. Joseph Sarnoski each a Medal of Honor, and all other members of the aircrew the Distinguished Service Cross. History Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress serial number 41-2666 was built in Seattle, Washington, in March 1942. It arrived in Hawaii in May 1942 for delivery to Australia. That same month, it was assigned to the 19th Bombardment Group. Sometime after it arrived in Australia, 41-2666 was equipped with a trimetrogon camera array used in high-altitude topographical mapping. During the summer and fall of 1942, the Flying Fortress was flown primarily by the 8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (PRS), usually while attached to the 19th. Late in the year, it was transferred to the 43rd Bomb Group, where during a mission in December 1942, it was damaged severely enough to be grounded for a long period of time. Nothing more is known about the aircraft until the following April, when it was once again being flown on photo-recon missions by the 8th PRS. In May 1943, having by then gained a reputation as a “Hard Luck Hattie” for its record of acquiring ongoing damage and oddball accidents, 41-2666 was transferred to the 65th Bombardment Squadron, 43rd Bombardment Group, at Seven-Mile Airstrip, located at Port Moresby, New Guinea. Zeamer's "Eager Beavers" Captain Jay Zeamer Jr., the squadron executive officer at the time, requisitioned the B-17 for use by his own selected aircrew, who called themselves the Eager Beavers, due to Zeamer's regular habit of volunteering for missions. Besides significantly reducing its overall weight by , including stripping out unnecessary structure, cartridge belts, and ammunition feed equipment, the aircrew also replaced the four aging engines with new ones, as Zeamer wanted a fast aircraft. An Associated Press (AP) report dated 30 April 1943 recounted Zeamer and his crew dropping from to to complete a reconnaissance mission over Rabaul, New Britain, while harassed by 15 to 20 Japanese Zero fighters; the action yielded Silver Star decorations for the crew. Another AP article, dated 30 May 1943, reported Zeamer and his crew strafing Japanese searchlights while flying over Wewak, New Guinea,