B-17E 41-2446 Ferry Flight To Hawaii
General Clarence Tinker rode as a passenger on B-17E 41-2446 to Hawaii in the radio compartment. Tinker took command of the Hawaiian Department following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941. In January 1942 he was advanced to Major General. In early June 1942 the Japanese began their assault of Midway Island, and on 7 June, General Tinker elected to lead a force of early model B-24s against the retreating Japanese naval forces. Near Midway Island his plane was seen to go out of control and plunge into the sea. General Tinker and eight crewmen perished. On October 14, 1942 the Oklahoma City Air Depot was named Tinker Field in his honor. It is now Tinker Air Force Base.

January 1943 publication, "Army Life in Hawaii," a "Life" magazine size that is "...a pictorial record of America's fighting forces on guard at this Pacific outpost." Shown seated at his desk is the late Major General Clarence Tinker, former Commanding General of the Seventh Air Force, who was lost in action during the Midway battle. The photo is a Seventh Air Force photo. Directly in front of the General is a StromBecKer model of the early B-17 which I would like to think that the General built himself. This is the same B-17 model that introduced me to model aviation. What wonderful memories a single model airplane can evoke.