Harold A Motz | American Air Museum in Britain

Lt. Harold (Scotty) Motz, probably taken late 1943 or early 1944. unknown location

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Announcement of class graduation from navigation school

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Map for 8th Air Force mission #626 on September 12, 1944 to Bohlen, Germany; from the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew, 708th squadron, 447th bomb group. Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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Map of 8th air force mission #623 to Fulda, on September 11, 1944. From the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew, 708th squadron, 447th bomb group. Harold's list of missions describe this as Fulda, but the note on the back of the map describes it as Bohlen. Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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Map of 8th Air Force mission #619 on September 10, 1944 to Giebelstadt; from the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew in the 708th squadron, 447th bomb group Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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Map of the 8th air force mission #613 code-named Grassy, to drop supplies to the resistance forces in southern France on September 9, 1944. From the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew, 708th Squadron, 447th Bomb Group. Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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penciled route is for 8th Air Force mission #606 to Brest on September 5, 1944; darker route is for mission #575 on August 26, 1944. From the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew, 708th squadron, 447th bomb group. Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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Map for 8th Air Force mission #595 to Mainz on September 1, 1944. From the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew, 708th squadron, 447th bomb group. Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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Map of 8th Air Force mission 591 to Bremen on August 30, 1944. From the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew, 708th squadron, 447th bomb group Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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Map of 8th Air Force mission #575 to Brest, France on August 26, 1944. From the estate of Harold Motz, navigator on the Westrope crew of the 708th squadron, 447th Bomb Group. Dark line is the route for mission #575 on August 26, 1944; penciled line is the route for mission #606 on September 5, 1944 Original map now in the collection of the Museum of the US Air Force, Dayton, Ohio.

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Harold Motz served as a navigator with the 708th squadron, 447th Bomb Group, 3rd Air Division, 8th Air Force and was based at Rattlesden, England -- about 50 miles east of Cambridge.

The story Harold told about his enlistment was that he and a group of friends had a pact: if one of them was drafted, the others in the group would volunteer. As it came to pass, when it happened, the one who was drafted spent the war stationed in the United States while the others were sent overseas.

One story told by Harold's wife after his death was that in the spring of 1944 when Harold was navigator on a flight ferrying B-17s to Prestwick, Scotland, a decoy beacon had been set up by the Germans. Some of the planes in the ferrying group followed the decoy. Harold insisted that was not correct and the pilot followed his route instead. Their plane made it to Scotland while the planes taking the other course never arrived.

Harold completed his combat tour of 35 missions with the 8th Air Force and was transferred to the Pacific, where he served with the Air Transport Command. He was released from active service on October 12, 1945.

Harold Motz and Dorothy Rita Dickson were married on August 17, 1946.
They raised a family in Detroit, Michigan where Harold worked as an engineer in the auto industry.

Harold died in 1995, survived by his wife Dorothy, three children, and (at the time of his death) four grandchildren.

Service

People

Warren Callahan

Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Warran Callahan served as a co-pilot with the 708th Bomb Squadron of the 447th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Rattlesden, England.
Thomas Diamond

Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Top Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Thomas Diamond served as a top turret gunner in the Westrope crew with the 708th Bomb Squadron of the 447th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Rattlesden, England. ...
Oscar Flores

Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Right Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Oscar Flores served as a waist gunner with the 708th Bomb Squadron of the 447th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Rattlesden, England.
Willard Lawrence

Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 447th Bomb Group
Willard Lawrence was born on Jul. 12, 1921 in Jamestown, North Dakota, USA. His career included thirty years active duty in the United States Air Force, serving in three wars (WWII, Korean War, and Vietnam War) as a pilot and later as a comptroller, he...
Otto Moreland

Military | Staff Sergeant | Lower Ball Turret Gunner/Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Mr. Moreland had been employed by the United States Postal Service office at Smithville as a rural letter carrier for many years until retiring in 1980. Prior to that, he had worked for Koch in North Kansas City, Mo.; Ford Aircraft, Claycomo, Mo.; and...
Joseph Pfeiffer

