B-17 Flying Fortress
42-107030 "Fifinella" (possibly a photo of Tony Starcer who painted the nose art for Fifinella)
"Capt. Michael Ragan, Catholic Chaplain, Holds Services For A Boeing B-17 Crew Prior To Take-Off. England." - 91st Bomb Group's Catholic chaplain, Fr. Michael Ragan, blesses crew members of "Fifinella" (B-17G 42-107030, coded LG-T) of the 322nd Bomb Sq. Ragan was a veritable celebrity at Bassingbourn, usually present beside the runway for the departure of every operational mission during his tenure. A Fortress was eventually named for him, "Ragan's Raiders."
"England.....Capt. Michael Ragan, Catholic Chaplain, holds services for crew of B-17 'Fifinella' prior to take-off."
Prison mug shots taken while in Dulag Luft at Wetzlar before he was moved to Stalag Luft IV. T/Sgt. Charles Sturgeon, who was 20 yrs. old at the time, was captured after he bailed out of Fifinella. Several months later he was moved to Stalag Luft I (Barth) where he stayed until being liberated in May 1945. After being liberated, he was able to find his record out of a pile of records three feet high and three feet in diameter. T/Sgt. Sturgeon remembered noticing a group of POWs gathered around the pile of records looking for the one with their picture. He walked over to the pile, looked down, and immediately saw his picture on the ground in plain sight. T/Sgt. Sturgeon remembered how, "One guy said he had been there two hours looking for his and still didn't find it." CONTRIBUTED BY CHARLES STURGEON
Charles Sturgeon, Engineer/Gunner of Thomas P. Smith Jr's Crew at age 21, after enjoying three months of "Real Food" since being liberated from Stalag Luft #1 (Barth) in May of 1945. PHOTO CONTRIBUTED BY CHARLES STURGEON
Crash sequence photo #1,' Fifinella' 322nd BS, 91st BG The first photo shows Joe Vukovich (according to the underground) bailing from Fifinella on August 13, 1944. Engineer and Top Turret Gunner Charles Sturgeon, who bailed out of Fifinella, feels that if the person in the photo is using a seat chute without the leg straps then it is him (Charles) in the photo
Crash sequence photo #2 'Fifinella' 322nd BS, 91st BG The second photo shows Fifinella in a dive just before crashing.
Crash sequence photo #3 'Fifinella' 322nd BS, 91st BG The third photo shows Fifinella after crashing into the ground around noon that day. Photo contributed by Charles Sturgeon
FIFINELLA (42-107030) Green Crew, 322nd BS, 91st BG. 4 April 1944
Delivered Tulsa 2/2/44; Grenier 5/3/44; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-T] Bassingbourn 25/3/44; Missing in Action 54m Le Manoir RR bridge, Fr 13/8/44 with Tom Smith (Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Joe Vukovich, Navigator: Alex Calder, Ball turret gunner: Jesse Britton, Waist gunner: Calvin Seiler, Tail gunner: Leon Rogers (5 evaded capture); Bombardier: Bob Bell, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Sturgeon, Radio Operator: Delmar Spears (3 Prisoner of War); flak hit set oxygen bottles off to burn hydraulic fluid in cockpit, crashed Epreville, SW of Rouen, Fr; Missing Air Crew Report 7898. FIFINELLA.
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Damaged by flak and ditched in the North Sea on 7/16/44 in the Liberty Belle B-17 42-31610. Returned to duty.
On 8/13/44 In B-17 Fifinella was shot down and crashed near Epreville became Prisoner of War (POW).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Evaded (EVD) Shot down by flak and crashed near Epreville on 8/13/44 in B-17 Fifinella #42107030
Military | Captain | Bomber pilot / Fighter pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Damaged by fighters on mission to Frankfurt on 29-Jan-44 in B-17 42-37987 'Man O War - Horsepower Ltd' managed to return to England on two engines and crashed near Sittingbourne, Kent when the third engine went out....
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down by flak and crashed near Epreville on 8/13/44 in B-17 #42-107030 "Fifinella". Evaded (EVD).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Evaded (EVD) Shot down by flak and crashed near Epreville on 8/13/44 in B-17 Fifinella #42107030
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Evaded (EVD) Shot down by flak and crashed near Epreville on 8/13/44 in B-17 Fifinella #42107030
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by flak and crashed near Epreville in B-17 "Fifinella" 42-107030.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by flak and crashed near Epreville on 8/13/44 in B-17 Fifinella #42107030
POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by flak and crashed near Epreville on 8/13/44 in B-17 Fifinella #42107030
POW
Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 13 August 1944 on 1st mission in B-17 42-107030 over German occupied France. Was not captured by the Germans, but evaded capture by hiding with French underground. Discharged November 1945. Plane was Fifinella.
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Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | France | 13 August 1944 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 28 July 2021 01:04:13 | acbernstein1 | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2021 20:02:16 | 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 |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:15 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 7898 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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