B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 7/3/44; Gr Island 29/3/44; Dow Fd 7/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG [CQ- ] Rattlesden 8/4/44; Missing in Action Berlin 29/4/44 with Edgar Farrell, Co-pilot: John Benedict, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Peters, Radio Operator: Norman Bussel, Waist gunner: Merle Rumbaugh, Waist gunner: Wade Fulton (6 Prisoner of War); Navigator: Sherwood Landis, Bombardier: Wynne Longeteig, Ball turret gunner: Joe Guida, Tail gunner: Vasilios Mpouries (4 Killed in Action); flak hits followed by enemy aircraft, crashed Eickendorf, 15 miles SW of Gardelegen, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 4255.
Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Prisoner of War (POW).
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Flight Officer | Navigator | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Killed in Action (KIA).
PH
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-102479, Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force in 1942, Rattlesden had three concrete runways, 50 hardstandings and two dispersed T2 hangars. Intended to be a twin-engine B-26 bomber base, it was originally a satellite for nearby Rougham, and first occupied from...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 29 April 1944 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 06 January 2022 18:01:35 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid readability. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 December 2021 14:39:25 | Jeff Uyak | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Norman Bussel's autobiographical account of his WWII experiences covers in depth his training and battle experiences, in particular being shot down and being held prisoner through the remainder of the war in his book "My Private War". I was honoured to meet him and several other 8AF/447BG veterans at a reunion and ask him to sign my copy of his book. In the book, he mentions "Mississippi Lady" many times. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:09 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 4255 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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