B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 12/4/44; Cheyenne 1/5/44; Kearney 16/5/44; Dow Fd 2/6/44; Assigned 368BS/306BG [BO- ] Thurleigh 14/6/44; Missing in Action Gelsenkirchen 26/8/44 with Dean Allen, Waist gunner: Dick Huebotter,Tail gunner: Jim Carey (3 Prisoner of War); co-Chas Rapp, Navigator: Chas Evans, Bombardier: Mike Vlahos, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Harvey Purkey, Radio Operator: Bob Newbigle, Ball turret gunner: Gene LeVeque (6 Killed in Action); flak knocked off wing tip, crashed Budberg, near Jagergitternetz, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 8464. HARD T’ GET.
Group
Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station 111 Thurleigh. During combat,...
Squadron
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Reported to the group on 7 Jun 1944.
Crashed at Budberg on 8/26/44 in B-17 Hard To Get #4297946. POW at Stalag 7A Moosburg Bavaria 48-12 (Work Camps 3324-46 Krumbachstrasse 48011, Work Camp 3368 Munich 48-11)
POW, AM 2OLC,
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
He flew on Dean C. Allen crew. Reported to group on 7 Jun 1944.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 368BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Evans crashed at Budberg, Germany on 26 August 1944 after his aircraft B-17 42-97946 "Hard To Get" was hit by flak while over the target at Gelsenkirchen.
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 368BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Dean Allen crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Gelsenkirchen in B-17 42-97946 'Hard To Get'; crashed at Budberg on 26-Aug-44. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 8464
Awards: AM (3OLC), POW, GC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned 368BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. Dean Allen crew. 28 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Gelsenkirchen in B-17 42-97946 'Hard To Get'. Crashed at Budberg. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 8464
Awards: AM (3OLC), PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator, Radio Operator Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 368BS, 308BG, 8AF USAAF. Dean Allen crew. 28 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Gelsenkirchen in B-17 42-97946 'Hard To Get'. Crashed at Budberg. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 8464
Awards: AM (2OLC), PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 368BS, 308BG, 8AF USAAF. Flew on Dean C. Allen crew. Reported to group on 7 Jun 1944. He completed approx. 28 missions.
...
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 368BS, 308BG, 8AF USAAF. Dean Allen crew. 26 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Gelsenkirchen in B-17 42-97946 'Hard To Get'. Crashed at Budberg. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 8464
Awards: AM (3OLC), PH.
Military | First Lieutenant | B-17 Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 368BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. ETD
Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Assigned to 368BS, 308BG, 8AF USAAF. Dean Allen crew. 28 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Gelsenkirchen in B-17 42-97946 'Hard To Get' 26-Aug-44. Crashed at Budberg. Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 8464
Awards: AM (3OLC), PH.
Military site : airfield
Built for RAF use in 1941-42, Thurleigh was initially used by RAF Bomber Command before being handed over to the Eighth Air Force. Its runways and hardstandings were improved, and the B-17s of the 306th Bomb Group began using the base. It was their...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | Denver AAF, CO | 12 April 1944 |
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Delivered Denver 12-Apr-44. |
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| Assigned | Thurleigh, UK | 14 June 1944 |
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Assigned 368BS, 306BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Budberg, Germany | 26 August 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Gelsenkirchen with Dean Allen crew. Crashed at Budberg. 3 x POW, 6 x KIA MACR 8464 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 25 October 2020 13:38:02 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, events and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:41:17 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 8464 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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