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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42-97890
B-17 Flying Fortress
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Major Alex B. Andrews, an 8th Air Force HQ special observer, in the cockpit of a damaged B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Lil Satan" of the 379th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: '379 BG. 25/6/44, 245. Alex B. Andrews, B/Gen USAF (ret.), Box 2627, Raleigh NC, USA.'
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"Although this Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" (A/C 890) of the 379th Bomb Group was badly damaged during a raid on Nazi installations, its crew brought it back to its 8th Air Force Base In England. 28 June 1944." - Pilot Lt Karl Becker takes one last look at the damage of his ship. NARA Ref 342-FH-3A05683-A71145AC.
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Harold A Greenwell, Enigineer & Top Gunner 379th Bomb Group, 1st Air Division, 8th Air Force
Delivered Tulsa 27/3/44; Kearney 22/5/44; Grenier 29/5/44; Assigned 524BS/379BG [WA-U] Kimbolton 12/6/44 LIL SATAN; returning from Toulouse flak hit blew off nose 25/6/44 with Karl Becker; Navigator: Bob Evans, Bombardier: Arthur Maataa (2 Killed in Action); Waist gunner: Joe Simoncini (Prisoner of War), force landed RAF Hunsdon, Herts;
Missing in Action Magdeburg 28/9/44 with Chas Rutledge, Navigator: Stan Pain (2 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Tom Martin, Bombardier: Dave Anderson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Doyle Poling, Radio Operator: Ellis Pierson, Ball turret gunner: Cliff Rondou, Waist gunner: Arthur Green, Tail gunner: Kyle Brown (7 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Niederdadleben, W of Magdeberg, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 9364. LIL SATAN aka QUEEN OF HEARTS.
Service
Units
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379th Bomb Group
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit... -
524th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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David Anderson
Military | Major | Bombardier | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 18 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Madgeburg mission in B-17G 42-97890 'Queen of Spades' A/C Crashed at Niederdodeleben. Prisoner of War (POW). 28-Sep-44. MACR 9364. Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Alexander Andrews
Military | General | Observer | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 3 x combat missions. Returned from mission in B-17G 42-97890 'Lil Satan' after direct hit to nose of A/C. Returned to Duty (RTD). 25-Jun-44. MACR 6738. ... -
Karl Becker
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 35 x combat missions. Returned from mission in B-17G 42-97890 'Lil Satan' after direct hit to nose of A/C. Returned to Duty (RTD). 25-Jun-44. MACR 6738. Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME. -
George Brittain
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 527BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 35 x combat missions. ETD Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Kyle Brown
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 30 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Madgeburg mission in B-17G 42-97890 'Queen of Spades' A/C Crashed at Niederdodeleben. Prisoner of War (POW). 28-Sep-44. MACR 9364. Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Robert Evans
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 5 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) in B-17G 42-97890 'Lil Satan'. A/C hit in nose by direct flak hit. Partially deafened by blast, baled out on 'prepare to bale' order. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 6738. ... -
Arthur Green
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 28 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Madgeburg mission in B-17G 42-97890 'Queen of Spades' A/C Crashed at Niederdodeleben. Prisoner of War (POW). 28-Sep-44. MACR 9364. Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Harold Greenwell
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Flew under squadron commander Robert F. Layton, operations Officer. 15 missions over france. 15 missions over Germany -
James Lalonde
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball turret | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x combat missions. ETD. Awards: AM, DFC, WWII Victory, EAME. -
John Lohr
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 379th Bomb Group
In 1944 John F. Lohr was assigned to the 8th Air Force's 379th Bomb Group,526th squadron in the European Theater and Participated in the Battle of the Ardennes as a radio operator/gunner on a B-17 based in Kimbolton England.
Places
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Kimbolton
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Los Angeles, CA, USA | 1944 |
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Built at North American. |
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| Delivered | Tulsa Ave, Tullahoma, TN 37388, USA | 27 March 1944 |
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Delivered Tulsa AAF. 27-Mar-44. |
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| Assigned | Kimbolton, UK | 12 June 1944 |
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Assigned 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Hunsdon, Ware, Hertfordshire SG12, UK | 25 June 1944 |
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Battle Damaged/Crash Landed. Nose blown off, killing the bombardier. |
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| Crashed | Niederndodeleben, Germany | 28 September 1944 |
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Missing in Action Magdeburg 28/9/44 due to flak, crashed Niederdadleben, W of Magdeberg, MACR 9364. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 14 May 2021 01:30:36 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 April 2017 09:46:56 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, events and unit associations |
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https://www.fold3.com/image/29100248/?terms=Arthur%20Maatta |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 November 2016 09:55:53 | Lucy May | Changes to description and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Added connections to airmen in aircraft biography field. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 December 2015 21:35:10 | 466thHistorian | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
B-17 Flying Fortress Story - Roger Freeman |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:41:16 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 6738 / MACR 9364 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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