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B-17 Flying Fortress
Lt. Frank Robert Spitznagel Jr. 305th Bomb Group, 364th Squadron. Chelveston, England 1943
Lt. Frank Robert Spitznagel and crew. 364th Squadron, 305th BG. Assembled June 18, 1943 in front of their B-17 #42-29633, nicknamed "SpitzFire" (Personnel noted Back Row Left - Right; Front Row L-R)
Buffalo Evening News photo about the St. Nazaire raid on 28.06.43. Featuring Lt. Frank R. Spitznagel, 305th BG, 364th Squadron. Lt. Dave Cox; Lt. Robert Metcalf
Delivered Cheyenne 26/1/43; Salina 12/2/43; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-H/J/N/D] Chelveston 4/3/43. Completed missions as "Spitz Fire" under command of Lt. Frank R. Spitznagel Jr. until 8/19/43; transferred 381BG Ridgewell 11/9/43 1m; 526BS/379BG [LF-U] Kimbolton 26/9/43; then 525BS [FR-C]; Missing in Action Frankfurt 8/2/44 with Doris Beam, Navigator: Gene Gallagher, Radio Operator: George Potenakes, Waist gunner: George Lissandrello, Tail gunner: Bob Kelly (5 Prisoner of War); Bombardier: Dean Tate, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Lessig, Ball turret gunner: John Bernier, Waist gunner: David Helsel (4EVD-all ret UK by 18/3/44); Co-pilot: Bob Ross (KIA-chute damaged by numerous bullet holes); enemy aircraft, crash landed Monchy-Humieres, five miles NW of Compiegne, Fr. Missing Air Crew Report 2869.
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...
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit...
Squadron
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Compiegne, FR on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17F #42-29633. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Compiegne, FR on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17F #42-29633. Evaded (EVD). Returned to England before 18 MAr 1944.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Crew completed 25 missions by 19 August 1943
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 526BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 30 x combat mission. ETD
Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Compiegne, FR on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17F #42-29633. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Compiegne, FR on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17F #42-29633. Prisoner of War (POW).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Compiegne, FR on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17F #42-29633. Evaded (EVD). Returned to England by 18 Mar 1944.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Crew completed 25 missions by 19 August 1943
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Frankfurt, Germany mission 8 Feb 1944 A/C was hit by enemy fighters and the stabilizer was shot off and it went into a slow spiral. It hit the ground and exploded and 5 chutes were seen. Prisoner of War (POW)
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Compiegne, FR on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17F #42-29633. Evaded (EVD). returned to England by 18 Mar 1944.
26 February 1943
After 10 days of weather related delays of the bomber offensive, a mission is organised with the port facilities of Emden, Germany as the primary target. However, Emden is obscured by cloud cover and all formations divert to attack the port facilities...
24 July 1943
Three targets in Norway are the primary targets for this first mission flown by 8th AIr Force to Norway. They are the nitrate works at Heroya and the port areas at Trondheim and Bergen. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (22)...
17 August 1943
The mission flown on 17-Aug-43, the 1st anniversary of the 1st mission flown by the 8th Air Force, is probably the most written about mission of the war. This is the famous Schweinfurt/Regensburg mission on which 60 B-17s are lost. It has been dubbed ...
19 August 1943
The German airfields at Gilze-Rijen, Holland and Woensdrecht, Holland are the targets for this mission. The attacks will be made by two elements. The first element is a combined force of 125 B-17s from: 91BG (8); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (19);...
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...
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
Military site : airfield
Built during 1941-42 as an RAF bomber station, Ridgewell operated as a satellite to RAF Stradishall until May 1943. It had three concrete runways, initially 36 pan hardstandings, and two dispersed T2 hangars. Taken over by the Eighth Air Force in June...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | France | 8 February 1944 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 15 March 2022 06:34:10 | phil marchese | Changes to production block number and markings |
| Sources | ||
Added finish per images. P. Marchese. March 15. 2022 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 August 2020 18:03:50 | jmoore43 | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Added connections to the 526 BS & 305 BG listed in the A/C description section. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 August 2020 17:58:19 | 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 |
| 17 August 2018 14:12:26 | Despitz | Changes to nicknames and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
DS |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 May 2017 20:14:10 | Despitz | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
DS |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 May 2017 20:13:36 | Despitz | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Doug Spitznagel |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 August 2016 00:50:51 | Despitz | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Douglas Spitznagel |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 August 2016 00:46:45 | Despitz | Changes to nicknames, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Douglas Spitznagel |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:22 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2869 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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