Military | Corporal (5th Grade) | Tail Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Joseph Pfeiffer served as a tail gunner with the 708th Bomb Squadron of the 447th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Rattlesden, England.
Edwin Wells

Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Radio Operator | 447th Bomb Group
Was a lifelong member of the Virgina Bar Association. He worked for State Farm Insurance for 41 years, retiring as regional vice-president in Frederick, Maryland in 1981. He was survived by his wife, two children, and four grandchildren.
Robert Westrope

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Bob Westrope served as a pilot with the 708th Bomb Squadron of the 447th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Rattlesden, England.
Harold Woods

Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Engineer | 447th Bomb Group
Born in Orienta, Oklahoma, on November 30, 1923, Harold was the son of Maggie Myrtle (Scarbrough) and Dana McCoy Woods. He was a World War II veteran, serving in the Army Air Corps as a top turret gunnery engineer in a B-17. He flew 36 missions over...

Units served with

447th Bomb Group

Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
708th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

Aircraft

42-102632 Due Back

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 19/3/44; Hunter 1/4/44; Dow Fd 18/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG [CQ-B] Rattlesden 22/4/44; Missing in Action Ausum A/Fd, Ger 27/8/44 with Hugh Bowers, Co-pilot: Jim Doster, Navigator: George Pasvanis, Bombardier: Leonard Moore, Flight...
42-102658 Blanco Diablo

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/3/44; Gr Island 12/45/44; Dow Fd 28/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 30/4/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 6/12/44 with Howard DeMallie, Chas Olson, Don Holmes, Howard Derp, Lowell Strain, Henry Rutkowski, Loel Bishop (7...
42-107220 Swanee Pride

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 27/3/44; Kearney 6/4/44; Dow Fd 14/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 22/4/44; landing accident with Art Jacques 21/2/45; crash landed non-op flight 24/5/45; Salvaged. SWANEE PRIDE.
42-31095 Ground Pounder

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 20/9/43; Harvard 4/10/43; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 19/11/43; Missing in Action Hamm 29/11/44 with ? , unknown crew except Waist gunner: Garrett Rozema. THE GROUND POUNDER. ...
42-31154 Shack Happy

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Dallas 25/9/43; Harvard 7/10/43; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 19/10/43; Missing in Action Merseburg 25/11/43 with Norman Wiggin, Ray Hansen, Phil Harper, Andy Bezak, Ken Reynolds, Marvin Olson, Chester Lambert (7 Killed in Action); Phil...
42-37854 Round Trip

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 23/9/43; Harvard 9/10/43; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 19/11/43; t/o accident with Gene Gibson 6/1/45. Salvaged; referred to in Engineering report as "camera and weather ship."
42-97400 Fuddy Duddy

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/2/44; Kearney 12/3/44 (LT Edward H. Grossheim crew, as "Little Stinker"); Dow Fd 5/4/44 (LT Edward H. Grossheim crew, as "Little Stinker"); Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 7/4/44 (renamed "Fuddy Duddy"); Missing in Action Misburg...
43-37756 Milk Wagon

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 18/5/44; Kearney 27/5/44; Dow Fd 8/6/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 9/6/44; completed 129 missions with no abort; Returned to the USA Bradley 9/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 13/7/45; Reconstruction Finance...
43-37774

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 20/5/44; Kearney 1/6/44; Grenier 16/6/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 20/6/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 5/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 7/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
43-37797 American Beauty

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/5/44; Hunter 1/6/44; Grenier 14/6/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 16/6/44; crashed on base 10/1/45 with Chas Summers, sal 8/5/45; Returned to the USA Bradley 5/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 7/7/45; Reconstruction...

