8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/11/43; Kearney 12/12/43; Cleveland 26/12/43; Presque Is 30/12/43; Assigned 327BS/92BG [UX-L] Podington 27/1/44; Damaged on the 6 March 1944 mission to bomb the ball-bearing plant at Erkner, in the outskirts of Berlin. Walsh crew. Battle damaged on mission to Kaiserlautern. 30/12/44 with Joe Van Stratton, Ed Porter, John Cowan, Chas Chambers, Tom Standish, Art Estrada, Harry Barner, Wilf Bedard, Bill White ; Koblenz Bullay Rail bridge, aborted due to engine failure. Decided to land at an RAF base at East Kirkby, Lincolnshire. One engine out and poor visibility, overshot the runway and started another circuit in the traffic pattern. A second engines prop wind milling, the plane was pulled up to clear a hill and stalled. The aircraft crashed 2 miles north of Kirkby and burned. (9 Killed in Action). Salvaged. BELLE OF LIBERTY.
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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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
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Sergeant | Bombardier | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
29 missions, December 1943 - May 1944
DFC/ Air Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bomber pilot | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF.
Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G #42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30/12/44, Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) bombing mission to Kaiserlautern, battle damaged, B-17G 42-97479 crash landed two miles north of RAF East Kirby, burned out 30-Dec-44 Killed in Action (KIA).
Awards: PH.
6 March 1944
The industrial areas of Berlin and Genshagen, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. A combined force of 730 heavy bombers are despatched from 1st, 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions. The despatch from 3rd Air Division bombs Targets of Opportunity in...
30 December 1944
Military site : airfield
Built originally to accommodate two RAF bomber squadrons, the first USAAF unit to occupy the base was the 15th Bomb Squadron in September 1942. Podington was then used as a satellite for nearby Chelveston. Work to lengthen the runways, although this...
Crash site
Other location
Military site : airfield
Event | Location | Date |
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Manufactured | Las Vegas, NV, USA | 1943 |
Delivered | Cheyenne Regional Airport, 200 E 8th Ave, Cheyenne, WY 82001, USA | 28 November 1943 |
Delivered to Cheyenne 28-Nov-43. |
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Assigned | Podington, Wellingborough NN29, UK | 27 January 1944 |
Assigned to 327BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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Crashed | East Kirkby, Spilsby PE23, UK | 30 December 1944 |
Aborted due to engine failure. Decided to land at an RAF base at East Kirkby, Lincolnshire. One engine out and poor visibility, overshot the runway and started another circuit in the traffic pattern. A second engines prop wind milling, the plane was pulled up to clear a hill and stalled. The aircraft crashed 2 miles north of Kirkby and burned. (9 KIA). |
Date | Contributor | Update |
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01 January 2017 15:42:55 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations and mission associations |
Sources | ||
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/dbasn.asp?SN=42-97479 |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
09 December 2016 13:53:10 | Lucy May | Changes to nicknames, events, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
Sources | ||
Added connections from information in Biography field. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:41:13 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |