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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42-31056
B-17 Flying Fortress
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B-17 42-31056, 369BS, 306BG, 8th AF.
Delivered Cheyenne 15/9/43; Scott 30/9/43; Assigned 369BS/306BG [WW-U] Thurleigh 19/10/43; Missing in Action Wilhelmshafen 3/2/44 with Rich Wong, Co-pilot: Walt McBroom, Navigator: John Rogers, Bombardier: Curtis Dunlap, Radio Operator: George Collins, Ball turret gunner: Charles Whetstone, Waist gunner: Armand Cournoyer (7 Prisoner of War); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: George Walker originally escaped but shot by guard after surrender 29/4/44, Waist gunner: Bob Sykes,Tail gunner: Walt Kels (3 Killed in Action); flak KO’d #2, #4 ran away, #3 blew a cylinder,, crashed on sandbank near Ruteplate, between Benserseil & Langeoog Is, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 2494.
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,... -
369th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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George Collins
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Dick Wong crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2494 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Armand Cournoyer
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Dick Wong crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2494 Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Curtis Dunlap
Military | Captain | Bombardier | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Reported to the ETO on 8-Aug-43. Flew on Sharkey crew. Crash landed in B-17 42-5889 'Liberty Belle' on return from mission to Poland 10-Aug-43. 10 x RTD. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17... -
Walter Kells
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2494 Awards: AM, PH. -
Walter McBroom
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2494 ... -
John Rodgers
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2494 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Robert Sykes
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Dick Wong crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2494 Awards: AM, PH. -
George Walker
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Dick Wong crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2494 ... -
Charles Whetstone
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Charles L Whetstone was from Arkansas. Following high school he made his way to the big city of Shreveport with 50 cents in his pocket. He met his bride, Rosalie, and were married before he was shipped off to the war. His group flew out of Thurleigh,... -
Richard Wong
Military | Major | Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshaven mission 3-Feb-44 in B-17 42-31056; crew baled out due to runaway engine. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 2494 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Missions
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8th Air Force 206
3 February 1944
The port area and Naval facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Germany was the primary target for this mission. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bomb Divisions all participated. ...
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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| Manufactured | Long Beach, CA | 1943 |
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Built at Boeing. |
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| Delivered | Cheyenne AAF, WY | 15 September 1943 |
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Delivered Cheyenne AAF 15-Sep-43. |
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| Assigned | Thurleigh, UK | 19 October 1943 |
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Assigned to 369BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Thurleigh, UK | 17 November 1943 |
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Belly Landing Thurleigh 17-Nov-43. |
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| Crashed | Ruteplate, Germany | 3 February 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) to Wilhelmshafen 3-Feb-44 with Wong crew. 8* x POW, 2 x KIA. MACR 2494 |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 02 May 2020 18:48:46 | Al_Skiff | Changes to markings and description |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/28606406 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 April 2020 23:10:22 | cwhetstone54 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Chuck L Whetstone |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 April 2020 18:47:17 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, events, unit associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/28606406 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:36 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2494 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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