Missions

466

11 July 1944
More than 1000 planes bombed Munich. Flak cut our control cables to elevators and rudder. Flew back by wing trim tabs. Shippy spliced cables before landing. Nine hour ride. Flak hit Sgt Rollinger's oxygen mask and injured his nose and eyes.
469

12 July 1944
Picked up a few flak holes. Overcast weather all the way. Another long ride. This makes 17 completed Missions.
472

14 July 1944
481

18 July 1944
Flew an easy one over Denmark to Germany. Only had one hours sleep between yesterday and today.
8th Air Force 482

19 July 1944
Schweinfurt, Germany ball bearing plant was the target. Hit by flak and fell behind formation at 8:45 am above Aachen, Germany and crashed at Haren, Belgium at 10:06 am in the air district.
484

20 July 1944
A rough one. Bombed an oil refinery near Leipzeig. Flak put several holes in the plane; ine in number 3 gas tank. Came back on 3 engines.
492

24 July 1944
Bombed enemy troop concentrations and thus assisted the Allied breakthrough at St. Lo. About 1500 planes of US went to St. Lo in Cherbourg. We came back with our bombs. Couldn't find the target.
494

25 July 1944
527

7 August 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): 4 missions are flown: ...
530

8 August 1944

Associated Place

Rattlesden

Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force in 1942, Rattlesden had three concrete runways, 50 hardstandings and two dispersed T2 hangars. Intended to be a twin-engine B-26 bomber base, it was originally a satellite for nearby Rougham, and first occupied from...
Rattlesden Memorial

Other location
St Nicholas, Rattlesden

Other location
Rattlesden Gliding Club

Other location

Events

Event	Location	Date
Born	Detroit, MI, USA	11 May 1922
Graduated from the Army Air Forces Navigation School	San Marcos, TX, USA	16 March 1944 – 18 March 1944
Graduated from Army Air Forces Navigation School, San Marcos Army Air Field, class 44-4
Married Dorothy Rita Dickson	Detroit, MI, USA	17 August 1946
Died	Warren, MI, USA	12 August 1995
Buried	Ypsilanti, MI, USA
https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Motz&GSfn=Harold&GSby...

Date	Contributor	Update
07 December 2019 23:38:53	timothymotz	Changes to biography
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
07 December 2019 23:31:41	timothymotz	Changes to events
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
13 April 2017 22:08:06	timothymotz	Changes to events
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
02 February 2017 20:30:45	timothymotz	Changes to events
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
02 February 2017 20:29:43	timothymotz	Changes to place associations
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
02 February 2017 18:47:46	timothymotz	Changes to biography, events and aircraft associations
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
15 January 2017 21:43:00	timothymotz	Changes to biography and events
Sources
Biography updated by Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
03 November 2016 12:53:10	Lucy May	Changes to biography and events
Sources
Correspondence with Timothy Motz Also: http://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=69662897
Date	Contributor	Update
03 November 2016 11:48:16	Lucy May	Changes to service number, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources
Added associations to aircraft and missions from research document sent through to the American Air Museum by Timothy Motz.
Date	Contributor	Update
03 October 2016 02:30:51	timothymotz	Changes to biography
Sources
Timothy Motz, 2016
Date	Contributor	Update
13 May 2016 18:01:31	timothymotz	Changes to media associations
Sources
Timothy Motz from crew photo of Harold Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
13 May 2016 17:15:56	timothymotz	Changes to aircraft associations
Sources
Timothy Motz from info on 447bg.com
Date	Contributor	Update
13 May 2016 17:14:36	timothymotz	Changes to aircraft associations
Sources
Timothy Motz from info on 447bg.com
Date	Contributor	Update
13 May 2016 17:08:23	timothymotz	Changes to aircraft associations
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
13 May 2016 15:56:46	timothymotz	Changes to aircraft associations
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
13 May 2016 15:44:15	timothymotz	Changes to media associations
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
04 May 2016 17:42:12	timothymotz	Changes to unit associations
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
03 May 2016 16:49:00	timothymotz	Changes to nickname, service number, role, awards, person associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources
Timothy Motz
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:11:58	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit History Roster as of 01 August 1945