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B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17G-5-BO #42-31135 "Suzy Sagtitz" Code: W 388th BG - 562nd Bomb Squadron This a/c was shot down on 6 March 1944 with the Monty Givens Crew.
FLIGHT CREW OF SUZY SAGTITZ ( names to follow )
Delivered Cheyenne 25/9/43; Gr Isle 8/10/43; Romulus 12/10/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 14/10/43; Missing in Action Berlin 6/3/44 with Montgomery Givens, Co-pilot: Harry Teat, Navigator: Ken Betts, Bombardier: Larry McMillan, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Roy Kesanen, Radio Operator: Jim Geraghty, Ball turret gunner: Tom Foulds, Waist gunner: Jack Karr, Tail gunner: Dan Walstra (9 Prisoner of War); Waist gunner: Willard McGee (KIA-killed by enemy a/c, over Holland); enemy aircraft, crashed Oud Schoonebekerveld, alongside Dommerkanaal, near Emmen, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 3082. SUSIE-SAG-TITZ. Suzy was shot down at 15:05 hours by Hauptmann Hugo Frey in his FW109, who himself was killed in the air to air battle, after shooting down 4 B-17s in the battle. Suzy was a loaner AC, Givens AC 'Quarterback', was being repaired from battle damage from March 4 Berlin Mission.
Group
The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Flew on 'Suzy Sagtitz'
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator and Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Major | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW). Held in POW camp Stalag Luft 1, Barth Vogelsang...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Flew 25 Missions. 17 on Suzy Sagtitz, 4 on Quarterback, both B-17 F's.
Purple Heart, DFC; Air Medal w 4/Oak Leaf Cluster; WW II Campaign Medal +others
Military | Senior Master Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW). Jack retired from USAF, with the rank of Senior...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 447th Bomb Group
Robert John Kropp was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on 18 Nov 1915. As a child, he worked as a newsboy. He graduated high school and college and worked for a long time as treasurer at McGillis and Gibbs, a company that sold telephone poles. Robert...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Killed in Action (KIA).
AM w/ 2 Oak Leaf Cluster
6 March 1944
The industrial areas of Berlin and Genshagen, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. A combined force of 730 heavy bombers are despatched from 1st, 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions. The despatch from 3rd Air Division bombs Targets of Opportunity in...
Military site : airfield
Knettishall was built to Class A standard for an American Bomb Group that would be bringing up to forty heavy bombers with them in three or four Squadrons. The 388th Bomb Group, which stayed at Knettishall for their entire service in the ETO, flew B-17...
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | Cheyenne, WY, USA | 25 September 1943 |
| Assigned | Knettishall, Diss, Suffolk IP22, UK | 14 October 1943 |
|
388th BG |
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| Failed to Return (FTR) | near Emmen, Netherlands | 6 March 1944 |
|
shot down by FW 190's |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 12 February 2020 21:47:20 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space in front of the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” for clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 October 2017 18:54:50 | ferrolad1968 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Jim Karr (son of m/Sgt Jack Karr TG) |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 October 2017 18:52:38 | ferrolad1968 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Jim Karr (son of S/Sgt Jack Karr TG) |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 October 2017 20:10:19 | ferrolad1968 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
My father, Jack Karr, witnessed the death of Willard McGee. McGee was the only KIA, all others were POW. Givens was hidden by Dutch until captured 2 days later. My father, Jack, was wounded in inner thighs by attacking enemy a/c, and was the last to bail out after witnessing McGee's death. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 June 2015 03:00:19 | 466thHistorian | Changes to nicknames, markings, events, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Chris Brassfield |
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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 3082 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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