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Military
1LT Charles N. Austin was originally assigned to the 92BG and arrived in England in August 1942. On 10-Feb-43 he and his crew were transferred from 92BG to 303BG/358BS as a replacement crew and assigned to B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". He participated in 9 Operations - 2 Aborts with the 303BG. Mission participation with 92BG not determined. (See Biography events)
18-Mar-43 - Shot down by flak and fighters in B-17F 41-24558 [VK:F] 'Hunga Dunga', 303BG/358BS while seving as Pilot. Target was submarine yards at Vegesack, Germany. Aircraft was attacked by fighters and sustained damage from flak and crashed on the flats of the Jadebusen (Jade Bight) near Wilhelmshaven, Germany. He managed to bale out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW) taken to Stalag 7A Mooseburg.
POW
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...
Group
The 92nd Group sometime after arrivial in the UK converted to the role of in-theater combat crew indocrination and training. For this role, the Group traded its B-17F complement and obtained the B-17E, mostly from the 97th BG which was departing for...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F-25-BO 41-24558 [VK:F] "Hunga Dunga" was assigned to the 358BS/303BG [VK-F] at Bangor. Maine on 14-Oct-42; arrived at Molesworth, UK on 16-Oct-42; Missing in Action Vegasack 18-Mar-43 when it was attacked by enemy aircraft near Helgoland. Germany...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 8/12/42;
...
14 February 1943
The marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany are once again slated at the primary target for this mission. A force of 74 B-17s are despatched: 91BG (20); 303BG (17); 305BG (17); 306BG (20), but weather once again forces the mission to be recalled before...
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....
26 February 1943
After 10 days of weather related delays of the bomber offensive, a mission is organised with the port facilities of Emden, Germany as the primary target. However, Emden is obscured by cloud cover and all formations divert to attack the port facilities...
27 February 1943
With weather and cloud cover continuing to frustrate bombing efforts against targets in Northern Germany, VIII Bomber Command decides to mount a raid against the harbour facilities at Brest, France. A total of 60 B-17s are destached: 91BG (18); 303BG ...
4 March 1943
After several weather-caused aborted attempts in attacking the marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany, the 8th Air Force is finally successful in attacking this target. A total of 71 B-17s are despatched: 91BG (20); 303BG (18); 305BG (12) amd 306BG (21)....
6 March 1943
German U-boats continue to attack convoys headed fro Great Britain in the North Atlantic with good success. Many of the U-boat packs operate from St. Nazaire, Lorient and Brest, France, so destroying harbour facilities at these locations remain a...
8 March 1943
The railroad marshalling yards at Rennes and Rouen, France are the primary targets for this mission. A formation comprised of 67 B-17s: 91BG (14); 303BG (19); 305BG (16) and 306BG (18) is despatched to bomb at Rennes. Conditions are good with no cloud...
13 March 1943
The railroad marshalling yards at Amiens/Longeau, France are the primary target for this mission but the rail line at Romescamps, the German airfield at Abbevile/Drucat and two other targets of opportunity are also bombed. 80 B-17s are despatched: 91BG...
18 March 1943
The U-Boat pens at Vegesack-Bremen are the primary target of this mission. 76 B-17s are despatched: 91BG (18); 303BG (20); 305BG (18) and 306BG (20). These are joined by 17 B-24's: 44BG (9) and 93BG (15). Of the 103 aircraft despatched 97 are effective...
Military site : airfield
Alconbury had been constructed as a satellite airfield for RAF Upwood and Wyton and was used by RAF Squadrons: Nos. 15, 40 and 156. In preparation for the arrival of American heavy bombers, the base was developed in 1942 with the runways extended. When...
Military site : airfield
Bovingdon, in Hertfordshire (often confused with Bovington, Dorset), was built in 1941-42 as a bomber station but was never developed into a fully-fledged heavy bomber airfield as it did not have the required 2,000 yard runway.
...
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 | West Virginia | |
| Arrived at Station | Bovington, Dorset, UK | 18 August 1942 – 11 January 1943 |
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Assigned as Pilot with 92BG (aircraft assignment not determined) at Bovington, UK. |
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| Transferred with Group | Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 11 January 1943 – 10 February 1943 |
| Transferred | Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 10 February 1943 |
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Transferred with crew from 92BG as a replacement crew in 303BG/358BS on 10-Feb-43. |
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| Mission #1 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted | Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Hamm, Germany, but weather forced the recall of the entire 303BG aircraft despatch (RTB OK) |
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| Mission #2 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France (RTB OK). |
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| Mission #3 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted | Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany (secondary target), but he was forced to abort the mission when the Bombardier, 1LT Coltrane, became overcome with altitude sickness (faulty oxygen mask). (RTB OK) |
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| Mission #4 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS | Brest, France | 27 February 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Brest, France (RTB OK) |
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| Mission #5 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS | Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland (RTB OK) |
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| Mission #6 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 42-5432, 303BG/358BS | Lorient, France | 6 March 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 42-5432 "The Hunting Club", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the power station and adjacent bridge at Lorient, France (RTB OK) |
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| Mission #7 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS | Rennes, France | 8 March 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France (RTB OK) |
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| Mission #8 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS | Amiens, France | 13 March 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Amiens/Longeay, France (RTB OK). |
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| Prisoner of War - Camp 1 | Moosburg, Germany | 18 March 1943 – 13 October 1943 |
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Held at Stalag 7A. Moosburg, Bavaria. 13-Oct-43 moved to Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems), Austria. |
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| Mission #9 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS POW | Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 |
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Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the submarine construction yard at Vegesack/Bremen, Germany. Aircraft shot down by fighters as flak. He managed to bale out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). |
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| Prisoner of War - Camp 2 | Krems an der Donau, Austria | 14 October 1943 – 15 April 1945 |
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Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf, (near Krems), Austria until 15-Apr-1945 when he was liberatied by US Army forces. |
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| Last Report Date - Discharged | 8 June 1945 | |
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Evacuated to the United States after his liberation from Stalag 17B and Discharged from the USAAF. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 11 October 2019 02:50:02 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Corrected a typo in the Summary biography. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 March 2016 00:10:02 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 2-May-2016. Added Last Report Date event per NARA WWII POW database record. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 March 2016 00:04:20 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 2-May-2016. Added POW Capt 2 event per NARA WWII POW database records. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 March 2016 00:01:07 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 2-May-2016. Added POW - Camp 1 event per research of Stalag 7A and Stalag 17B records. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:51:51 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Arrived at Station, Bovington with 92BG per 92BG record of arrival in UK, and Transfer with Group event; and made connection to Bovington per "USAAF Combat Chronology", Jack McKillop. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:36:33 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, events, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 18-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf; Made connections to 92BG, Alconbury, Aircraft and Missions per 303BG website Mission Reports: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:24:10 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/023.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:20:31 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 8-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/021.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:17:52 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/020.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:12:51 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 4-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/019.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:09:10 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 27-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/018.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:06:38 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 26-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 19:00:25 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 16-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 18:57:50 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 August 2015 18:52:12 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Operation participation to Summary Biography and Transferred event per 303BG website, Charles N. Austin crew page, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/358austin.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 August 2015 22:02:49 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, awards, events, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 3-Aug-2015. Added Decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Made connection to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; Edited Summary Biography with A/C model letter, Radio Call Letters, Unit association and crew position per MACR 15149. Added loss details to Summary Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:05:51 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey, p. 91, 303rd web site |
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