Restoration of Flak-Bait uncovers local veteran’s signature on legendary WW II plane

Restoration of Flak-Bait uncovers Dauphin County veteran’s signature on legendary WW II plane Updated: 12:56 PM EST Nov 14, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Katelyn Smith Anchor Restoration of Flak-Bait uncovers Dauphin County veteran’s signature on legendary WW II plane Updated: 12:56 PM EST Nov 14, 2026 Editorial Standards ⓘ Katelyn Smith Anchor DULLES, Va.

The Details

The restoration of Flak-Bait, a World War II plane known for surviving more combat missions than any other American aircraft, has revealed the signature of a Dauphin County veteran, connecting his family to its remarkable history.

Jeremy Kinney, a curator at the Smithsonian, highlighted the plane’s unique features.

“You can see the nose art here,” Kinney said. “Names of the crews, there’s Jim Boss Farrell, who is the first pilot to lead for the aircraft.”

200 Combat missions

Each red marker on the plane represents a mission, with the 200th mission painted prominently on April 17, 1945. Despite enduring damage and living up to its name, Flak-Bait ensured the safety of all 350 Americans who flew on it.

“A combination of luck and being in the right place, and just sheer determination of the crews made Flak-Bait the survivor that it was,” Kinney said.

The plane was disassembled and shipped back to the U.S. after the war due to extensive damage. For years, only its nose was displayed at the museum, where visitors could touch it, wearing away the paint. Now, as conservators work to restore the entire aircraft, they are carefully cleaning it to bring out its original details.

“We’re cleaning it, and we’re bringing out the originality of the airplane,” Kinney said.

What's being revealed

The restoration process has revealed signatures, some faint and others more obvious. Among them is one that reads "Bill Slabonik, Steelton, PA."

Bill Slabonik’s son confirmed the signature belonged to his father, who enlisted in the Army at the end of 1945 and retired as a lieutenant colonel. The elder Slabonik, who passed away in 2011, was proud of his service, often wearing gunner’s wings to signify his qualification as an air crewman.

“He always wore the gunner’s wings. I know that he was proud of that, the fact that he qualified as an air crewman,” his son said.

Despite his father's storytelling, the younger Slabonik said none of the family’s 14 children had ever heard of Flak-Bait. He believes his father's signature on the plane was likely a spur-of-the-moment decision.

"I picture them crating it up in an airport somewhere and him and his buds walking by and says, 'Hey guys, let's send a message home,'" he said. “He probably walked by it one day, and like Kilroy was here.”

Museum staff agree that many of the signatures likely came from maintenance personnel or others who knew the plane was destined for a museum.

“We think it’s people who did not fly on the airplane,” Kinney said. “These maintenance personnel and others on this field, they know it’s going in a museum, they know it’s going back to the U.S., so why don’t we just sign the airplane."

'Postcard from heaven'

Regardless of how it happened, the Smithsonian is ensuring Slabonik’s name remains a visible part of the plane’s history. This year, the elder Slabonik would have turned 100.

“Oh, we just got another postcard from heaven,” his son said. “Dad’s tapping on our shoulders, saying, ‘I’m still here, come on, don’t forget me.’”

While the part of the plane with Slabonik’s signature is no longer accessible to the public, the Smithsonian has invited his family to see it.

Other parts of Flak-Bait are on display, and the museum aims to have the fully preserved plane ready for viewing by 2029.

Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

Twin-engine medium bomber. — 70 ft. 10 in.

58 ft. 5 in.

21 ft. 8 in.

Project engineer Peyton M. Magruder designed the Glenn L. Martin Company's B-26 Marauder in response to an Army Air Corps specification issued in January 1939. This specification also caught the attention of North American Aviation, Inc., and that firm responded with the B-25.

War fever caused the Air Corps to forgo a prototype test stage and both bombers went from the drawing board straight into production. The consequences were deadly for men flying the Martin bomber.

The Army threatened to withdraw the aircraft from combat, but Marauder crews stuck with their airplane. By war's end, they had lost fewer airplanes than almost any other combat unit and compiled a notable war record.

The NASM B-26B-25-MA nicknamed 'Flak-Bait' (AAF serial number 41-31773) survived more than 200 operational missions over Europe, more than any other American aircraft during World War II.

Below | Artist: Martin Aircraft Co. (Photo by Heritage Art/Heritage Images via Getty Images)

Heritage Images

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