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B-17 Flying Fortress
42-38183
A ground crewman of the 379th Bomb Group watches a B-17 Flying Fortress (FR-C, serial number 42-38183) nicknamed "The Lost Angel" , flown by Lieutenant Edmund H Lutz prepare to crash at Kimbolton
A crashed B-17 Flying Fortress (FR-C, serial number 42-38183) nicknamed "The Lost Angel" 525BS/379BG [FR-C] Kimbolton 10/2/44; then 524BS [WA-G] ; flak battle damaged, crash landed after bombing Magdeburg Germany 28/9/44. Flack came through the windshield and glass got into the eyes of Pilot: Stan Bailey, Co-pilot: Sumner Alpert flew the plane back with 2 engines out on one wing to Kimbolton, received the DFC, Navigator: Jim Rung, Bombardier: Bill Coles, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Plough, Radio Operator: Harry Gates, Ball turret gunner: John Ingram, Waist gunner: Frank Culfe (8 Returned to Duty);Tail gunner: Phil Maniaci (Prisoner of War); Missing Air Crew Report 9363; repaired & sal re-ass 482BG, then 384BG 1/6/45. THE LOST ANGEL.
A B-17 Flying Fortress (FR-C, serial number 42-38183) nicknamed "The Lost Angel" of the 379th Bomb Group sliding on grass after being crash landed by Sumner Alpert at Kimbolton
Ground personnel of the 379th Bomb Group attend to a B-17 Flying Fortress (FR-C, serial number 42-38183) nicknamed "The Lost Angel", crash landed by Lieutenant Edmund H Lutz.
A B-17 Flying Fortress (FR-C, serial number 42-38183) nicknamed "The Lost Angel" of the 379th Bomb Group after being crash landing by Lieutenant Edmund H Lutz at Kimbolton. Printed caption on reverse: '71325 AC - A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" of the 379th Bomb Group crashed as it came in for a landing at its 8th Air Force base in England. U.S. Air Force Photo.'
b17 42-38183 379TH Bomb Group, Preparing for Crash Landing on the airfield
Edited Field Order #506: Madgeburg Sep. 28, 1944 describing The Lost Angel (a/c 42-38183) returning to base with no incident.
Delivered Denver 8/1/44; Albuquerque 12/1/44; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-C] Kimbolton 10/2/44; then 524BS [WA-G] ; flak battle damaged during raid on Magdeburg 28/9/44. Took out 2 engines on one wing, flak came through the windshield and glass got into the pilot's eyes. Crash landed at Kimbolton. Pilot: Stan Bailey, Co-pilot: Sumner Alpert flew plane back to Kimbolton, received DFC. Navigator: Jim Rung, Bombardier: Bill Coles, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Plough, Radio Operator: Harry Gates, Ball turret gunner: John Ingram, Waist gunner: Frank Culfe (8 Returned to Duty);Tail gunner: Phil Maniaci (Prisoner of War); Missing Air Crew Report 9363; repaired & sal re-ass 482BG, then 384BG 1/6/45. THE LOST ANGEL.
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit...
Group
The 384th Bomb Group flew B-17s from Grafton Underwood, Northamptonshire, between May 1943 and June 1945. They were engaged in daylight bombing missions over Germany as part of the Allies' efforts to destroy the effectiveness of the Luftwaffe by...
Group
The 482nd Bomb Group was a Pathfinder Group, which using radar-equipped aircraft to support bombing missions until March 1944. Aircraft from this Group went ahead of other Bombers and sent information back about the best routes to take and the extent...
Squadron
Squadron
Military | Captain | Co-Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. Force landed at Kimbolton in B-17 42-38183 on 28-Sep-44. Returned to duty (RTD).
Awards: DFC, AM (5OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Post war: Remained in USAF, died in a fatal crash of C-47 43-15594 in Alaska 29-Jun-55.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. Force landed in B-17G 42-38183 on 28 September 1944. Returned to duty (RTD).
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 526BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 36 x combat missions. ETD.
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 526BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x combat missions. ETD.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. Force landed in B-17 42-38183 on 28-Sep-44. Returned to duty (RTD).
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Bombardier / L,R Waist Gunner, Nose Gunner / Togglier | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 525BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 25 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) in 42-31083; A/C exploded mid-air near Downham Market, England. Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Bombardier | 379th Bomb Group
Crash Landed in A/C 238183 on 28 September 1944. Evaded enemy with aid of Belgian resistance and Returned to duty. Plane was hit by flak and caught on fire. The tail gunner bailed out but the rest of the crew stayed with the plane and rode it down.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. Crashed 27 Aug 1944 at Shippton and crew bailed out. Force landed in B-17 42-38183 on 28-Sep-44. Returned to duty (RTD). MACR 9363
Awards: AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 525BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 11 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Sorau, Germany mission 11-Apr-44 'Tenny Belle' exploded in mid-air near Downham Market, England. Killed in Action (KIA). No MACR
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 525BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 17 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Sorau, Germany mission 11-Apr-44 'Tenny Belle' exploded in mid-air near Downham Market, England. Sole survivor, blown out of A/C with chute. Wounded in Action (WIA) RTD....
27 March 1944
This mission might be likened to a "shotgun blast" as a combined force 714 heavy bombers are despatched form all three Air Divisions to attack 11 different German airfields and air depots in France. Mission summary follows:
...
9 April 1944
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Manufactured | Long Beach, CA | 1943 |
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Built at Boeing. |
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| Delivered | Denver AAF, CO | 8 January 1944 |
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Delivered Denver AAF 8-Jan-44. |
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| Crashed | Kimbolton, UK | 28 September 1944 |
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Battle damage on Madgeburg raid, returned to base ejecting ball turret en route, belly landed 8 RTD. MACR 9363 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 July 2020 21:51:18 | Brad Alpert | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Brad Alpert son of Sumner Alpert |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 July 2020 21:48:46 | Brad Alpert | Changes to description and events |
| Sources | ||
Brad Alpert son of Sumner Alpert |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 21 December 2018 09:20:19 | Al_Skiff | Changes to events and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 March 2018 17:32:23 | TennyBelle | Changes to mission associations |
| Sources | ||
8th AF mission database |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 January 2018 20:32:04 | TennyBelle | Changes to markings and person associations |
| Sources | ||
379th Archive |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 November 2014 17:54:21 | Lucy May | Changes to nicknames, person associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
Associated based on tail number visible in the uploaded photographs. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:49 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 9363 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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