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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41-24496
B-17 Flying Fortress
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Crew of B-17 41-24496 'Chennault Pappy', 323BS, 91BG, in a medal ceremony, William H Weise stands far right.
B-17F 41-24496 'Chennault's Pappy' Delivered Great Falls, Montana, force landed Nashville, Tennessee with Jim Dale; repaired & assigned 423BS/306BG Westover 15-Aug-42; Thurleigh 8-Sep-42.
B-17F 41-24496, was despatched along with 12 other B-17s to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft received severe damage from German FW-190 fighters, killing the Engineer/Top Turret Gunner, TSgt Kenneth R. Aulenbach and wounding three others. The pilot, Capt Robert C. Williams and Co-Pilot, 2LT Warren George managed to fly to damaged aircraft back to England, making an emergency landing at RAF Exeter. The aircraft was salvaged. 1KIA 9RTD-3WIA. No MACR issued.
P Capt Robert C. Williams (RTD); CP 2Lt Warren George (RTD)
N 1Lt Jacob C. Shively (RTD);B 2Lt Emmett W. Ford (RTD)
E/TTG TSgt Kenneth R. Aulenbach (KIA); RO TSgt Eddie F. Espitallier (RTD)
BTG SSgt Clairborne W. Wilson (RTD); WG SSgt Colin E. Neeley (RTD)
WG SSgt Hubert Houston (RTD); TG SSgt William F. Williams (RTD)
Service
Units
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306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Group
Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station 111 Thurleigh. During combat,... -
423rd Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Kenneth Aulenbach
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
B-17F 41-24496, 'Chenault's Pappy', 306BG/423BS, on which he was serving as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner, was attacked by FW190s after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire 17-November-1942. Killed in Action (KIA) 3 crew members were injured as the... -
Edward Espitallier
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Edward Espitallier was Radio Operator on B-17F-15-BO #41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy' on the 17 November 1942 mission to St. Nazaire, France. After leaving the target area, the Fortress was attacked by FW190s. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew... -
Emmett Ford
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
B-17F 41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy' on which he was serving as Bombardier was attacked by FW190s on 17-November-1942 after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members were wounded as the plane suffered severe... -
Warren George
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
On 17 November, 1942, while serving as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24496 his aircraft was attacked by FW190s after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire, France. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members as the plane suffered severe damage. The Pilot... -
Hubert Houston
Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
On 17 November, 1942, after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire, B-17F 41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy', 306BG/423BS was attacked by FW190s. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members as the plane suffered severe damage. A/C landed at Exeter. SSgt... -
Colon Neeley
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
On 17 November, 1942, after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire, B-17F #41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy' 306BG/423BS was attacked by FW190s. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members as the plane suffered severe damage. A/C landed at Exeter.... -
Jacob Shively
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Navigator | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
On 17 November, 1942, after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire, B-17F 41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy' was attacked by FW190s. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members as the plane suffered severe damage. A/C landed at Exeter. He was WIA. He... -
Robert Williams
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
On 17 November, 1942, after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire, as pilot of B-17F 41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy' his aircraft was attacked by FW190s. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members as the plane suffered severe damage. A/C landed at... -
William Williams
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F #42-24496 "Chennault's Pappy", 306BG/423BS. The aircraft was attacked by FW190s after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire, on 17 November 1942. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members were injured as the... -
Claiborne Wilson
Military | Staff Sergeant | Flight Engineer | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
On 17 November, 1942, after leaving the target area near St. Nazaire, B-17F #41-24496 'Chenault's Pappy' was attacked by FW190s. The TTG Aulenbach was killed and 3 crew members as the plane suffered severe damage. A/C landed at Exeter. ...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 20
17 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are the Primary (P) target for a combined force of 49 B-17s despatched from 91BG (20), 303BG (16) and 306BG (13). Another element of 14 B-24s despatched from 93BG also joins the bombing force on St. Nazaire. The...
Places
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Thurleigh
Military site : airfield
Built for RAF use in 1941-42, Thurleigh was initially used by RAF Bomber Command before being handed over to the Eighth Air Force. Its runways and hardstandings were improved, and the B-17s of the 306th Bomb Group began using the base. It was their...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Salvaged | 17 November 1942 | |
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The aircraft sustained severe damage and was declared a Category-E loss (damaged beyond repair) and salvaged for parts. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 02 August 2021 22:39:58 | acbernstein1 | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
AAMIB |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 August 2021 22:39:30 | acbernstein1 | Changes to unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.306bg.us/Search/search%20aircraft.php?AC=41-24496 (Mission Report) |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 June 2021 10:21:14 | Al_Skiff | Changes to markings, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
FRE 3663 - Photo text indicates A/C was on strength with 323BS, 91BG, as do the A/C codes on the photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 September 2017 14:04:51 | Al_Skiff | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
Roger Freeman Photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 December 2016 14:24:33 | Warren Hargis | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Co-Pilot Warren George Jr. was my uncle (my mother's brother). Fellow crew members told our family that because of the damage causing the plane to try to dive, Robert Williams was too small to hold it in level flight. George, a former football player, had the strength to pull against the controls and maintain level flight. Jacob Shively told my sister, "We only got back because of Junior." (Junior was a nickname they had given to George.) |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 November 2014 20:16:07 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to manufacturer |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 26-Nov-2014. Added manufacturer based on Block number. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 November 2014 20:15:00 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 26-Nov-2014. Deleted DUPLICATE entry for this aircraft and combined the data: pre "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:02 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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