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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 8/3/44; Kearney 5/4/44; Dow Fd 19/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG [CQ- ] Rattlesden 20/4/44; Missing in Action Berlin 24/5/44 with Ralph Simon, Co-pilot: Ed Tully, Navigator: Joe Teixeira, Bombardier: Ralph Pittman, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: John Urdia, Radio Operator: Herman Grimm, Ball turret gunner: Clyde Chastain, Waist gunner: Kerwin Tozier, Waist gunner: Bill Nicholas, Tail gunner: Gene Minton (10 Killed in Action); hit by prop wash from another B-17, crashed North Sea, off St Peter, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 5249.
Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Prop wash accident 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Lieutenant | Bombardier | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Ralph Simon was born in Wisconsin in 1917. Ralph was one of the few Jewish Pilots to fly as part of the 447th group. He was married in 1943 to Peggy Jane Oberst, and they lived in Milwaukee. His crew was assigned to the 447th Bomber Group and 708...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 42-102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 24 May 1944 in B-17 #42-102494. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force in 1942, Rattlesden had three concrete runways, 50 hardstandings and two dispersed T2 hangars. Intended to be a twin-engine B-26 bomber base, it was originally a satellite for nearby Rougham, and first occupied from...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) Over Water (OW) | North Sea | 24 May 1944 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 29 October 2020 22:17:12 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:10 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 5249 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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