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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42-29896
B-17 Flying Fortress
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Group 379-15-1 July12-1945 Combat Crew
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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.
Service
Units
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379th Bomb Group
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... -
527th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Michael Arooth
Military | Master Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down 6-Sep-43 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 ditched... -
Elmer Bendiner
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 527BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 6-Sep-43 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo'. Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base. Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Harry Edwards
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. -
Bohn Fawkes
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 527BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 25 combat missions. Shot down 6-Sep-43 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo'. Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base. Awards: DFC, AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME. -
Walter Gray
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. -
Robert Hejny
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. -
John Leary
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 -
Charles Mauldin
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. ... -
Lawrence Reedman
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. -
Frederic Reinhard
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.
Places
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Kimbolton
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....
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Crashed | 6 September 1943 | |
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Ditched in English Channel. All crew rescued. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 12 August 2020 20:34:16 | jmoore43 | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Added a unit connection to the 8th AF. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 August 2020 19:40:49 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity. |
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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. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:24 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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