B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 92BG Bovingdon 8/42; 414BS/97BG Polebrook 24/8/42; transferred Maison Blanche, Alg. 20/11/42; Missing in Action Foggia 7/9/43 with Bill Bispham, Pilot: Everett Blogg, Navigator: Glenn J. Rhodes Jr., Co-pilot: Dan Grover, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Roy Dudgeon, Radio Operator: Casimir Chester, Ball turret gunner: Myron Johnson, Waist gunner: Edwin Grogan, Waist gunner: Albt Cahill, Tail gunner: Morton Schlesinger (8 Killed in Action); Missing Air Crew Report 642. STINKY JR.
The 12th Air Force was established in the USA during the Second World War to provide the Army Air Force component of Operation Torch (the invasion of French North Africa) in 1942. The Air Force initially moved to England for training before...
Group
The 97th Bomb Group flew the Eighth Air Force's first heavy bomber mission from the UK when they bombed a marshalling yard at Rouen on 17 August 1942. Just a month later though the Group were reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force and left England for the...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Foggia mission in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; Downed by flak, A/C exploded over Foggia, Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 642
Awards: PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Foggia mission in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; Downed by flak, A/C exploded over Foggia, Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 642
Awards: PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Foggia mission in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; Downed by flak, A/C exploded over Foggia, Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 642
Awards: PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Foggia mission in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; Downed by flak, A/C exploded over Foggia, Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 642
Awards: AM (2OLC), PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Foggia mission in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; Downed by flak, A/C exploded over Foggia, Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 642
Awards: PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio operator | 97th Bomb Group
Edwin Frances Grogan, originally of Turners Falls, MA, served in the 414 Bomb Squadron, and was killed in action over Foggia Italy on 7 September 1943 in B-17 Flying Fortress 41-24342.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Downed by flak over Foggia in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; A/C exploded, baled out or blown clear. RTD
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Downed by flak over Foggia in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; A/C exploded, blown clear. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 642
Awards: AM (2OLC), PH (OLC), GC, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 97th Bomb Group
Shot down on B-17 41-24342 'Stink Jr' on 7 September 1943, on a mission to Foggia, Italy. The aircraft received a direct flak hit, which tore the wing off. The aircraft exploded, but Rhodes survived the crash and was taken Prisoner of War at Stalag...
Military | Sergeant | Ball turret gunner | 97th Bomb Group
Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 12AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Foggia mission in B-17 41-24342 'Stinky' 7-Sep-43; Downed by flak, A/C exploded over Foggia, Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 642
Awards: AM (4OLC), PH.
Military site : airfield
Polebrook was laid down for RAF Bomber Command use in 1940-1941. Built by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd, it had short runways which were lengthened for USAAF heavy bomber use. The RAF used the base for operational trials - including of B-17 Flying...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned | Bovingdon, UK | August 1942 |
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Assigned to 92BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Polebrook, UK | 24 August 1942 |
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Assigned to 414BS, 97BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Relocated | Maison Blanche, Algeria | 20 November 1942 |
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Relocated to Algeria. Re-assigned to 12AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Foggia, Italy | 7 September 1943 |
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Missing in Action Foggia 7-Sep-43; Hit by flak lost wing and then exploded. 1 x RTD, 2 x POW, 7 x KIA MACR 642 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 July 2021 18:25:20 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 November 2019 18:52:05 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, events and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 November 2019 09:25:32 | Emily | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Changes to biography as per information in Missing Air Crew Report 642 which confirms William Bispham was pilot on the aircraft when it was shot down. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 November 2019 09:08:04 | Emily | Changes to markings and media associations |
| Sources | ||
Removed media association not depicting aircraft. Link to photo of aircraft removed from markings field to source message |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 November 2019 01:51:01 | Rhodes | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Father's (aircraft pilot) details. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 August 2019 18:36:36 | Rhodes | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
I updated the crew data to reflect that seven were KIA and not ten. My father, Glenn Rhodes survived and was taken prisoner, along with Myron Johnson, his waist gunner. I am still attempting to find the name of the third survivor. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 August 2019 18:32:55 | Rhodes | Changes to description and person associations |
| Sources | ||
The crew data needs to be edited. Glenn J. Rhodes Jr. (my father) was the pilot, not the navigator. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 August 2019 18:31:25 | Rhodes | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
The crew data needs to be edited. Glenn J. Rhodes Jr. (my father) was the pilot, not the navigator. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 August 2019 17:59:59 | Rhodes | Changes to nicknames and markings |
| Sources | ||
http://www.reddog1944.com/414th_Squadron_Planes_and_Crews.htm#StinkyJr |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:02 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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