8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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" 1st Lt Clyde Debaun [ Bicknell, Indiana ], co-pilot and Capt Charles Cliburn [ Hazelhurst, Miss ], pilot, shown in the cockpit of their Boeing B-17 "The Bad Penny" just before take-off on a mission over enemy territory from their base at Cambridge, England. " - One more for the folks back home before we shed this flying gear : 1Lt Clyde DeBaum (L) of the 324th Bomb Sqn, 91st BG in the cockpit of B-17F 41-24480 "The Bad Penny" with his crew's commander, Capt Charles Cliburn. 5 May 1943.
NARA Ref 342-FH-3A12683-79045AC.
Connections
Units
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91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla... -
324th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Home of the Memphis Belle
People
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Charles Cliburn
Military | Captain | Pilot
First pilot to complete combat tour in 8th AF--May 13, 1943. Flew on the wing of the 'Memphis Belle. ' Plane's name was 'Bad Penny. ' Also flew "Quitchurbitchin." On 23 Nov 1942 he crash landed in heavy fog at Bassingbourn. ... -
Clyde DeBaun
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Co-Pilot
Assigned to 324BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Awards; DFC, AM (OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME, UN and Korean war medal. Post war: Remained in USAF, serving in Korean war and rising to Lt Colonel.
Aircraft
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41-24480 'The Bad Penny'
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 324BS/91BG [DF-B] Bangor 31/8/42; Bassingbourn 26/9/42; 322BS [LG-A] 5/43 16+m; taken off operations and transferred 403 AD 2/7/43; 8AF HQ Sqd 15/8/43 for VIP duties. Salvaged 19/10/44. Used as camera ship to film Major William Wilder's...
Locations
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Bassingbourn
Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long...
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 21 March 2017 09:32:02 | Al_Skiff | Created entry with caption, unit associations, person associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
