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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 12/5/44; Kearney 22/5/44; Grenier 29/5/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-S] Deenethorpe 12/6/44; Missing in Action Politz 7/10/44 with Harry Silverstein, Larry Crickenberger, Carl Landwehr, Glenn Dotson, Don Gravel, Don Bergstrom, George Dias, Francis Meyers (8 Killed in Action); John Farquhar (Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Kienwerder, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 9756. COVER GIRL.
Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Crashed at Kienwerder in B-17 'Cover Girl' 44-6145.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Crashed at Kienwerder in B-17 'Cover Girl' #446145
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Crashed at Kienwerder in B-17 'Cover Girl' #446145
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Crashed at Kienwerder on 10/7/44 in B-17 'Cover Girl' #44-6145, Prisoner of War (POW).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Crashed at Kienwerder in B-17 'Cover Girl' #446145
Military | Staff Sergeant | Bombardier, Gunner, Enlisted | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Killed in Action (KIA) Crashed at Kienwerder in B-17 'Cover Girl' 44-6145.
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 614BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. Flew 44 x combat missions. ETD
Awards: AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).
11 July 1944
More than 1000 planes bombed Munich. Flak cut our control cables to elevators and rudder. Flew back by wing trim tabs. Shippy spliced cables before landing. Nine hour ride. Flak hit Sgt Rollinger's oxygen mask and injured his nose and eyes.
12 July 1944
Picked up a few flak holes. Overcast weather all the way. Another long ride. This makes 17 completed Missions.
18 July 1944
Flew an easy one over Denmark to Germany. Only had one hours sleep between yesterday and today.
19 July 1944
Schweinfurt, Germany ball bearing plant was the target. Hit by flak and fell behind formation at 8:45 am above Aachen, Germany and crashed at Haren, Belgium at 10:06 am in the air district.
24 July 1944
Bombed enemy troop concentrations and thus assisted the Allied breakthrough at St. Lo. About 1500 planes of US went to St. Lo in Cherbourg. We came back with our bombs. Couldn't find the target.
25 July 1944
28 July 1944
29 July 1944
3 August 1944
4 August 1944
Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Police, Poland | 7 October 1944 |
|
Politz, Germany during the war. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 14 November 2021 02:43:18 | acbernstein1 | Changes to mission associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 November 2019 04:09:40 | Superman | Changes to description and events |
| Sources | ||
MACR 9756 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 November 2019 04:04:42 | Superman | Changes to nicknames and markings |
| Sources | ||
401st Bomb Group website |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:41:49 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 9756 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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