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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42-30367
B-17 Flying Fortress
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The nose art a B-17F Flying Fortress (AW-Y, serial number 42-30367) nicknamed "Flak Happy" of the 337th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group. Official caption on image: "(GM-1-8-96)(11-8-43)." Handwritten caption on reverse: '230367. AW-Y. 11/8/43. MIA 8/10/43.'
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Rum Boogie IV (42-30365) and unknown men, 8th Air Force, 96th Bombardment Group, 337th Bombardment Squadron at Snetterton Heath Airfield, England. Unknown date or photographer. In possession of Kimberly Stryker
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"Flak Happy" (42-30367), 8th Air Force, 96th Bombardment Group, 337th Bombardment Squadron at Snetterton Heath Airfield, England. Unknown date or photographer. In possession of Kimberly Stryker
Delivered Cheyenne 23/5/43; Gore 1/6/43; Smoky Hill 2/6/43; Gr Isle 4/6/43; Dow Fd 27/6/43; Assigned 337BS/96BG [AW-Y] Snetterton 1/7/43; Missing in Action Bremen 8/10/43 with Edmund Bolstad, Co-pilot: Harry Sharpe, Navigator: Jim Montague, Bombardier: Chas Fuller, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Doyle Reavis, Waist gunner: Ken Sigleer, Waist gunner: Oscar Kassebrock (7 Killed in Action); Radio Operator: Dave Sweeney, Ball turret gunner: Dan McElvain,Tail gunner: Warren McFadden (3 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed Neuscharrel, 15 miles SW of Bad Zwischenahn, Ger.; Missing Air Crew Report 852. FLAK HAPPY.
Service
Units
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96th Bomb Group
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ... -
337th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Edmund Bolstad
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 #4230367 'Flak Happy. ' Killed in Action (KIA). -
Daniel Elvain
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
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Charles Fuller
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 #4230367 'Flak Happy. ' KIA. -
Oscar Kassebrock
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 #4230367 'Flak Happy. ' Killed in Action (KIA). -
Warren McFadden
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 42-30367 'Flak Happy'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
James Montague
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 #4230367 'Flak Happy. ' Killed in Action (KIA). -
Doyle Reavis
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 #4230367 'Flak Happy. ' Killed in Action (KIA). -
Harold Sharp
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 42-30367 'Flak Happy. ' Killed in Action (KIA). -
Kenneth Sigleer
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 #4230367 'Flak Happy. ' Killed in Action (KIA). -
David Sweaney
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-24 #4230367 'Flak Happy. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 111
8 October 1943
The shipyards and industrial areas of Bremen, Germany are the primary targets for this mission, but cloud cover causes some formations to bomb targets of opportunity. The attacking elements have been summarized below: ...
Places
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Snetterton
Military site : non-airfield
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Snetterton Heath
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...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 8 October 1943 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 29 May 2020 06:36:11 | kstrykerAK | Changes to nicknames, unit associations, place associations, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
Added nickname, added mission, and removed unrelated photos from H. Stryker collection (my error in adding). Snetterton Falcons II: The 96th Bomb Group in World War II by Robert E Doherty & Geoffrey Ward, Second Edition with Errata & Supplemental Information, Taylor Publishing, 1996. page 64, 74, 294, 300 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:28 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 852 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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