8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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41-23807
B-24 Liberator
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B-24 41-23807 'Eager Beaver' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF.
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B-24 41-23807 'Eager Beaver' 67th BS, 44th BG, 8th AF.
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel with Chester Phillips crew; crashed north of Kiel 14-May-43. 7 x KIA, 4 x POW MACR 2748.
Sgt Michael J Denny, engineer on 'Little Beaver', wrote - “We were hit after we left the target. Two bursts in the back end, also knocked out one engine; then a burst in back of our navigator [Thomas E. Bartmess]. The entire inside of the flight deck was a mass of flames. It must have hit the hydraulic fluid in the accumulator positioned there. We went into a flat spin – had a Hell of a time standing on my feet and putting on my parachute. Tried to put out the fire, but was impossible. Could not get bomb bay doors open so I had to fight my way back to the rear windows to get out. Bailed out at about 800 feet. Was the last one to leave the plane, and saw it crash and burn.”
Service
Units
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44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Group
The 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 15-January-1942 at McDill Field, Florida and equipped with B-24Cs. The Group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana and acted as a training unit for the 90th 93rd and 98th Bomb Groups and flew anti... -
67th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Thomas Bartmess
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Killed in Action (KIA)... -
Michael Denny
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Prisoner of War (POW).... -
Charles Forehand
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Prisoner of War (POW)... -
Dale Glaubitz
Military | Staff Sergeant | Despatcher, Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Prisoner of War(POW)... -
Barney Grabowski
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Killed in Action (KIA)... -
William Hill
Military | Captain | Bombardier | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Prisoner of War (POW).... -
Gaylord Hubbard
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Killed in Action (KIA)... -
Chester Phillips
Military | Captain | Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Approximately 20 combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno... -
Edward Phillips
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Killed in Action (KIA)... -
George Price
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Kiel, Germany in B-24 41-23807 'Little Beaver'; hit by flak twice in rear fuselage, also one engine and a final burst hit the cockpit turning it into an inferno 14-May-43. Killed in Action (KIA)...
Places
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Shipdham
Military site : airfield
Shipdham was built in 1941-1942, the first US heavy bomber airfield in the English county of Norfolk. It was a standard design, with T2-type hangars and a domestic site dispersed to the south east. Improvements were carried out to increase the number...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | San Diego, TX 78384, USA | 1943 |
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Built at Consolidated. |
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| Delivered | Texas, USA | 1943 |
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Delivered to USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Shipdham, UK | 1943 |
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Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Kiel, Germany | 15 May 1943 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Crashed north of Kiel 14-May-43. 7 x KIA, 4 x POW MACR 2748. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 24 March 2020 21:14:44 | Al_Skiff | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/28737279 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 August 2016 12:30:34 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, description, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbmsn.asp?SN=41-23807&Submit6=Go |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:01 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 2748 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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