B-17F 42-29649 was delivered at Denver 29-Jan-43; Great Falls 31-Jan-43; Salina 13-Feb-43; Assigned to 423BS/306BG [RD- ] at Thurleigh 24-Mar-43; On 1-May-43 the aircraft was despatched on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. On the return a navigational error caused the aircraft to pass over Brest, France where it was damaged by flak. Then the aircraft was attacked by fighters which caused a fire aboard. Because of the fire, three of the crew baled out over the sea and were lost. However the Pilot 1Lt Lewis P. Johnson, managed to fly the aircraft back to England at Predennack, Cornwall. The Ball Turret Gunner Sgt Maynard H. 'Snuffy' Smith was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the burning aircraft. Sgt Smith was the first 8th AF enlisted man to receive this award. The citation for Sgt Smith may be viewed at: http://www.cmohs.org/recipient-detail/3004/smith-maynard-h.php

3 KIA, 7 RTD - No MACR issued.



P 1Lt Lewis P. Johnson (RTD); CP 2Lt Robert McCallum (RTD)

N 1Lt Stanley K Kissenberth (RTD); NG/B/TOG SSgt J.C. Melaun (RTD)

E/TTG TSgt William W. Fahrenhold (RTD); RO TSgt Henry R. Bean (KIA)

BTG Sgt Maynard H. "Snuffy" Smith (RTD); WG SSgt Robert V. Folliard (KIA)

WG SSgt Joseph S. Bukacek (KIA);TG Sgt Roy H. Gibson (RTD)