Oran T O'Connor

Military
media-19176.jpeg UPL 19176 B-17F Hell Cat (aka No Monkey Business) 41-24580 (VK-C) 358th BS, 303rd BG, 8AF USAAF.
Crew: [In no particular order]
1st Lt Oran T O'Connor (Pilot), 2nd Lt Eldon T Ruppe (CoPilot), 2nd Lt Bruce W Gordon (Nav),
2nd Lt Earl J Dumont, Jr. (Bomb), Capt Richard E Van Holdt (Group Weather Officer), T/Sgt Bernard H Koenig (Eng), Sgt Bernard A Gergash (Radio), Sgt Sidney V Hall (Gunner), Sgt Jesse R Kinney (Gunner), Sgt Frank L Batterson (Tail).

Object Number - UPL 19176 - B-17F Hell Cat (aka No Monkey Business) 41-24580 (VK-C) 358th BS, 303rd BG, 8AF USAAF. Crew: [In no particular order] 1st Lt Oran T O'Connor...

On 23 Jan 43 in B-17F 41-24580 "Hellcat Agnes" while serving as Pilot the aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters while on a mission to Lorient, France. Was last seen with #4 engine feathered and #1 engine smoking. Went down in region between Brest and the coast ditching in the Bay of Biscay. He was able to bale out of the stricken aircraft and was captured. Prisoner of War (POW) This was mission #11 for the Group. Participated in 5 Operations - 2 Aborted (See Biography events).



NOTE: No Missing Air Crew Report was ever made to document this loss. Bishop & Hey "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" has it assigned to MACR 15473 but that is an error. MACR 15473 documents the loss of B-17F 41-24607, 303BG/427BS MIA also on 23-Jan-43.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Official emblem of the 303rd Bomb Group approved 7 November 1942.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Hellcat Agnes : No Monkey Business
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Mission #1 1LT Oran T. O'Conner w/41-24580, 303BG/358BS

Lorient, France 22 November 1942 Served as Co-Pilot on B-17F 41-24580, "Hell Cat" on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. (RTB OK). He was assigned to this aircraft as Pilot but on this mission the 358BS Designated Commanding Officer, MAJ Charles E. Marion, served as Pilot.

Other

Mission #3 1LT Oran T. O'Conner w/B-17F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS

Rouen, France 12 December 1942 Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG 358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France. (RTB OK)

Other

Mission #4 1LT Oran T. O'Conner w/B-1F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS - Aborted

Romilly-sur-Seine, France 20 December 1942 Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur Seine, France, but mechanical failures forced him to abort the mission.

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Zagan, Poland 23 January 1943 - 7 June 1945 Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland) mover to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 7-Jun-45.

Other

Mission #5 1LT Oran T. O'Conner w/B1-7F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS POW

Lorient, France 23 January 1943 Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. Aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters, 1LT O'Conner baled out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW).

Other

Mission #2 1LT Oran T. O'Conner w/B-17F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS - Aborted

6 December 1943 Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb he carraige and wagon works at Lille, France, but mechanical failures forced him to abort the mission. (RTB OK)

Born

Revisions

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added connection to Mission of 6-Dec-42 per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, HIstorian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 12-AUg-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf. Re-numbered missions #2 thru #4 to #3 thru #5.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 404BG website Mission Reoport of 23-Jan-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-43. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 20-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 12-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, HIstorian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 22-Nov-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Operation participation to Description and clarified error on MACR 15473 per 303BG website Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 22-Jan-2015. Added NOTE to Biography.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 22-Jan-2015. Added decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; corrected SN from a zero 0 to and Oh O per MACR 15473; Made connections to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; Edited biography adding aircraft and crew position.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit history,  Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs by Bishop and Hey Vol. 1 p. 65-66, <

href="http://www.303rdbg.com/358o%20connor.html">http://www.303rdbg.com/358o connor.html>>

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