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388

3 June 1944

  • Crew #631 Richard Wollstein Crew 466th BG - 786th BS Standing Left to Right: Fred A. Riebe (B), Richard S. Wollstein (P), Maurus C. Owens (N), James B. Smith (CP). Kneeling Left to Right: William Scott (Ground Crew Chief), Eldred Schroeder (G), Bernard H. Tighe (FE), Charles J. Vejda (R/O), Steve Lindquist (G), Albert W. Pittman (G), Norman Clark (RWG). This crew were shot down on 13 August 1944 while flying B-24H-15-FO #42-52529

    Crew #631 Richard Wollstein Crew 466th BG - 786th BS Standing Left to Right: Fred A. Riebe (B), Richard S. Wollstein (P), Maurus C. Owens (N), James B. Smith (CP). Kneeling Left to Right: William Scott (Ground Crew Chief), Eldred Schroeder (G), Bernard H. Tighe (FE), Charles J. Vejda (R/O), Steve Lindquist (G), Albert W. Pittman (G), Norman Clark (RWG). This crew were shot down on 13 August 1944 while flying B-24H-15-FO #42-52529 "Wild Pussy" (name changed to "Wild Princess" per officers' request) Code: U8-B Wollstein (P), Smith (CP), and Owens (N) were all KIA. Vejda (R/O), Clark (RWG), and Tighe (FE) all evaded capture and eventually returned to England. Lindquist had been had been KIA on 17 July 1944 when the crew was hit by flak and forced to crash land B-24H-15-FO #42-52511 on the beach near New Romney, England. The rest of the crew were made POW for the duration.

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  • Strike Photo - Berck-Sur-Mer, France 3 June 1944

    Strike Photo - Berck-Sur-Mer, France 3 June 1944

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Official description

Not yet known

Description

Not yet known

Mission details

1. PAS-DE-CALAIS

Description

COASTAL DEFENSES

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

16 of the same targets as were designated in the first half of this mission are again selected for destruction.

Units

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 296.76

2. PAS-DE-CALAIS

Description

COASTAL DEFENSES

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

This is a continuation of OPERATION COVER. A total of 22 targets are designated. 1st Bomb Division was made up of 91st Bomb Group, 92nd Bomb Group, 303rd Bomb Group, 305th Bomb Group, 306th Bomb Group, 351st Bomb Group, 379th Bomb Group, 381st Bomb Group, 384th Bomb Group, 401st Bomb Group, 457th Bomb Group.

457th BG - MISSION NO. 58 - NESLES, FRANCE

3 JUNE, 1944

The Group dispatched two boxes of eighteen ships each to targets south of Boulogne. The target for the A box was a four gun howitzer battery near the village of Nesles, four miles inland from the coast. The target for the B box was a "defended locality" on the beach nine miles south of Boulogne at a hamlet called Danes. Air Commander of the A box was Captain Wilbur Snow. Air Commander for the B box was Captain J. L. Smith.
The aircraft took off without crews receiving the customary briefing. The bombing results were unobserved due to the heavy undercast. Neither flak or enemy fighters were encountered. Twenty-three similar targets were attacked in the Boulogne area by other units of the Eighth Air Force.

3rd Bomb Division was made up of 34th Bomb Group, 94th Bomb Group, 96th Bomb Group, 100th Bomb Group, 385th Bomb Group, 388th Bomb Group, 390th Bomb Group, 447th Bomb Group, 452nd Bomb Group, 486th Bomb Group, 487th Bomb Group, 490th Bomb Group.

Units

  • 1st Bomb Division

    1st Bomb Division

    Division

  • 3rd Bomb Division

    3rd Bomb Division

    Division

  • 457th Bomb Group

    457th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 457th Bomb Group began combat operations during the Big Week of 20-25 February when American bombers carried out concentrated raids against German aircraft bases, factories and assembly plants. The air crews' targets on that first mission were...

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 631.81

3. PAS-DE-CALAIS

Description

COASTAL DEFENSES

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

2nd Bomb Division was made up of 44th Bomb Group, 93rd Bomb Group, 389th Bomb Group, 392nd Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Group, 446th Bomb Group, 448th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group, 458th Bomb Group, 466th Bomb Group, 467th Bomb Group, 489th Bomb Group, 491st Bomb Group, 492nd Bomb Group.

