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B-17 Flying Fortress
Group 379-15-1 July12-1945 Combat Crew
Tondelayo B17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 5/3/43; Sioux City 20/3/43; Tinker 28/3/43; Kearney 8/4/43; Dow Fd 16/4/43.
Assigned 527BS/379BG [FO-Y/V] Kimbolton 2/5/43.
Missing in Action Stuttgart 6/9/43 with John Fawkes, Co-pilot: Chas Mauldin, Navigator: Elmer Bendiner, Bombardier: Bob Hejny, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Larry Reedman, Radio Operator: Fred Reinhard, Ball turret gunner: Walt Gray, Waist gunner: John Leary, Waist gunner: Harry Edwards,Tail gunner: Mike Arooth (10 Returned to Duty); ditched Channel, all rescued by Air Sea Rescue launch HSL180 from Dover, Kent, UK.
No MACR. TONDELAYO.
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit...
Squadron
Military | Master Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo'. Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base. Officially credited with nine enemy aircraft destroyed as detailed in The Mighty Eighth by Roger Freeman. He received head injuries when The Tondelayo...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 527BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 25 combat missions. Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 #42-29896 'Tondelayo'. Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Awards: DFC, AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
3 Purple Hearts, Air Medal w/Oak Leaf Cluster
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
8 June 1943 B-17 42276 was returning to BW1 to collect codes and allied papers left at the control office, when a/c suffered damage on landing. Crew is listed with the Reed Prov. Bomb Group.
...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6 September 1943 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Crashed | 6 September 1943 | |
|
Ditched in English Channel. All crew rescued. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 26 October 2017 11:47:33 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to description and events |
| Sources | ||
Updated bio details from 'Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces' Bishop & Hey. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:24 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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