41-28932 Ramblin Wreck
466th BG - 787th BS
Shot Down 15 August 1944
Corrected mission connections
This aircraft's last mission was on August 15, 1944, when it was flown by a makeshift crew led by pilot Robert W. Harrington from Attlebridge air base. The target was a Luftwaffe airfield in Vechta, near Bremen, Germany. The target was successfully hit, but on the way back to the base the group was attacked by German Me-109 fighters. Four B-24s were shot down, including Ramblin' Wreck, over the Dutch town of Steenwijk. Crewmembers Tice Jones, Chester Zyb and William Julian were killed. The remaining crew parachuted to safety, and all but Harrington and Bob Borst were quickly captured. The latter two successfully (and separately) evaded, with Harrington rescued by Dutch resistance and sheltered in Steenwijk until the town was liberated by Canadian forces in April 1945.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18168351
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: Togglier/Nose Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O 703007
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39276049
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35679773
- Highest Rank: Technician Fourth Grade
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36649609
- Highest Rank: Technician Fourth Grade
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
Places
Missions
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other First 466th BG Combat Mission |
50260 Sottevast, France | 5 May 1944 | |
Other Failed to Return (FTR) |
Steenwijk, Netherlands | 15 August 1944 | Shot Down by German fighters. |
Revisions
http://www.8thafhs.com/get_one_acgroup.php?acgroup_id=53
Attlebridge Diaries - John Woolnough, page 204 & 213
MACR 8430 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database