B-17 Flying Fortress
Caption : “Lt. Thornton and crew of the 92nd Bomb Group beside a Boeing B-17 “Flying Fortress”. England, 15 November 1943.” (Official USAAF photo). Note : Lt Thornton was shot down with his crew on the following day’s mission to Knaben, Norway on board B-17 “Flagship” # 42-29996 - Lt Thornton is standing, 5th from left top row and the only other identifiable man is Right Waist Gunner S/Sgt Otto F. Trammer, 2nd from left top row. The others are most probably Co-Pilot 2nd Lt Whitney M. Bray; Navigator 2nd Lt David C. Besbris; Bombardier 2nd Lt Arthur A. Carmell; Top Turret Gunner S/Sgt John Geegee; Radio Operator T/Sgt Laurence E. Dennis; Ball Turret Gunner S/Sgt Dean M. Sommers; Left Waist Gunner S/Sgt Charles H. Hartnett; Tail Gunner S/Sgt Rolland A. Galloway. Four others are members of the ground crew. S/Sgt Dean Sommers 1st from left top row. T/Sgt Laurence Dennis 1st on right, top row
Delivered Cheyenne 23 March 1943; Dow Field 10 April 1943; Assigned 407BS/92BG [PY-R] Alconbury 24 April 1943. Was flown by Captain Donald G. Parker on the 17 July 1943 mission to Hannover, Germany. Hit by Unteroffizier Ernst Breton of JG11, it was lost on the 16 November 1943 mission to the salt mines at Knaben, Norway with Pilot Joseph F. Thornton; Co-pilot: Whitney M. Bray; Bombardier: Arthur A. Carmell; Flight engineer/top turret gunner: John Geegee; Radio Operator: Laurence E Dennis; Ball turret gunner: Dean M. Sommers; Left Waist gunner: Charles H. Hartnett; Right Waist gunner: Otto F. Trammer; Tail gunner: Rolland A. Galloway (9 Prisoner of War). The Navigator: David C. Besbris bailed out early, landed in Norway and was helped to evade by Norwegian patriots; reached Sweden on 17 Fébruary 1944 and was back in the UK on 15 March 1944. Crashed near Mandal, West of Kristiansand, Norway. Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 1384. FLAGSHIP / FLAG SHIP.
Group
The 92nd Group sometime after arrivial in the UK converted to the role of in-theater combat crew indocrination and training. For this role, the Group traded its B-17F complement and obtained the B-17E, mostly from the 97th BG which was departing for...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
David Bresbis was a Navigator in the 92nd Bomb Group/407th Bomb Squadron. He was serving in that function on B-17 #42-29965 when it ditched for lack of fuel in the English Channel on return from the 6 September 1943 to Stuttgart, Germany. All ten men...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Whitney Bray enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in Canada before the United States' entry into the conflict. He trained as a Pilot at No.4 Service Flying Training School in Saskatoon, Canada before being sent to England. After a number of...
Military | Major | Bombardier | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Edward Bruni graduated from St. Mary of the Mount High School in 1934. He was a winning football coach of the high school from 1937-39, together with Eppie Graner, and coached three champion teams and one co-champion team in the Catholic League.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Arthur Carmell enlisted in the Air Corps and followed Bombardier training as a Bombardier Cadet at the San Angelo Army Air Field, Texas, Class of 1942. After completing his training, he was sent overseas and assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group/407th Bomb...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Bombardier; Togglier; Waist Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Fred Champion was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group/407th Bomb Squadron in England. He was serving as Waist Gunner on board B-17 #42-29996 on the 17 July 1943 mission to Stuttgart, with Pilot Captain Donald G. Parker. Badly damaged by enemy fighters, the...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Laurence Dennis graduated from Farmington Community High School in the class of 1938. After his enlistment in the Air Corps in September 1941, he trained as a Radio Operator at Scott Field. Sent overseas, he was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group/407th...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
After his enlistment in August 1942, Rolland Galloway followed gunnery training. Promoted to Staff Sergent, he was sent overseas and assigned as a Tail Gunner in the 92nd Bomb Group/407th Bomb Squadron in England. He was Tail Gunner on B-17 #42-29965...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
John Geegee enlisted in the Air Corps in July 1942 and trained first at Miami Beach, and Fort Myers, Florida. He followed gunnery courses in Goldsboro and Johnson Field, South Carolina, receiving his gunner's wings at Fort Myers, Florida. He was then...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
After 4 years of High School, Charles Hartnett started working as a mail clerk in 1940. He enlisted in July 1942 and trained as an aerial gunner. Sent overseas, he was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group/407th Bomb Squadron in England. He was on board B-17...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
A 1940 graduate of Cornell University, Lohnas Knapp enlisted in the Air Corps in November 1941 and trained as a Navigator on B-17s. Sent overseas, he was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group/407th Bomb Squadron. Slightly wounded on his 23rd mission during...
17 July 1943
The railroad industry at Hannover, Germany and the aircraft industry at Hamburg, Germany were the intended targets for this mission but weather caused the mission to be cancelled. The element sent to Hannover was a combined force of 207 B-17s from:...
16 November 1943
This mission was directed at targets in Norway. It was composed of three elements. The first element was a combined force of 189 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 384BG (21); 303BG (20); 379BG (22); 351BG (20); 91BG (20); 381BG (22); 305BG ...
Military site : airfield
Alconbury had been constructed as a satellite airfield for RAF Upwood and Wyton and was used by RAF Squadrons: Nos. 15, 40 and 156. In preparation for the arrival of American heavy bombers, the base was developed in 1942 with the runways extended. When...
Military site : airfield
Built originally to accommodate two RAF bomber squadrons, the first USAAF unit to occupy the base was the 15th Bomb Squadron in September 1942. Podington was then used as a satellite for nearby Chelveston. Work to lengthen the runways, although this...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | near Mandal, Norway | 16 November 1943 |
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Crashed near Mandal, Norway |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 02 February 2018 01:28:30 | Ruth Lawrence | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Biography needed editing: Navigator is Besbris not Cesbris. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 November 2016 13:44:32 | ED-BB | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Correction to "Desbris", which must be Cesbris, who landed in Norway, not Sweden. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 November 2016 15:38:24 | ED-BB | Changes to nicknames, markings, description, events, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 1384 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:25 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 1384 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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