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Military
15-Jul-42 Assigned as Pilot of B-17F #42-2967 [PU-G] "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. 24-Oct-42 Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Pilot of "Shak Hak".
Shot down 16-February-1943 in B-17F #42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS while serving as Pilot. Aircraft was attacked by fighters and crashed into the English Channel on return from a mission to St. Nazaire, France. Killed in Action (KIA). Posthumously promoted to Captain.
Participated in 6 Operations (NO aborts). See Biography events.
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24567 [PU:J] "Beats Me" was assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-J] Bangor 14-Oct-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42. Participated in 7 Operations - 2 Aborted (See Biography events)
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B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24579 "Thumper" was assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-F] 17-Feb-42 Gowen Field, Idaho; Bangor 14-Oct-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42; Aircraft damaged by AA fire and enemy fighters on mission to Lorient, France on 23-Jan-43. 11 man crew. Belly-landed at...
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak" was Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-G] Bangor 18-Sep-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42.
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17 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are the Primary (P) target for a combined force of 49 B-17s despatched from 91BG (20), 303BG (16) and 306BG (13). Another element of 14 B-24s despatched from 93BG also joins the bombing force on St. Nazaire. The...
18 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at Lorient and La Pallice, France are the Primary (P) targets for this mission. However, those at St. Nazaire, France are attacked by 21 B-17s of 303BG when they are mistaken for those of Lorient. The force attacking Lorient is composed...
23 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are the Primary (P) for this mission. A combined force of 50 B-17s despatched from 91BG (10), 303BG (12), 305BG (20) and 306BG (8) to attack this target. 91BG is not able to put any of their group on the target,...
3 January 1943
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are once again the target for this mission. This is proving to be a particularly difficult target to destroy due to its massive, reinforced concrete design. It consists of 14 individual pens connected together in...
13 January 1943
The primary target for this mission is the Atclier d'Hellemmes locomotive works, associated steel works and the railroad marshalling yards at Lille, France. The attacking force is composed of 72 B-17s from: 91BG (13); 303BG (19); 305BG (23) and 306BG ...
16 February 1943
The port area and U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are designated as the primary target of this mission of 71 B-17s and 18 B-24s. B-17s are from 91BG (18); 303BG (15); 305BG (18); 306BG (20) of these 59 are effective on the target and 6 are lost....
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Stockbridge, Massachusetts | |
| Assigned to Aircraft | Boise, ID, USA | 15 July 1942 |
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Assigend as Pilot of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. |
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| Arrived in UK | Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 24 October 1942 |
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Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Pilot aboard B-17F 42-2967, 303BG/360BS. |
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| Mission #1, 1LT William H. Breed, w/B-17 42-2967, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #2, 1LT William H. Breed, w/B-17 42-2967, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #4, 1LT William H. Breed, w/B-17 42-2967, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #5, 1LT William H. Breed, w/B-17 41-24579, 303BG/360BS | Lille, France | 13 January 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24579 "Thumper", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #3, 1LT William H. Breed, w/B-17 41-24567, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 January 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24567 "Beats Me", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Killed in Action (KIA) | English Channel | 16 February 1943 |
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Killed when aircraft was shot down by fighters and crashed into the English Channel. His remains have never been recovered. |
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| Mission #6, 1LT William H. Breed, w/B-17 41-24579, 303BG/360BS - KIA | Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 42-2976 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. Aircraft was shot down and crashed into the English Channel and he was Killed in Action (KIA). |
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| Commemorated | Saint-James, France | 1945 |
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Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany American Cemetery. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 16 March 2020 18:41:54 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 February 2016 22:31:28 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cuningham 24-Feb-2016. Completed Mission participations statement in Summary Biography. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 February 2016 21:51:51 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2016. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 16-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:33:27 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:28:07 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:25:46 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:23:05 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:20:14 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 17-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/001.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:16:20 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Feb-2016. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Breed crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-breed.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:14:15 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Feb-2016. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Breed crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-breed.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 February 2016 19:11:46 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 13-Feb-2016. Added initial assignment and arrival info to Summary Biography; made connections to Aircraft (through 23-Jan-43) and Mission (through 23-Jan-43) per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Breed crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-breed.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 February 2015 19:33:33 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to service number, biography, awards, events, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Feb-2015 . Corrected SN added KIA event per MACR 15116; Added decorations and Commemorated event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Added crew position and minor edits to Biography based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:28:06 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15116 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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