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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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 15/2/43; Walker 27/2/43; Salina 10/3/43; Presque Is 8/4/43; Assigned 338BS/96BG Grafton Underwood 17/4/43 RUTH L II (re-named LUCKY LADY); transferred 533BS/381BG [VP-W] Ridgewell 14/7/43; Missing in Action 28m Brunswick 30/1/44 with Henry Steele, Co-pilot: Jim Settle, Navigator: Bob Anderson, Bombardier: Leopold Flores, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Perry Beach,Tail gunner: Paul Welch (6 Prisoners of War); Radio Operator: Wilbert Eason, Ball turret gunner: Harry Lee, Left Waist gunner: Harry Holtz, Right Waist gunner: Pete Hlynsky (4 Killed in Action); flak & enemy aircraft, crash landed between Bakel & Deurne, Hol. MACR 2244. MARTHA II.
Fitted with twin .50 nose gun configuration, which prevented the bombardier from using a bomb sight, resulting in this aircraft being used as a 'wing' aircraft to support the formation leader.
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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Group
The 381st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Ridgewell, Essex between June 1943 and April 1945. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, the first for bombing shipyards at Bremen, whilst under heavy attack, on 8 October 1943 and...
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945.
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Squadron
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Steele crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to the marshalling yards at Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. He had glass in is eyes from the exploding nose...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer | 381st Bomb Group
ETTG, Steele crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW-190's on return from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. S/Sgt Beach was wounded in the aircraft so Sgt Eason (radio operator) manned...
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator, Radio Operator Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Radio operator, Steele crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. Sgt Eason had left his radio to man the top turret guns after S/Sgt...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 381st Bomb Group
Bombardier, Steele crew. Original member of the Garrett crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. He had a right knee injury. Evaded...
Military | 381st Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
RWG, Steele crew. Original member of the Garrett crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F 42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. Killed in Action (KIA). As Sgt Hlynsky was...
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
LWG, Steele crew. Original member of the Garrett crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. Killed in Action (KIA). Sgt Holtz was...
Military | Major | Bombardier | 381st Bomb Group
September 1943 - July 1944
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
BTG, Steele crew. Original member of the Garrett crew. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. Sgt Lee was found by the Dutch underground still in the aircraft...
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Co-pilot, Steele crew. Original member of the Garrett crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. Lt Settle along with other members...
22 June 1943
The German rubber industry (Chemische Werke Hüls AG) at Marl (district Hüls-Nord), Germany, is the primary objective of this mission and is assigned to the Bomb Groups with the most expericence. Also the industrial area of Antwerp, Belgium is assigned...
28 July 1943
The German aircraft industry at Kassel (Fieseler works) and Oscherleben, Germany are the primary targets of this mission. 182 B-17s from: 91BG (20); 92BG (17); 303BG (20); 305BG (21); 306BG (24); 351BG (21); 379BG (19); 381BG (20); and 384BG (20) are...
30 January 1944
This mission has the aviation industry at Brunswick, Germany as the primary target. The mission is composed of a combined force pf 777 heavy bomber aircraft despatched in three elements: 1st Bomb Division; 2nd Bomb Division and 3rd Bomb Division. The...
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...
Military site : airfield
Built during 1941-42 as an RAF bomber station, Ridgewell operated as a satellite to RAF Stradishall until May 1943. It had three concrete runways, initially 36 pan hardstandings, and two dispersed T2 hangars. Taken over by the Eighth Air Force in June...
Military site : non-airfield
Military site : airfield
Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50...
Military site : airfield
Event | Location | Date |
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Manufactured | Seattle, WA, USA | 1943 |
Built at Boeing. |
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Delivered | 18500 E 6th Ave, Aurora, CO 80011, USA | 15 February 1943 |
Delivered Denver AAF 15-Feb-43. |
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Assigned | Grafton Underwood, Kettering NN14, UK | 17 April 1943 |
Assigned 338BS, 96BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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Assigned | Ridgewell, Halstead CO9, UK | 14 July 1943 |
Transferred 533BS, 381BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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Crashed | 5761 Bakel, Netherlands | 30 January 1944 |
Missing in Action 28m Brunswick 30/1/44 flak & enemy aircraft, crash landed between Bakel & Deurne, Hol. 6 x POW, 4 x KIA MACR 2244. |
Date | Contributor | Update |
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31 May 2020 00:07:50 | kstrykerAK | Changes to mission associations |
Sources | ||
Snetterton Falcons II: The 96th Bomb Group in World War II by Robert E Doherty & Geoffrey D Ward. Second Edition with Errata & Supplemental Information. Taylor Publishing Company. 1996. pages 38, 293, 301 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
29 May 2020 22:23:24 | kstrykerAK | Changes to nicknames, markings, place associations and mission associations |
Sources | ||
Snetterton Falcons II: The 96th Bomb Group in World War II by Robert E Doherty & Geoffrey D Ward. Second Edition with Errata and Supplemental Information. Taylor Publishing. 1996. pages 29, 293 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
17 February 2020 12:11:39 | Emily | Changes to markings and description |
Sources | ||
Freeman, Mighty Eighth War Diary, p148-149 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
07 November 2018 19:39:47 | RayWells | Changes to person associations |
Sources | ||
Kris Azevedo |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
17 February 2018 03:13:48 | ARowe95 | Changes to person associations |
Sources | ||
ARowe95 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
14 February 2018 03:35:18 | ARowe95 | Changes to markings, description and mission associations |
Sources | ||
ARowe95 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
29 September 2017 10:07:14 | Al_Skiff | Changes to description, events, unit associations, place associations and media associations |
Sources | ||
Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:40:23 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2244 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |