P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47D-2-RA 42-22490 [OS:U] "Beetle" was assigned to the 355FG/358FS at Steeple Morden, UK. On 7-Nov-43 the aircraft, piloted by 2LT William E. Roach, was despatched with others from 355FG to provide escort to b-26 bombers of the 9th Air Force that were attacking German airfields at Montdidier and Meulan, France. On the return his flight ran into headwinds of over 100mph which caused excessive fuel consumption. His aircraft ran out of fuel and he made a forced landing at the German airfield at Caen, France and was taken as a Prisoner of War (POW).
Group
Where the 353rd Fighter Group had pioneered ground strafing techniques, it was the 355th Fighter Group who destroyed more enemy aircraft by ground strafing than any other Eighth Air Force Group. Based at Steeple Morden from July 1943 to July 1945, the...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 355th Fighter Group
On 7-Nov-43 as the pilot of P-47D 42-22490 [OS:U] "Beetle", 355FG/358FS he was despatched with other P-47s form the 355FG to provide escort to B-26 bombers of 9th Air Force attacking German airfields at Montdidier and Meulan, France. On the return the...
7 November 1943
This mission is composed of two fighter elements. The first element if a force of 54 P-38s from 55FG despatched to provide escort for B-26 bombers from 9th Air Force attacking German airfields at Montdidier and Meulan, France. The force included 8 P...
Military site : airfield
Originally used from 1940 as a small, grass airfield, satellite for nearby RAF Bassingbourn, Steeple Morden was allocated to the Eighth Air Force in August 1942 as a potential bomber base. It was used briefly by the 3rd Photographic Group during the...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Forced Landing | Caen, France | 7 November 1943 |
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Ran out of fuel and made a forced landing at the German airfield at Caen, France and was captured. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 10 September 2015 22:46:02 | Tanks | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Corrected spelling mistakes |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 10 July 2015 20:30:59 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to nicknames, markings, description, events, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 10-Jul-2015. Added Nickname, Markings and Description based on the "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE; Added FTR event per MACR 1283. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:17 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 1281 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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