Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
Military
24-Jul-42 Assigned as an Aerial Gunner with 303BG/427BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. 303BG records do not record the exact date that he arrived in the UK, but probably in Oct-42. 303BG records do not indicate that he had a permanent crew assignment until 1-May-43. He participated in 26 Operations and completed his combat tour on 17-Aug-43.
Mission Participations (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) 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 #41-24517 [GN-O] 'Kali' 303BG/427BS assigned with crew on 1-May-42 at Alamogordo Field, Almogordo, New Mexico. Sent with crew to Dow Field, Bangor, Maine for deployment 5-Oct-42. Arrived at Molesworth, UK 24-Oct-42
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-P] Bangor 5/10/42; Molesworth 25/10/42; Missing in Action 45m Oschersleben 11/1/44 with George McClellan, Co-pilot: Bill Fisher, ex B-26 pilot on his 1st mission, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Dave Tempesta, Radio Operator...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-T] Bangor 5/10/42; Molesworth 25/10/42.
...
6 December 1942
The German airfield of Drucat at Abbeville, France is the primary target for 19 B-24s despatched from 44th Bomb Group but are recalled. One squadron of 6 does not hear the recall and proceeds to the target, 1 B-24 MIA.
...
23 January 1943
The port area and U-Boat pens at Lorient, France are the primary target for this mission. 305th Bombardment Group is selected as the lead group, but condensation on the bombsight of the lead aircraft in the Group prevents the 305BG from bombing Lorient...
2 February 1943
All six 8th Air Force Bomb Groups operting from Great Britain are ordered on a mission to bomb the marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany. 61 B-17s and 22 B-24s are despatched but the formation runs into severe weather over the North Sea and the mission in...
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned to Unit | Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 24 July 1942 |
|
Assigned as an Aerial Gunner with 303BG/427BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. |
||
| Mission #1, SGT Dante G. Barron, W/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS | Lille, France | 6 December 1942 |
|
Served as a substitute Right Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #2, SGT Dante G. Barron, W/B-17F 41-24587, 303BG/427BS | Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 |
|
Served as a substitute Right Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24587 "Bad Check", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
||
| Mission #3, SGT Dante G. Barron, W/B-17F 41-24610, 303BG/427BS - Aborted | Hamm, Germany | 2 February 1943 |
|
Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24610 "JoeBTFSPLK" on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 February 2016 23:57:14 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 18-Feb-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 2-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/013.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 February 2016 23:52:12 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 18-Feb-2016. Added connections to 41-24610 and mission of 2-Feb-43 per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 2-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/013.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 January 2016 00:36:12 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 16-Jan-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 January 2016 00:32:17 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 16-Jan-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 January 2016 00:26:56 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 16-Jan-2016. Added Assigned to Unit event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Fort W. Lipe crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/427lipe.html |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 January 2016 00:24:21 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 16-Jan-2016. Added Summary Biography; made connections to PLace, Aircraft (through 23-Jan-43), Missions (through 23-Jan-43) per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Fort W. Lipe crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/427lipe.html |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:06:55 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roster |
||
