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563rd Bomb Squadron

Squadron

  • The insignia of the 563rd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group.

    The insignia of the 563rd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group.

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  • B-17G-5-BP #42-31137

    B-17G-5-BP #42-31137 "Classy Chassy" Code: W 388th BG - 563rd BS

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  • B-17G-20-VE #42-97542

    B-17G-20-VE #42-97542 "City of Savannah" 388th BG - 563rd BS The men in the photo are unidentified

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  • B-17G-55-VE #44-8207 Code: Q 388th BG - 563rd BS - 8th AF

    B-17G-55-VE #44-8207 Code: Q 388th BG - 563rd BS - 8th AF

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  • B-17G-100-BO #43-38933

    B-17G-100-BO #43-38933 "Dear Mom II" Code: G (Background) B-17G-105-BO #43-39221 Code: N (foreground) 388th BG

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  • 1Lt Ray Theodore Wilken, Jr, He was serving as the pilot on a B-17F which took off from Knettishall, England, with an assigned target of Stuttgart, Germany. With the nose section on fire the aircraft crashed at Montgueux, 5 miles west of Troyes, France. 8 KIA 2 Evaded Those killed were buried at Troyes.

    1Lt Ray Theodore Wilken, Jr, He was serving as the pilot on a B-17F which took off from Knettishall, England, with an assigned target of Stuttgart, Germany. With the nose section on fire the aircraft crashed at Montgueux, 5 miles west of Troyes, France. 8 KIA 2 Evaded Those killed were buried at Troyes.

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  • B-17 42-30340

    B-17 42-30340 "Screaming Red Ass" & Crew, 563rd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group Standing L to R are: 2nd Lt. Harry L. Cotter 1st Lt. William K. Bowler 2nd Lt. Bruno A. Manno Kneeling from L to R are: T/Sgt. Denton E. Walthall T/Sgt. Matthew Bejma S/Sgt. Willis D. Condren S/Sgt. Calvin Hoagland S/Sgt. Roy T. Patterson S/Sgt. Fred C. Kerr

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  • SSgt Philip Scriffignano, Left Waist Gunner on B17G 42-107076, 563rd Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group. Target of the Focke-Wulf Aircraft factory at Poznan, Poland. While on this mission they were hit by enemy flak and severely damaged. Philip was declared

    SSgt Philip Scriffignano, Left Waist Gunner on B17G 42-107076, 563rd Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group. Target of the Focke-Wulf Aircraft factory at Poznan, Poland. While on this mission they were hit by enemy flak and severely damaged. Philip was declared "Missing In Action" when his B-17 crashed, due to the damage, into the Baltic Sea seven miles Southeast of Nykobing, near Boto, Denmark during the war. ..

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  • "Crew of the 563rd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, beside the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Patty Jo'. England, 26 March 1944." L-R: 1Lt Edwin E Carmell, 2Lt Morris Traub, 1Lt Leonard E Ranton, 2Lt George Weston Clarke, S/Sgt Robert Baugh, S/Sgt Richard E Grover, T/Sgt Alfred C "Al" Craft, S/Sgt William W Wright, T/Sgt William Bruce Ruby, S/Sgt Norman C McMichael.

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  • "Crew of the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress 'Pegasus' at an airbase in England 13 Oct 1943." Rear L-R: 2Lt John T Brown, 1Lt Charles B Miller, 2Lt Joseph D McGovern, 2Lt Kenneth M Kelley. Front L-R: T/Sgt Cecil R Sinclair, S/Sgt Leslie G Thibodeau, T/Sgt John Ellis Lower, S/Sgt Bernard J Shaw, S/Sgt Eugene S Budzbanowski, S/Sgt Richard E Ratley.

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Commanding officers

  • Francis Henggeler

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Commanding Officer | 388th Bomb Group

Structure

Part of
  • 388th Bomb Group

    388th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...

Encompassing
Not yet known
Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Knettishall

Connections

People

  • John Abernathy

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer | 388th Bomb Group

  • Ben Adams

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down by fighters on a mission to Brunswick, GR on 23 Mar 1944, B-17F #42-30808 crashed NNW of Celle, GR. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • David Adams

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 30 July 1943 in B-17 #42-30238 'Classy Chassy'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Walter Adams

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group

  • Ernest Alcorn

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 388th Bomb Group
    Crippled by flak and fighters on a mission to Brunswick, GR on 23 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31745 'Heaven Can Wait' made an emergency landing near Wildeshausen/Oldenburg, GR. Prisoner of War (POW). ...

