The Identification of "Shoo Shoo Baby"
If you have information to contribute, please e-mail it to noseart@381st.org .

There were two aircraft named "Shoo Shoo Baby" assigned to the 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy) at Ridgewell, Station 167 England. The second was B-17G #44-83624 (VE-F), unfortunately we have no pictures of this aircraft while it was at Ridgewell. This Douglas built aircraft was the last B-17 assigned to the 381st in 1945. It survives today and is displayed at the Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover AFB, Delaware, as B-17G #42-107112 "Sleepy Time Gal" 532nd BS (VE-O) .

The first "Shoo Shoo Baby" was a B-17F assigned to the group in early 1944. In the years after the war pictures of the aircraft's nose art were known, but the serial number of the aircraft was not. This resulted in going into many published records as an unidentified B-17F named "Shoo Shoo Baby" assigned to 381st BG.

After some diligent research, Kevin Wilson put two and two together and identified "Shoo Shoo Baby" as B-17F-110-BO #42-30613 assigned to the 381st BG, 535th BS as MS-J on 2/28/44, transferred from the 482nd BG. Kevin had an interest in the aircraft because of photos (see below) that his late-father, Howard Wilson 858th Air Engineering/448th SubDepot, collected showing "Shoo Shoo Baby" in the station bone yard after an accident.

Photo from Ron Mackay's Ridgewell's Flying Fortresses page 118.

Summary of the accident published by Ron Mackay: "A hair-raising occurrence involved Lt. Souder (535BS). The Sqdn records state he made three attempts to take-off, with the third recording 160 mph and a mercury reading of 39 inches as he over shot the runway and tipped the B-17F onto its nose. The nose section was crushed, but the bomb-load did not explode. However, what was surely a miraculous escape from 'the Grim Reaper' once again proved but a temporary reprieve for the crew, who slipped over into the MIA lists soon after" (Ridgewell's Flying Fortresses page 65.)

Ridgewell's Flying Fortresses page 65.

These two photos of "Shoo Shoo Baby" are courtesy of the Howard Wilson estate, 858th Air Engineering/448th SubDepot, through his son Kevin. Both photos show the tremendous damage to the aircraft's nose.

The final photo of this aircraft after it has been moved to the "bone yard" near Hanger #1 and stripped down to the engine mounts. You can clearly see the white triangle-L markings denoting the 1st Air division, 381st Bombardment Group (Heavy).

SHOO-SHOO BABY
The Andrews Sisters
- words and music by Phil Moore
- from the Universal Picture "Three Cheers For The Boys"
- lyrics as recorded in Los Angeles October 5, 1943 by The Andrews Sisters with Mitch Ayres & His Orchestra

You've seen him up and down the avenue
And now he's wearin' the navy blue
She had a tear in the corner of her eye
As he said his last goodbye

Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Bye, bye, bye baby
Do-dah do-day
Your papa's off to the seven seas

Don't cry baby
Don't sigh baby
Bye, bye, bye baby
Do-dah do-day
When I come back we'll live a life of ease

Seems kinda tough now
To say goodbye this way
But papa's gotta be rough now
So that he can be sweet to you another day

Bye, bye, bye baby
Don't cry baby
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Do-dah do-day
Your papa's off to the seven seas

(Shhh-shoo baby) Do-dah do-day
(Shhh-shoo baby) Do-dah do-day
(Shhh-shoo baby, shoo, shoo)
QUIET!!
I want a little bit o' quiet in the house, please
(She wants a little bit of quiet in the house)
So your papa's on his way to cross the seven seas
So don't you cry, oh, don't you sigh goodbye now
Shoo, shoo baby Shooo-oo-oo
Shoo, shoo my baby Shoooo
Goodbye baby, don't you cry no more
Your big tall papa's off to the seven seas

Seems kinda tough now
To say goodbye this way
But papa's gotta be rough now
So that he can be sweet to you another day

Shhhh baby, shhhh baby
Shoo, shoo, shoo baby
Goodbye, goodbye
Your papa's off to the seven seas, the seven seas
Your big tall papa's off to the seven seas

e-mail: noseart@381st.org