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"Dottie" a Douglas B-17F- 45/65- DL in the 42-3XXX serial range circa May, 1943.
Assigned 325BS/92BG Bangor 13/7/42; 97BG Polebrook 8/42; Salvaged NBD 21/10/42. DOTTIE.
This aircraft was assigned to 97BG/414BS and participated in the mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. The aircraft returned to Polebrook with extensive battle damage and was declared a Category E (damaged beyond repair) loss. The wreck was transferred to Burtonwood to be salvaged for spare parts. No information was found concerning the crew as of this writing 29-Oct-2014.
Service
Units
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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...
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Missions
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21 October 1942
German U-Boat pens are Lorient, France are the Primary (P) targets for this mission along with the German airfield at Cherbourg, France. 93BG despatches 24-B-24s to Lorient, but cloud cover prevents them from bombing. The main attack force to Lorient...
Places
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Military site : airfield
Built for the RAF in 1939-40, the RAF's No. 37 Maintenance Unit used the base from 1940 to 1942, before it became a joint Anglo-American maintenance and servicing airfield - a Base Air Depot. After the war it continued to be used as a maintenance and...
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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...
Events
Not yet known