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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/12/42; Salina 9/1/43; Morrison 12/2/43; Assigned 422BS/305BG [JJ-Q] Chelveston 7/3/43;
Missing in Action Hamburg 25/6/43 with Larry Wilcox, Co-pilot: Nelson Miketta, Navigator: Joe Brooks, Bombardier: Stan Schreffler, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Wade Swink, Radio Operator: Truman Talledge, Ball turret gunner: Chas Overheim, Waist gunner: Alex Dewoina, Waist gunner: Bob Welch,Tail gunner: Joe Roche (9 Prisoner of War); photo-Chas Grigsby (KIA-possible chute failure);
Cause: enemy aircraft, ditched off Zuiderveen, Oude Rekela, Hol.
No MACR.
MA MA CHANG.
Group
The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #4229499 'Ma Ma Chang. ' Result unknown.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #4229499 'Ma Ma Chang. ' Result unknown.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Photographer | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Charles E Grigsby served as a photographer with the 305th Bomb Group. On 25 June 1943, he was flying on B-17 42-29499 'Ma Ma Chang' when it was attacked by enemy aircraft. The crew were ordered to bail out and Grigsby did not survive. He was Killed in...
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #4229499 'Ma Ma Chang. ' Result unknown.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #42-29499 'Ma Ma Chang', Result unknown.
Military | Master Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #4229499 'Ma Ma Chang'. Prisoner of War (POW).
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #4229499 'Ma Ma Chang. ' POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #42-29499 'Ma Ma Chang'. Survived parachute drop but got hung up in a tree and broke his back. Rescued and taken care of by members of the underground, but because of his severe injuries had to be turned over to the...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 on 13th mission in B-17 #42-29499 'Ma Ma Chang', Prisoner of War (POW) for 23 months and 8 days.
AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster/ POW
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 25 June 1943 in B-17 #4229499 'Ma Ma Chang. ' Result unknown.
Robert did survive; his death was reported in the April 1991 edition of Can Do Notes.
Military site : airfield
Chelveston was adapted and expanded in preparation for the arrival of American forces. Rather than heavy bombers, the first aircraft to fly from its runways were C-47 Skytrains that were flown by the 60th Troop Carrier Group in July 1942. The first...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Crashed | 25 June 1943 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 22 December 2016 23:47:38 | jroche | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
The source is a photo of Joseph Roche crew, including Pilot Hal Walker, which was taken in under the nose of the aircraft, "Mama Chung's Bastard". The plane was named for a female doctor in San Francisco who was of Asian heritage. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 11 November 2016 09:26:04 | Lucy May | Changes to nicknames, description, events, unit associations and person associations |
| Sources | ||
Added connections from information in biography field. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:22 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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