42-31333 Wee Willie

media-25721.jpeg UPL 25721 "Combat crew of the 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, beside Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Wee Willie". England". - B-17G 42-31333 "Wee Willie" (coded LG-W) of the 322nd Bomb Sqn, 91st BG. "Wee Willie" showed up at Bassingbourn just before Christmas, 1943. Mission scoreboard indicates 100 missions, 333 would go onto achieve 129 missions before its loss on 8-Apr-45, only 1 member of the crew escaping from her.
Officer kneeling at right of group is Nav 2nd Lt Jess Ziccarello.

NARA Ref 342-FH-3A10717-B62808AC.

Object Number - UPL 25721 - "Combat crew of the 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, beside Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Wee Willie". England". - B-17G 42-31333 "Wee Willie" (coded...

Delivered Cheyenne 22/10/43; Gr Island 3/11/43; Memphis 9/11/43; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-W] Bassingbourn 20/12/43; Missing in Action 129m Stendahl 8/4/45 with 1Lt Robert E Fuller (POW), 2Lt Woodrow A Lien, T/Sgt Francis McCarthy, S/Sgt Richard D Proudfit, S/Sgt Wylie McNatt Jr, S/Sgt Ralph J Leffelman, S/Sgt Willian H Cassidy, S/Sgt James D Houtchens, Sgt Lemoyne Miller (9 Killed in Action); flak hit between fuselage and #2 engine caused massive fire which detached the port wing, exploded in the resulting dive, crashed Stendahl; MACR 13881; (oldest G in group) 1 x POW, 9 x KIA. WEE WILLIE.

Connections

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Units served with

Unofficial emblem of the 91st Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 32346219
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-822659
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-774609
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bomber pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 37483248
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 19112019
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator

Places

Missions

Events

Event Location Date Description

Delivered

Cheyenne, WY, USA 22 October 1943 Delivered to USAAF.

Assigned

Bassingbourn, Royston SG8, UK 20 December 1943 Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF.

Crashed

Failed to Return (FTR)

Stendahl, 21629 Neu Wulmstorf, Germany 8 April 1945 Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Stendahl, flak hit between fuselage and #2 engine caused massive fire which detached the port wing, exploded in the resulting dive, crashed Stendahl. 1 POW, 9 KIA MACR 13881.

Manufactured

Burbank, CA, USA Built at Boeing.

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

Roger Freeman Photo.

Date
Contributoracbernstein1
Changes
Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

Roger Freeman Photo.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 13881 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

42-31333: Gallery (9 items)