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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42-29651
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/1/43; Salina 9/2/43; Brookley 3/3/43; Morrison 9/3/43; Assigned Harris Prov. Gp, en route from Marrakech to St Eval, Cornwall, UK 7/4/43 force landed Lytchett Minster, near Poole, Dorset, low on gas with Talmadge Wilson, Co-pilot: M.Berg, Navigator: Granville Williams, Bombardier: Bob Sherwin, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: T.R. Cetnarowski, Radio Operator: A.H. Schatz, pass: E.J.Bayer, Art Burns, C.E. Vondrachek, M.A. LaSota, C.Silver, Lt L.R. Kisamore (12 Returned to Duty); aircraft stripped to lighten and flew out OK; Assigned 544BS/384BG [SU-G] Grafton Underwood 27/6/43; then [SU-K/G]; transferred 2 Base Air Depot, Lt Staughton 4/4/44; Returned to the USA 5/6/44; Tinker 3/7/44; Homestead 8/7/44; Patterson 15/2/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 17/8/45. STELLA MARIS.
Service
Units
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384th Bomb Group
Group
The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by... -
544th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Ted Cetnarowski
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 17 August 1943 in B-17 #423043 'Hitler's Gremlin. ' Plane ditched in North Sea. Returned to base. Earlier on April 7, 1943, ferrying B17 42-29651 'Stella Maris' from Marrakech to Cornwall, encountered enemy fire. Landed near Dorset. Crew was... -
Edward Holler
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Right Waist Gunner | 384th Bomb Group
B-17F #42-29717 'Mr. Five By Five' was last seen with one engine feathered and heading towards Switzerland on a mission to Stuttgart, GR on 25 Feb 1944. Prisoner of War (POW). POW
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 82
15 August 1943
German airfields in Holland and France are the targets for this mission. All of the attacks were made late in the afternoon just prior to sunset. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (20... -
VIII Bomber Command 83
16 August 1943
This mission consists of two elements of B-17s despatched to bomb the German airfields of Le Bourget (Paris), Poix and Abbeville, France. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (21); 92BG (17); 303BG (20); 305BG (20); 306BG (20);... -
VIII Bomber Command 85
19 August 1943
The German airfields at Gilze-Rijen, Holland and Woensdrecht, Holland are the targets for this mission. The attacks will be made by two elements. The first element is a combined force of 125 B-17s from: 91BG (8); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (19);... -
VIII Bomber Command 87
27 August 1943
This mission is the first attack by the USAAF on suspected V-Weapon sites. The German development of pilotless winged aircraft was first divulged to the British just shortly after the beginning of World War II in two letters sent to the British embassy... -
VIII Bomber Command 88
31 August 1943
This mission is composed of two elements. The first element is composed of 170 B-17s from: 91BG (16); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (18); 306BG (18); 351BG (21); 379BG (21); 381BG (19); and 384BG (18). The primary target for this element is German... -
VIII Bomber Command 89
2 September 1943
This mission was composed of five elements. The first element was combined force 55 B-17s despatched from: 92BG; 305BG, and 306BG to bomb German airfields in NW France. The mission is recalled due to weather and the bombers return without dropping... -
VIII Bomber Command 90
3 September 1943
German airfields in France and the Caudron-Renault works at Paris are the targets for this mission. The mission is composed of three elements. The first element is a combined force of 168 B-17s from: 91BG (14); 351BG (19); 381BG (22); 92BG (19); 305BG ... -
VIII Bomber Command 91
6 September 1943
This mission was planned as massive attack of 338 B-17s on the industrial areas of Stuttgart, Germany and would be supported by a formation of 69 B-24s flying a diversion. This would be the first action from the UK for the B-24 Groups that had recently... -
VIII Bomber Command 97
16 September 1943
This mission is composed of two elements: Bomb Groups from 1st Bomb Division and Bomb groups from 3rd Bomb Division. The first element is a combined force of 147 B-17s from: 91BG (18); 303BG (19); 305BG (16); 351BG (19); 379BG (19); 381BG (20); and... -
VIII Bomber Command 99 with RAF
22 September 1943
5 B-17s from 305BG/422BS are dispatched to accompany an RAF night attack on Hannover, Germany. All 5 are effective on the target. There are no losses or claims
Places
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Grafton Underwood
Military site : airfield
Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Delivered | Cheyenne, WY | 26 January 1943 |
| Force Landed | Lychett Minster, UK | 7 April 1943 |
| Manufactured | Grafton Underwood Airfield, UK | 27 June 1943 |
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384BG |
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| Force Landed | Deanland, UK | 6 September 1943 |
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Low on fuel returning from mission |
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| Force Landed | Great Ashfield Airfield, UK | 14 October 1943 |
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Runaway supercharger on #2 engine. Jettisoned bombs. |
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| Force Landed | RAF Thorney Island | 31 December 1943 |
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Completed mission. Low on fuel |
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| Force Landed | Metfield Airfield, UK | 21 February 1944 |
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Technical problem caused turnback. Bombed TOA. |
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| Assigned | Little Staughton Airfield, UK | 4 April 1944 |
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2BAD |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 03 November 2020 21:07:07 | 466thHistorian | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
https://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/One384thAircraft.php?Aircraft... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 November 2020 21:07:07 | 466thHistorian | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
https://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/One384thAircraft.php?Aircraft... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 November 2020 21:06:53 | 466thHistorian | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
https://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/One384thAircraft.php?Aircraft... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 November 2020 21:06:49 | 466thHistorian | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, markings, events, unit associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/One384thAircraft.php?Aircraft... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:23 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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