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B-17 Flying Fortress
"Formation of Boeing B-17 Flying Fortresses over Winter-Hausengr, Germany. 22 February 1945."
Delivered Cheyenne 20/7/44; Kearney 28/7/44; Grenier 9/8/44; Assigned 860BS/493BG Debach 11/8/44; battle damaged Merseburg 2/11/44 with Joe Gualano, cp?, Stan Lucia, Arthur Etter, Ray Butler, Paul Backer, Bob Johnson, Fred Townsend, Travis Jones (8 Returned to Duty); Harry Thomas lwg (Killed in Action); force landed St Trond, Bel. Returned to the USA Bradley 7/7/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 9/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 9/12/45. HANK'S BOTTLE.
The name "Hank's Battle" is found in the personal diaries of 2 veteran's of the 493rd BG. S/Sgt Manley Abbott refers to "Hank's Battle Wagon" "Shunter F" (860 BS, RCL F) Whilst S/Sgt Beverly Berry refers to "Hank's Battle" (it is possible the full name had not yet been painted on the aircraft at the time) Both men flew the aircraft on combat missions.
It is possible that the aircraft was named in honour of S/Sgt Harry F Thomas, waist gunner, who was KIA whilst crewing the aircraft on 2nd November 1944 with the Lt Joseph Gualano crew.
Group
The 493rd Bomb Group was the last Eighth Air Force Group to become operational, flying their first combat mission from Debach, Suffolk, on D-Day, 6 June 1944. The Group was known as "the Fighting 493rd", named by their Commanding Officer Colonel Elbert...
Squadron
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 493rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 862BS, 493BG, 8AF USAAF. Missions from 8 June to November 1944.
Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer | 493rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 860BS, 493BG, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: AM (4OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 493rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 860BS, 493BG, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: AM (4OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 493rd Bomb Group
Nov 2, 1944 Merseberg, Germany. Severe flak ME 262 fighters. Waist gunner Sergeant Harry Thomas killed. 2 engines out, oxygen out, electrical and radio out and rudder inoperable. Tossed all equipment overboard including ball turret which was dropped....
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 493rd Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 493rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 860BS, 493BG, 8AF USAAF.
Awards: AM (2OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 493rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 860BS, 493BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Merseberg in B-17 43-38316
2-Nov-44; severe flak and Me 262 fighters attacked plane. Pilot Joseph Gualano did eventually land plane in Belgium. Killed in Action (KIA)
Awards: AM (4OLC), PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 493rd Bomb Group
Military site : airfield
Debach was one of the last Eighth Air Force heavy bomber bases to be completed. It was built by the 820th Engineer Battalion (Aviation) between late '43 and early '44. Pronounced locally as 'Deb-idge', the base was built to a class A standard with...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned | Debach UK | 11 August 1944 |
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Assigned to 860BS, 493BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Sint-Truiden, Belgium | 2 November 1944 |
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Mission to Merseberg, Germany. Severe flak and ME 262's attacked plane. Battle damaged. force landed St Trond, Belgium. 8 x RTD, 1 x KIA. 2-Nov-44. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 05 June 2022 18:33:09 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 May 2022 16:02:41 | Darren Jelley | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
493rd BG Archives |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 May 2022 12:37:10 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2022 13:24:26 | Darren Jelley | Changes to nicknames and description |
| Sources | ||
493rd BG Archives |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 October 2018 16:41:51 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, events, unit associations and person associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 April 2018 09:29:23 | Lucy May | Changes to nicknames, description, events, unit associations and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Added connections to airmen's records. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:41:27 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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