323rd Bomb Squadron
Squadron
41-31708
B-26 Marauder
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WT -B “The Gremlin II”. Capt. John D. Helton’s ship. Helton flew more combat missions than any other airman in the 323rd.
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WT-A "The Gremlin II" Serial No. 41-31708 with Earl Rusk and Bill Pitts
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"Framed by the remnants of a hangar once used by the Germans, a 9th Air force Martin B-26 Marauder is pictured taking off from a former Luftwaffe airfield in France on a mission to Germany. Before the Marauders were able to use the field, 9th Air Force ground crews had to remove the wreckage caused by allied bombing during the battle of France." - B-26B-20-MA "WT-B" 41-31708 'The Gremlin II' 456BS, 323BG, 9AF.
The Gremlin II took part in a D-Day Mission to Caen Road Junctions with crew Lt. John D. " JD" Helton - Pilot, Lt. Watson - Navigator and Lt. Walt Foster - Bombardier.
Footage and stills available on Critical Past shows the aircraft in Box I, Flight 1 approaching the French coast at about 4:15 p.m. on June 6, 1944.
Service
Units
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456th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Selected Bibliography of Publications: ...
People
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Frank Burgmeier
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator - B-26 Marauder | 323rd Bomb Group
Lt. Burgmeier grew up in Upstate New York. He married his wife, Tedi, in July 1943, just days before he left for his tour of duty as a navigator for the 323rd Bombardment Group. He kept a diary, which has been invaluable to historians studying the... -
Walter Foster
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Bombardier | 323rd Bomb Group
Lt. Walt Foster was a navigator and bombardier from Upstate New York who served with the 456th BS during the Second World War. His first combat mission was flown from Earls Colne Airfield on February 3, 1944 to the Ruisseville "No Balls” secret weapon... -
Theodore Harwood
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot / Pilot | 323rd Bomb Group
Ted joined the 323rd BG in Beaulieu, England on August 13, 1944 and flew his first mission on August 13/14, 1944 to Foret de House Bivouc and an Airdrome. It was a night mission, described by the combat crews as "creepy", "the worst". Of it, Ted said,... -
John Helton
Military | Colonel | Pilot | 323rd Bomb Group
JD Helton was from the Waco, Texas area and served as a B-26 Marauder pilot during the Second World War. He was part of the original Myrtle Beach contingent that comprised the 456th BS. ... -
Arthur Pakula
Military | First Lieutenant | B26 Marauder pilot #1082 | 323rd Bomb Group
My dad, 1st Lt. Arthur S. Pakula enlisted in the Army Air Corps on July 9, 1941 at the age of 18 years. He served in the Pacific and European Theaters. Arthur received his silver wings and commission as a B-26 Marauder pilot in June 1944. He was... -
Robert Smith
Military | Pilot | 323rd Bomb Group
Lt. Smith flew as Co-Pilot in "The Gremlin II" WT-B with Capt. JD Helton -Pilot (who had returned from leave), Lt. Frank Burgmeier - N, Lt. Walt Foster - B from Chartes on October 8, 1944 to the Eskirchen Supply Depot, Holland.
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 09 January 2022 20:17:47 | 323rdBGHistorian | Changes to markings |
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Per picture and 323rd BG records markings s/b WT-B not WT-A Roy Bozych |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 January 2020 09:23:27 | Emily | Changes to person associations |
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Transferred people records previously associated to UPL 41387 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 April 2016 10:41:11 | Lucy May | Changes to description |
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Brought in information about footage in Critical Past archive, as shared by registered user Jan Foster. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 April 2016 19:59:41 | JMF | Changes to media associations |
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JMF |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 April 2016 18:52:19 | JMF | Created entry with serial number, aircraft type, manufacturer, nicknames, markings and unit associations |
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JMF |
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