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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41-24553
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24553 'Cherry' was assigned to Syracuse 16-Sep-42;Presque Isle 19-Oct-42; Grafton Underwood 25-Oct-42; Missing in Action, 6-Dec-42 on a mission to bomb the Atclier d'Hellemmes locomotive factory at Lille, France. Shot down by Uffz Schnell (3/JG26), crashed near Lille, France. First group loss. 9KIA 1POW No MACR issued.
P 2Lt William A. Prentice (KIA); CP 2Lt Harold W. Shroka (KIA)
N 2Lt Harry O. Williams (KIA); B 2Lt Henry J Webber (POW)
E/TTG MSgt Stewart R. Saunders (KIA); RO SSgt Thomas G Perry (KIA)
BTG SSgt Joseph W. Gleason (KIA); WG SSgt Samuel Q. Jones (KIA)
WG SSgt Edward H. Blount (KIA); TG SSgt Leahmon E. Bryant (KIA)
Service
Units
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305th Bomb Group Can Do
Group
The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to... -
422nd Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Edward Blount
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Waist Gunner. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Leahmon Bryant
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 4124553 'Cherry' while serving as Tail Gunner. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Joseph Gleason
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Ball Turret Gunner. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Samuel Jones
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Waist Gunner. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Thomas Perry
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Radio Operator. Killed in Action (KIA). -
William Prentice
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Pilot. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Stewart Saunders
Military | Master Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Harold Shroka
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6-Dec-1942 in B-17F 41-24453 'Cherry' while serving as Co-Pilot. Killed in Action (KIA) -
Henry Webber
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Prisoner of War (POW). Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Navigator. Returned to the United States after the end of hostilities. -
Harry Williams
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 6 December 1942 in B-17 41-24553 'Cherry' while serving as Navigator. Died of Wounds (DOW). Williams died on 11-Dec-1942 and was buried with the rest of the crew.
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 24
6 December 1942
The German airfield of Drucat at Abbeville, France is the primary target for 19 B-24s despatched from 44th Bomb Group but are recalled. One squadron of 6 does not hear the recall and proceeds to the target, 1 B-24 MIA. ...
Places
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Chelveston
Military site : airfield
Chelveston was adapted and expanded in preparation for the arrival of American forces. Rather than heavy bombers, the first aircraft to fly from its runways were C-47 Skytrains that were flown by the 60th Troop Carrier Group in July 1942. The first... -
Grafton Underwood
Military site : airfield
Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for... -
Presque Isle Army Airfield
Military site : airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Failed to Return (FTR) | Lille, France | 6 December 1942 |
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No MACR was issued for this loss. However, it is known that it was shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed near Lille, France. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 11 January 2020 21:58:48 | jmoore43 | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Added a connection to the 8th AF. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 January 2020 20:24:48 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Corrected the spelling of the last name of "2Lt Harold W. Shroka" in the description. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 December 2014 19:03:32 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to description and events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2014. Edited description for consistency, formatted crew information, all changes per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & JohnA. Hey MBE. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 08 November 2014 18:45:18 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 8-Nov-2014. "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:03 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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