43-39061 Round Twip Wabbit

media-17078.jpeg UPL 17078 As noted in that thread the yellow triangle on the right wing is the marking of the 379th BG but the rest of the markings are for the 447th BG. Clearly this a/c was traded back and forth between the 447th and the 379th as noted in the Fort Log. To complicate photo ID, the identifier for the 447th was the square K and the identifier for the 379th was the triangle K.

Object Number - UPL 17078 - As noted in that thread the yellow triangle on the right wing is the marking of the 379th BG but the rest of the markings are for the 447th BG. ...

The following crew members were on the 4/6/45 mission to Leipzig, Germany on aircraft 43-39061-H "Round Trip Rabbit", 525th Squadron:



Jensen, Sterling A 1st Lt. Pilot

Hill, Joseph K 2nd Lt. Co-Pilot

Burke, John P 2nd Lt. Navigator

McCrary, Raymond E F/O Bombardier

Allen Jr., Leslie E T/Sgt. Radio Operator/Gunner

Roberts, Robert E T/Sgt. Engineer/Top Turret Gunner

Lake, Charles D Sgt. Ball Turret Gunner

Worthington, Clifford J. S/Sgt. Waist Gunner

Roundtree, Clarence P. S/Sgt. Tail Gunner



The following is a summary by the Pilot:

'Final mission; electrical system malfunction; oil pressure gauge on # 3 dropped; feathered the prop; couldn't see any oil leak so I decided to unfeather the prop but because of the electrical malfunction it wouldn't unfeather. Stayed in formation to drop our bombs'



'After leaving the target we couldn't keep up with the formation and lost radio contact. Flying over a 10/10 under cast the navigator couldn't get a fix; finally we broke out over an English fighter field in France.'



'Dropped the wheels to indicate we wanted to land and got a green light. My navigator said we now had a heading to an American field. We took this [the wheels wouldn't retract] but there was no field. In the distance I spotted a large city, Lille, France, and landed on an old German fighter field. At the end of the landing roll the right gear dropped into a sand-filled and grass-covered bomb crater, bending #3 & #4 props. The plane was not repairable and we flew back to England.'

Sterling A. Jensen, 1st Lieutenant Pilot

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 379th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Failed to Return (FTR)

Germany 6 April 1945

Revisions

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Dave Osborne's B-17 Fortress Master Log duplicates the fate of this aircraft with that of 43-39081.
See: http://www.8thafhs.com/get_mia_aircraft.php?acgroup_id=25&mission_date=…

For the actual fate of this aircraft see: http://www.379thbga.org/ww2_photos.htm

Date
ContributorFigmnt
Changes
Date
ContributorFigmnt
Changes
Date
ContributorFigmnt
Changes
Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 12439 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

43-39061: Gallery (2 items)