  • Carl Alexander

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 30 July 1943 in B-17 #4230238 'Classy Chassy. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Kenneth Alexander

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 30 July 1943 in B-17 #4230238 'Classy Chassy. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Robert Alexander

    Military | Corporal | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group

  • Charles Alfano

    Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA)

  • Robert Allman

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    On November 5, 1943 B-17#42-30863 'My Devotion' returning from mission to Gelsenkirchen, Germany, with 2 damaged engines, crew baled out over North Suffolk.

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Aircraft

  • 42-102953 Sky Ann

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 22/4/44; Kearney 2/5/44; Grenier 13/5/44; Assigned 563BS/388BG [P] Knettishall 16/5/44; Missing in Action Magdeburg 28/9/44 with Bernard Lord, Co-pilot: Don Trachsel, Navigator: Irving Podolska, Bombardier: Walter Norwicki, Flight...

  • 42-106989 Miss Adventure

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 19/1/44; MacDill 14/2/44; Grenier 24/2/44; Assigned 563BS/388BG [Y] Knettishall 28/2/44; on mission to Liege 25/5/44 with Tracy Breed, Co-pilot: Don Duclos, Navigator: Harry Kroneberger, Bombardier: Charles Larsen, Flight engineer...

  • 42-107076

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Tulsa 14/2/44; Presque Is 6/3/44; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 9/3/44; Missing in Action Warnemunde 9/4/44 with Vince Sundstrom, Co-pilot: John Vlymen, ng-S/Sgt Manuel Weintraub, Bombardier: Alex Bruce, Flight engineer/top turret gunner:...

  • 42-107202 'BELLE OF THE BRAWL'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Tulsa 20/3/44; Kearney 31/3/44; Dow Fd 7/4/44; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 8/4/44; Missing in Action Ruhland 24/8/44 with Chas Edwards, Radio Operator: Winfred Manship, Ball turret gunner: Don Drago, Waist gunner: David Dowis, Tail...

  • 42-30189

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 27/4/43; Sioux City 8/5/43; Smoky Hill 12/6/43; Dow Fd 16/6/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG [--U] Knettishall 23/6/43; Missing in Action Hanover 26/7/43 with Jim Gunn, Co-pilot: John Brown, Navigator: Harry Van Anda, Bombardier: Eloy Baca,...

  • 42-30202

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 11/5/43; Dow Fd 18/6/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall. Missing in Action Kassel 3 July 1943. Pilot : Earl E. Pickard, Navigator Robert J. Hoke, Bombardier Wallace N. Soderberg, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner...

  • 42-30205 Battlin' Betsy

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 11/5/43; Smoky Hill 9/6/43; Dow Fd 12/6/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 14/6/43; on non-operational flight 13/10/43 crashed just off runway; with Rodney Due, Co-pilot: Pete Musulin, Navigator: Fred Bergman,...

  • 42-30208

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Gore 8/5/43; Sioux City 10/5/43; Dow Fd 16/6/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 17/6/43; Missing in Action Hanover 30/7/43 with Earl Pickard, Co-pilot: Billy Hooker, Navigator: Bob Hoke{evaded capture until he was...

  • 42-30216

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Gore 9/5/43; Sioux City 10/5/43; Dow Fd 12/6/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG [--S] Knettishall 18/6/43; Missing in Action Oschersleben 28/7/43 with Ralph Swanson, Co-pilot: Harry Erickson, Navigator: Chas Bergheimer, Bombardier:...

  • 42-30222

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 30/4/43; Sioux City 11/5/43; Smoky Hill 12/6/43; Dow Fd 19/6/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 10/6/43; Missing in Action Stuttgart 6/9/43 with Alf Kramer, Co-pilot: Arthur Swap, Bombardier: Bob Burnett, Flight engineer/top turret...

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Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Bombardment
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Not yet known
Aircraft used
  • B-17 Flying Fortress

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
26 November 2014 14:35:54 rlhengg Changes to type and aircraft types
Sources

388th Bomb Group Historian
Date Contributor Update
26 November 2014 14:34:36 rlhengg Changes to commanding officers associations
Sources

388th Bomb Group Historian
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:50 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980)

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