15th Air Force
The Fifteenth Air Force was one of two Strategic Air forces in Europe, along with the Eighth Air Force.
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B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 92BG Bangor 13/7/42; transferred 414BS/97BG Polebrook 6/42; Maison Blanche, Alg. 13/11/42; Tafaraoui, Alg. 22/11/42; Biskra, Alg. 25/12/42; on Tunis mission was rammed by Me109G 1/2/43 almost slicing rear fuselage and tail of plane off; made it back to Biskra and repaired; transferred 353BS/301BG 3m St Donat 6/3/43; Oudna, Tun 6/8/43; Cerignola, It. 7/12/43; Lucera, It. 1/2/44; Salvaged 6/3/45. ALL AMERICAN.
1-Feb-43 Crew:
Pilot- Ken Bragg Jr, Copilot- G. Boyd Jr, Navigator- Harry C. Nuessle, Bombardier- Ralph Burbridge, Engineer- Joe C. James, Radio Operator- Paul A. Galloway, Ball Turret Gunner- Elton Conda, Waist Gunner- Michael Zuk, Tail Gunner- Sam T. Sarpolus, Ground Crew Chief- Hank Hyland.
The Fifteenth Air Force was one of two Strategic Air forces in Europe, along with the Eighth Air Force.
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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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The 12th Air Force was established in the USA during the Second World War to provide the Army Air Force component of Operation Torch (the invasion of French North Africa) in 1942. The Air Force initially moved to England for training before...
Group
Activated 3-February-1942 at Geiger Field, Washington and equipped with B-17s. On 27-May-1942 the ground unit moved to Alamogordo Army Air Field, New Mexico, and the aircraft went to Muroc Army Air Field (now Edwards Air Force Base), California for...
Group
The 92nd Group sometime after arrivial in the UK converted to the role of in-theater combat crew indocrination and training. For this role, the Group traded its B-17F complement and obtained the B-17E, mostly from the 97th BG which was departing for...
Group
The 97th Bomb Group flew the Eighth Air Force's first heavy bomber mission from the UK when they bombed a marshalling yard at Rouen on 17 August 1942. Just a month later though the Group were reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force and left England for the...
Squadron
Squadron
Military | Captain | Pilot | 97th Bomb Group
Flew the B-17 'All American ' that had its tail left hanging by an ME109 and flew it safely back to base. The song 'On a Wing and a Prayer' was dedicated to Lt. Bragg for his daring deed. 97th became part of the 15th AF in 1943. This incident happened...
Military | Major | Bombardier | 97th Bomb Group
Flew on the B-17 'All-American' Plane - a picture of it was one of the most famous of WW II where the German fighter almost cut it in half.
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator/Gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Engineer/Gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Navigator | 97th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Military site : airfield
Polebrook was laid down for RAF Bomber Command use in 1940-1941. Built by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd, it had short runways which were lengthened for USAAF heavy bomber use. The RAF used the base for operational trials - including of B-17 Flying...
Military site : airfield
Military site : airfield
Event | Location | Date |
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Manufactured | Seattle, WA, USA | 1942 |
Built at Boeing. |
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Assigned | Polebrook, Peterborough PE8 5LN, UK | June 1942 |
Transferred 414BS, 97BG Polebrook Jun-42. |
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Delivered | Bangor, ME 04401, USA | 13 July 1942 |
Bangor, Maine, 13-Jul-42. Assigned to 92BG. |
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Combat damaged / mid air collision | Biskra, Algeria | 1 February 1943 |
On Tunis mission was rammed by Me109G 1-Feb-43 almost slicing rear fuselage and tailplane off; made it back to Biskra. |
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Assigned | Saint Donat, Tadjenanet, Algeria | 6 March 1943 |
Transferred 353BS/301BG St Donat 6-Mar-43. |
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Salvaged | 71036 Lucera, Province of Foggia, Italy | 6 March 1945 |
Salvaged 6-Mar-45 Lucera, Italy |
Date | Contributor | Update |
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05 February 2021 21:04:50 | jmoore43 | Changes to place associations |
Sources | ||
Added an association to Biskra, Algeria, the home base for the BG when "All American" was rammed by the German plane. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
02 February 2020 13:41:31 | phil marchese | Changes to unit associations |
Sources | ||
Maurer; ...Combat Units |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
02 October 2019 16:54:10 | jmoore43 | Changes to person associations |
Sources | ||
Added connections to crem members listed for A/C 41-24406. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
30 March 2019 21:37:04 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
Sources | ||
Added spaces in desription for readability. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
02 September 2017 19:03:28 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events and unit associations |
Sources | ||
https://www.thisdayinaviation.com/tag/97th-bombardment-group-heavy/ |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:40:02 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |