STORIES

 "The Flying Royal Flush"

George P. Hutschenreuter, a 446th ground crew member who visited Flixton Museum in 2000, told us that whilst serving at Flixton assisting crew chief maintaining B24J Liberator,42-94936. "Li'l Snooks" with the 707Sqn, he was married to an English girl by Chaplain John Gannon.

George gave us 5 playing cards in the form of a Royal Flush, that he had attached under the top right corner of the Fire Extinguisher panel on the port side of the nose section on "Li'l Snooks" after its first few missions.  After the aircraft had completed 50 missions the cards became dirty and damaged so were replaced with a new set.

The photograph above shows the cards in position on the plane, and (inset) the condition of the cards now on display in the 446th Museum, still crimped together as they were in 1945.  "Li'l Snooks" was shot down over the Strasbourg area on its 88th mission on the 3rd February 1945.  The crew baled out safely, but Pilot 2/Lt. Richard Wann, who was the last to leave fell behind enemy lines and was captured.