B-17 Flying Fortress
George Babich
Delivered Cheyenne 4/2/43; Rapid City 20/2/43; Kearney 12/3/43; Assigned 412BS/95BG [QW-O] Alconbury 29/3/43; t/o Framlingham (6m), Missing in Action Cuxhaven 11/6/43 with Malcolm MacKinnon, Co-pilot: Gene Wood, Navigator: Dick Miller, Bombardier: Windell Neeley, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: George Babich, Radio Operator: John Vail, Ball turret gunner: Dick Cavanaugh, Waist gunner: John Davoren, Waist gunner: Alex Marek, Tail gunner: Stan Bennett (10 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft attacked, ship exploded, crashed North Sea, 70 miles N of Texel Is, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 2807. LONESOME POLECAT.
Group
The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner ; Flight Engineer | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 412BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down in B-24 42-29693 'Lonesome Polecat' North Sea 70 miles north of Texel Island, 11-Jun-43 Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 2807
Awards: AM (OLC), PH.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 412BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. Flensburg raid 19-May-43 in B-17 42-29737 'Louise', fought off enemy fighters despite having been wounded in the face. Wounded in Action (WIA). RTD
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 11 June 1943 in B-17 #42-29693. Plane crashed into North Sea, Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 412BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bremen, Germany. Shot down 11-Jun-43 in B-17 42-29693. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2807.
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 412BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 11-Jun-43 in B-17 42-29693 'Lonesome Polecat'. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2807
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 11 June 1943 in B-17 #42-29693. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator, Radio Operator Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 412BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 11-Jun-43 in B-17 42-29693. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 2807
Awards: AM, PH.
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 11 June 1943 in B-17 #4229693. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
11 June 1943
The harbour facilities, port areas and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven and Cuxhaven, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. This is the largest number of heavy bombers yet despatched on a single mission - 252. This is the first mission flown...
Military site : airfield
Alconbury had been constructed as a satellite airfield for RAF Upwood and Wyton and was used by RAF Squadrons: Nos. 15, 40 and 156. In preparation for the arrival of American heavy bombers, the base was developed in 1942 with the runways extended. When...
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force from 1942 to 43, Framlingham was home first to the 95th Bomb Group, before that unit moved to RAF Alconbury. From 1943 to 1945, it was operated by the 390th Bomb Group. The airfield was handed back to the RAF in 1945, and...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Crashed | North Sea | 11 June 1943 – 11 June 1943 |
|
Missing in Action Cuxhaven 11/6/43. Bf109 piloted by Lt Heinz Knoke, attacked with four passes, ship exploded, crashed North Sea, 70 miles N of Texel Island, Holland. (10 x KIA) Missing Air Crew Report MACR2807. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 08 July 2020 21:11:58 | 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 |
| 14 December 2015 20:57:09 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, events, unit associations, place associations, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:23 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2807 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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