B-17 Flying Fortress
#42-37978 "Ka-Lang" 305th BG/365th Bomber Squadron
Delivered Denver 2/11/43; Gr Island 12/11/43; Assigned 365BS/305BG [XK- ] Chelveston 5/1/44; Missing in Action Stettin 13/5/44 with Chas Bailey, Co-pilot: Curtis Thomas, Navigator: Thaddeus Borek, Bombardier: Calvin Faragher, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Carleton Williams, Radio Operator: Amim Lakies, Ball turret gunner: Irving Ward, Waist gunner: Jim Kenney, Waist gunner: Chivous Hardin,Tail gunner: Bob Casilles (10INT); no gas, force landed Bulltofta, Sweden, Missing Air Crew Report 4870; left 25/5/45, sal 21/6/45.
Prior to 5/13/44, #42-37978 was piloted by Lt. John F. Schleifer. Enrico Carpini (my father) was the radio gunner. The name of this B-17 was "Ka-Lang" (the sound that shrapnel made as it hit the fuselage). Most of the missions Schleifer's crew flew were on this plane commencing on or about 1-4-44.
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...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 13 May 1944 in B-17 #4237978. Landed in Sweden. Interned.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 13 May 1944 in B-17 #4237978. Landed in Sweden. Interned.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
My dad, Enrico 'Rick' Carpini was from Linden, NJ and served as a radio gunner on a B-17G with the 305th Bomb Group/365th Bomb Squadron. He flew 30 missions from 1/4/44-5/22/44. The pilot was John F. Schleifer from Buffalo, NY.
...
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 13 May 1944 in B-17 #42-37978. Landed in Sweden. Interned.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 11 May 1944 in B-17 #4231402. Killed in Action (KIA).
...
Military | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 13 May 1944 in B-17 #4237978. Landed in Sweden. Interned. Mr father's firt mission was in B'17G #42-37978 'KaLang', on May 13, 1944, when 289 B-17s were dispatched to hit oil targets in Western Poland; but clouds forced 215 of them, including...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 13 May 1944 in B-17 #4237978. Landed in Sweden. Interned.
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 13 May 1944 in B-17 #4237978. Landed in Sweden. Interned.
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...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) and Interned (INT) | Sweden | 13 May 1944 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 16 October 2017 02:23:59 | TomC | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
Family photo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 October 2017 11:53:29 | TomC | Changes to nicknames, description and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Research provided by Vivian Price-Rogers, Research Director, National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, and Enrico Carpini's personal diary and effects from 1944. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:47 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 4873 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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