Shoo Shoo Baby ( B - 17 ) " Shoo Shoo Baby " is the name of a B - 17 Flying Fortress in World War II , preserved and on public display . A B - 17G - 35 - BO , serial number " 42 - 32076 " , and manufactured by Boeing , it was named by her crew for a song of the same name made popular by The Andrews Sisters , the favorite song of its crew chief T / Sgt . Hank Cordes . Photographs of the bomber indicate that a third " Shoo " was added to the name at some point in May 1944 when the original aircraft commander completed his tour of duty and was replaced by another pilot . The nose art on the airframe was one of some 130 pieces painted by line mechanic Tony Starcer for " The Ragged Irregulars " , this one based on Alberto Vargas ' " Hawaii " " Esquire " pin up art . Service history . The aircraft that would become " Shoo Shoo Baby " was accepted into the U . S . Army Air Forces inventory on 19 January 1944 , and arrived in Great Britain on 2 March . After depot modifications , it was flown to the 91st Bomb Group at RAF Bassingbourn on 23 March and began flying missions the next day . 2nd Lt . Paul C . McDuffee was the first pilot assigned to the aircraft and flew 14 of his 25 missions in it , but nine different crews flew " Shoo Shoo Baby " on missions . The B - 17 flew 24 combat missions from England with the 91st BG , with three other missions aborted for mechanical problems , before being listed as missing in action on 29 May 1944 . On its final mission , to the Focke Wulf aircraft component factory at Poznań , Poland , it crash - landed at Malmö Airport , Sweden . Final mission . The crew of " Shoo Shoo Baby " on the Poznań mission consisted of : This crew had been formed 26 April 1944 , from replacements and had flown five previous missions together , all in aircraft other than " Shoo Shoo Baby " . The crew ' s navigator , 2nd Lt . John M . Lowdermilk , described the circumstances of " Shoo Shoo Baby " ' s final mission : “ Soon after we crossed the German border , we lost number three engine , I believe because of losing oil pressure . Bob could not get the prop feathered ( rotated 90° to put the blade edge perpendicular to the airflow ) . It continued to windmill ( turn without power in the airflow ) the entire trip with no vibration . We attempted to stay in formation with three engines but found this impossible and had to drop out . We continued on course to the best of my ability . We were losing altitude but continued to the target and dropped our bombs . Flying alone toward the Baltic Sea , we saw many German fighters attacking formations of B - 17s and could not understand why they didn ’ t pick us out as a straggler . Before we reached the Baltic Sea , we lost the second engine , and the decision had to be made to go to Sweden because we could not make it back to England . Bob asked for a course to Sweden , and I charted one to a little town called Ystad in the very southernmost part of Sweden . < br > All loose equipment , including machine guns , radio equipment , and clothing , was thrown overboard in order to lighten the ship . An attempt was made to drop the ball turret , but it wouldn ’ t move . < br > As we approached the coastline , Bob was interested in knowing whether or not it was Sweden . I confidently stated that it was , but after the flak started coming up as we got over land , I wasn ’ t so sure . All of it was low , and I believe the Swedes were just telling us ‘ Don ’ t try anything . ’ Just before we reached land we lost the third engine , and we were losing altitude fast . A Swedish ( J 9 ) fighter came up and led us to Malmö , Sweden , where a B - 24 , also in trouble , landed just ahead of us . Actually , we had to swing wide to keep from colliding . " European service . Sweden , a neutral country , interned the crew and aircraft , one of eight U . S . heavy bombers that diverted to Sweden that day . A deal was made between the Swedish and U . S . governments to permit around 300 American crewmen to be repatriated in exchange for a promise not to use the crewmen in combat again and to formally turn over to Sweden nine B - 17s that had landed intact . Seven of these were converted by Saab Aircraft into airliners that could carry 14 passengers , and " Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby " flew for SILA ( now Scandinavian Airlines ) . In December 1945 it was one of two B - 17s sold to Danish carrier Det Danske Luftfartselskab A / S , later a part of SAS , and remained in civilian service until June 1947 as the " Stig Viking " ( civilian registry " OY - DFA " ) . The B - 17 was subsequently transferred in March 1948 to the Danish Army Air Corps , flying as " Store Bjørn " " 672 " , and in December 1949 , to the Danish Naval Air Service . From October 1952 the Danish Air Force 721 Squadron used the transport for Greenland ; finally retiring it a year later . After two years in storage , she was sold to the Institut Géographique National , a French aerial mapping company based in Creil outside Paris , and flew under the civilian registry F - BGSP . Restoration and display . The aircraft was tracked down by Steve Birdsall , a noted military aviation historian from Australia . Last flown in July 1961 , the remains of the plane were donated to the U . S . Air Force in 1972 when French officials presented the B - 17 to Secretary of the Air Force Robert C . Seamans , Jr . for preservation . The journey from France required the assistance of the United States Air Forces in Europe to disassemble and crate the plane for truck shipment to Rhein - Main Air Base in Germany and then eventual airlift to the United States by C - 5A transport . Among those greeting the aircraft on its return were its wartime pilot Paul McDuffee , who had become an insurance salesman in Tampa , Florida , and retired USAF Major General Stanley T . Wray , the first commander of the 91st Bomb Group . A restoration was undertaken between 1978 – 1988 at Dover Air Force Base , Delaware by the 512th Military Airlift Wing in an effort that tallied some 60 , 000 man hours . In 1981 , Tony Starcer recreated his original nose art at Dover Air Force Base , Delaware , for the Fortress . The aircraft was flown to Dayton on 13 October 1988 , restored as " Shoo Shoo Shoo Baby " . Put on display in place of long - time exhibit former - drone controller DB - 17P , " 44 - 83624 " , ( a converted B - 17G that did not see combat ) , which was subsequently sent to the Air Mobility Command Museum at Dover Air Force Base ( sans its top turret , which it gave up for the restoration of " Shoo Shoo Baby " ) the reborn veteran can be seen today at the National Museum of the United States Air Force near Dayton , Ohio . The name has been restored to the original " Shoo Shoo Baby " and due to the amount of skin work required to restore its wartime appearance , it is finished in olive drab and grey instead of bare - metal as it was in operations . Upcoming move . When restoration is completed of the National Museum of the United States Air Force ' s B - 17D , " The Swoose " , it will replace " Shoo Shoo Baby " as the museum ' s B - 17 exhibit . At that time " Shoo Shoo Baby " will be transferred to the National Air and Space Museum ' s Steven F . Udvar - Hazy Center outside Washington , D . C . for permanent display . " The Swoose " will eventually be joined on display in Dayton by the B - 17F " Memphis Belle " once restoration of that aircraft is completed . The decision to transfer " Shoo Shoo Baby " raised some concerns among the staff and patrons of the Dayton museum , as " Shoo Shoo Baby " is one of the world ' s finest restored examples of a B - 17G , and has been a popular exhibit at the museum for many years . It was eventually pointed out that with the display of the " Swoose " and eventual display of the " Memphis Belle " , the National Museum of the United States Air Force will possess the world ' s two most historically significant B - 17s , and another B - 17G model can easily be obtained when funds and space become available .