From the notes of Capt. Alfred Jones:
"Davie was a bus and the 'Flying Fortress' moniker seemed to pass her by, but it was a ship with a brave crew. The trudge of getting back to England from enemy territory is a story for another day. I miss her and sometimes I miss the boys we lost that day."
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B-17F "Dear Davie":
*U.S. Army Model B-17F-65-BO
Air Corps Serial No. 42-29670
Delivered Cheyenne 31/1/43; Pueblo 18/2/43; Salina 15/2/43; Brookley 19/3/43; Smoky Hill 23/3/43; Dow Field 18/4/43.
Assigned to the 333rd Bomb Squadron/94th Bomb Group [TS-L] "DEAR DAVIE" 22/4/43; Missing in Action near Hamburg 25/7/43 with Alfred "Comet" Jones, **Co-Pilot: Daryl "Speed" Reed, Navigator: Richard Reed, Bombardier: Charlie Marstaller; Radio Operator: Johnathan Graves, Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner: Clyde "Pepsi" Ray, Ball Turret Gunner: William Ortlieb, Waist Gunner: Leslie Lipsey, Waist Gunner: Paul Rapoport, Tail Gunner: Thomas Pugh (6 Killed in Action); "DEAR DAVIE" lost to flak/anti-aircraft fire, crashing near Uetersen, 15 miles NW of Hamburg, Germany.
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[nerd things & acknowledgements below cut]
Notes on the B-17F...
The B-17F was an upgrade of the previous E model, with several notable changes: A one- or two-piece plexiglas nose cone, as opposed to the ten-paneled cone of previous versions. Reinforced landing gear allowed for a greater maximum payload, from 4,200 lb (1,900 kg) of ordnance to 8,000 lb (3,600 kg). Flight and combat range of the F model was improved by 900 mi (1,400 km) with the addition of nine self-sealing rubber fuel cells in the wing root, aka, "Tokyo tanks". The F model was generally characterized by being tail-heavy - which lead to part failure - and woefully undefended from the front; the early F models had no front-facing armament, leaving a 60° blind spot to the direct front of the aircraft - a flaw which was exploited by German pilots, who held air superiority. Later F models would see a list of possible available modifications (factory and field) such as inserting two .50 caliber machine guns into the nose cone to solve the blind spot. Other modifications to later F models were bulged cheek turrets, as opposed to the window-mounted guns of earlier iterations, and the available addition of the iconic "Bendix" chin turret. The chin turret is far more common on the subsequent G "gunship" variant. ("Dear Davie" is an early F model without the nose mount, bulged cheeks, or chin turret.)
*This model production block, serial no., and fate are borrowed from real-life B-17F #42-29670, "Thundermug." "Thundermug" was an aircraft that originally served in the 333rd Bomb Squadron/94th Bomb Group alongside my great-grandfather and his usual steed, "The Gremlins Hotel." It was transferred to the 544th BS/384th BG, at which point it went Missing in Action over Hamburg from flak/aa-fire; 8 of its crew became POWs while 2 were KIA. I have had the honor to speak to descendants of both of its crews and help them research "Thundermug"; I wish to voice a mere glimpse of their stories in a unique way.
**All names of Alfred's crew are either cobbled-together family names throughout our history here or entirely fictitious - though some were inspired by real people whom I grew up with stories of. All inspirations were individuals that lived good lives post-war.
I drew this based on “Hetalia characters as famous paintings” official art. China was based on “One hundred portraits of Peking opera characters” by unknown
Falling into the historical hetalia fandom and coming out changed irrecoverably is a canon event
Drawing explanations ⬇️
Rastatt: Not much to say, I think it's pretty clear South Italy and Spain have a close relationship in canon.
Ghent: hc that it's difficult for Canada and America to HATE each other. Yes, they get irritated and angry, but due to being isolated together, growing up side by side, and experiencing conflicts all the time because of forced proximity, they decided to separate their personal and professional lives. Thus, it was hard for Alfred and Matthew to fight each other during the War of 1812 (they still did, because at the end of the day their nations will always be the priority). When the war ended, they couldn't be more relieved.
Ausgleich: Austria and Hungary married in canon, so...
Customs: idk about Leich and Swiss's backstory in canon, but I like their characters and did light research into their history. Apparently, this treaty was very important in developing their economic and diplomatic ties.
V-E Day: hc that while England and France used to hate one another (they always fought throughout history), but by 1900s, they were so used to the other's presence (they'd never admit it then) that they couldn't imagine life without them. Since they were SO close to being defeated during WW2, at the end I imagine all the "pretending to despise you" shit flew out the window, and they were just so glad the other was alive and kicking.
Mauerfall: Also very canon. In the manga, Ludwig was a bit ashamed of himself for being put together, while Gilbert was more poor during their reunion. Also, Prussia got punished for WW2 heavily despite Germany playing a larger role in the conflict, so Ludwig prob feels guilty about that. And ofc, hc that Ludwig was worried at how USSR/Russia treated Gil, so he's currently breaking down :)
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