Units

  • 2nd Bomb Division

    2nd Bomb Division

    Division

  • 466th Bomb Group

    466th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 466th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Attlebridge, Norfolk, during the last year of the war in Europe. The Group flew 232 missions in the course of the year and celebrated the 100th one by inviting local people onto the base to mark the...

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 302.54

4. PAS-DE-CALAIS

Description

COASTAL DEFENSES

Aircraft type

Not yet known

Notes

2nd Bomb Division was made up of 44th Bomb Group, 93rd Bomb Group, 389th Bomb Group, 392nd Bomb Group, 445th Bomb Group, 446th Bomb Group, 448th Bomb Group, 453rd Bomb Group, 458th Bomb Group, 466th Bomb Group, 467th Bomb Group, 489th Bomb Group, 491st Bomb Group, 492nd Bomb Group.

Units

Mission Statistics

Tonnage dropped 346.19

Service

People

  • Thomas Barton

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
    newly assigned May 1944

  • James Bates

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Waist Gunner | 466th Bomb Group

  • George Boozer

    Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
    The person with this name and birth/death dates buring at Fort Bliss National Cemetery is listed as "Master Sergeant - US Army" on his headstone. Boozer is wearing Captain's bars in his photo. This birth and death date may well be for the wrong ...

  • James Braa

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball turret gunner | 389th Bomb Group
    James Braa served as a ball turret gunner with the 566th Bomb Squadron of the 389th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Hethel, England. He completed his tour of 30 missions between March and June 1944, flying his final two missions on D-Day.

  • William Brooks

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 466th Bomb Group
    St. Dizier, France 24 Mar 1944; Brunswick, Germany 8 April 1944; Hamm, Germany 22 April 1944; Leipheim, Germany 24 April 1944; Paderborn, Germany 26 April 1944; Siracourt, France 27 April 1944; Mimoyecque, France 28 April 1944; Liege, France 1 May 1944...

  • Malcolm Dike

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group

  • Charles Gordon

    Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier/Navigator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
    Charles Gordon flew 17 missions as a navigator and 18 as a bombardier with the 44th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Shipdham, England. ...

  • Michael Hoover

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    Flew 30 missions, many on 'The Lemon' DFC/ Air Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ American Campaign Medal/ WW II Victory Medal/ Armed Forces Reserve Medal/ 2 Battle Stars

  • Martin Kilcoyne

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
    He flew on Arthur Crapsey crew. Reported to group on 19 Nov 1943. Completed 32 missions from Oct 1943-Sept 1944. He was injured on his second mission to Osnabruck, 22 Dec. 1943. He returned to active duty in April 1944 as a spare crewmember. ...

  • William Lenco

    Military | Captain | Co-Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    MACR 7381. B-24 AC # 41-29387 'THE SNARK'. AC put through violent actions to avoid flak on mission on 8 Aug 1944. 4 crewman bailed out and were captured. Remaining crew returned to England, but forced to crash land at Manston. RTD.

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Aircraft

  • 42-102589

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 17/3/44; Gr Island 6/4/44; Dow Fd 28/4/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 30/4/44; On a local flight 9/7/44 with Doug McArthur, Co-pilot: Stamos Zades, Navigator: George Mille, Bombardier: Chas meyer, Flight engineer/top turret...

  • 42-38013 "NEVADA AVENGER"

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; New Castle 10/12/43; Presque Is 15/12/43; Assigned 547BS/384BG [SO-C] Grafton Underwood 21/1/44; sal battle damaged 27/4/44. NEVADA AVENGER. ...

  • 42-95021 San Antonio Rose

    B-24 Liberator

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
27 May 2015 10:45:48 general ira snapsorter Changes to event
Sources

Mission details added courtesy of Diane Elizabeth Reese from 457th Bomb Group Mission Documents. http://www.457thbombgroup.org/
Date Contributor Update
06 January 2015 03:05:30 466thHistorian Changes to event
Sources

466th BG Historian
Date Contributor Update
03 January 2015 01:24:03 466thHistorian Changes to person associations
Sources

466th BG Historian
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:43:06 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'.

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