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42-29663

B-17 Flying Fortress

Delivered Denver 29/1/43; Salina 3/2/43; Homestead 19/2/43; Assigned 364BS/305BG [WF-H] Chelveston 2/3/43; Missing in Action Lorient 17/5/43 with Don Tuttle, Co-pilot: Jim Aubele, Navigator: Chas Spear, Radio Operator: John Gardner, Tail gunner: Ed Seabourn, photo-Ralph Greenfield (6 Prisoner of War); Bombardier: Carl Tisone - body never found, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Danny Gruhike, Waist gunner: Alex Schaeffer, Waist gunner: John Lyons (4 Killed in Action); Ball turret gunner: Harry Tilbury (evaded capture); enemy aircraft, crashed near Cherbourg, Fr. Missing Air Crew Report 15555.

Service

Units

  • 8th Air Force

    8th Air Force


    Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...

  • 305th Bomb Group Can Do

    305th Bomb Group Can Do

    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...

  • 364th Bomb Squadron

    364th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

People

  • James Aubele

    Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 15555 Awards: PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • John Gardner

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 15555 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME,

  • Ralph Greenfield

    Military | Sergeant | Photographer | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 15555 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME,

  • Daniel Gruhlke

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 15555 Awards: PH.

  • John Lyons

    Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 15555 Awards: PH.

  • Alexander Schaeffer

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 15555 Awards: AM, PH, American Campaign, EAME (1 x battle star).

  • Ed Seabourn

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 15555 Awards: AM, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Charles Spear

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 15555 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Harold Tilbury

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. 4 x combat missions. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Evaded (EVD). MACR 15555 ...

  • Carl Tisone

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
    Assigned to 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 17-May-43 in B-17 42-29663. Killed in Action (KIA). Body never found. MACR 15555 Awards: AM, PH.

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Missions

  • VIII Bomber Command 58

    17 May 1943
    VIII Bomber Command launches another operation against German U-Boat facilities with three elements. The first element is a formation of 100 B-17s despatched from: 91BG (24); 92BG (10); 303BG (21); 305BG (21) and 306BG (24) to attack the German U-Boat...

Places

  • Chelveston

    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...

Events

Event Location Date
Manufactured Long Beach, CA January 1943

Built at Boeing.
Delivered Denver AAF, CO 29 January 1943

Delivered Denver AAF 29-Jan-43.
Assigned Chelveston, UK 2 March 1943

Assigned 364BS, 305BG, 8AF USAAF.
Crashed Cherbourg, France 17 May 1943

Failed to Return (FTR) Lorient 17-May-43; enemy aircraft, crashed near Cherbourg, France. 1 x EVD, 6 x POW, 4 x KIA MACR 15555
Nicknames
Not yet known
Production block number
B-17F-65-BO
Manufacturer
Boeing
Markings and paint scheme/livery
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
09 November 2020 23:18:56 jmoore43 Changes to description
Sources

Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity.
Date Contributor Update
18 January 2019 14:30:02 Al_Skiff Changes to production block number, events, unit associations, mission associations and media associations
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/47349084
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:40:23 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 15555 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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