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B-17 Flying Fortress
Lt Jockerst and crew of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group based in England, pose in front of Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Shangrila Lil'. 12 August 1943. Rear L-R: T/Sgt Alphonse B Serwa, 2Lt Robert N DeFeis, Capt Willard Bergeron, 1Lt Leonard E Jokerst. Front L-R: T/Sgt LeRoy Cline, S/Sgt George W Wilson, S/Sgt Vernon R Appleton, S/Sgt Norman A Hemmings, S/Sgt William H Stephen.
Lt Cogwell and crew of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group based in England, pose in front Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Shangrila Lil'. 16 July 1943. Rear L-R: S/Sgt Augustus V Brundage, 1Lt John D Kennedy, Capt Robert W Cogswell, 1Lt Hershel R DeWall, 1Lt Edward L Cobb. Front L-R: S/Sgt Paul Kistulentz, S/Sgt Harold R Timm, S/Sgt Paul J Davis, T/Sgt Gilbert E Bengston, S/Sgt Alvin Etheredge.
Lt Crockatt and crew of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, beside Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Shangrila Lil'. England, 12 Aug. 1943. Rear L-R: 2Lt William Cramsie, 2Lt George Crockatt, 2Lt Israel Millner, 2Lt Meran Barsam. Front L-R: S/Sgt Benjamin Clarke, S/Sgt Eugene Williams, S/Sgt James Burke, T/Sgt Allen Jaynes, Sgt Eddie Homer, T/Sgt Morris Tepper.
Lt Baker and crew of the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, beside Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Shangrila'. England, 16 July 1943. Rear L-R: 1Lt William T Baker, 2Lt Loyd D Gahimer, 1Lt Joseph T McLane, 1Lt George J Fleming. Front L-R: S/Sgt Vergil E Bowman, S/Sgt Charlie M Bacon, T/Sgt Charles J Bonn, S/Sgt Norwood D Borror, T/Sgt Neal F Fielder, S/Sgt Walter K Pallage.
Delivered Cheyenne 12/2/43; Rapid City 22/2/43; Kearney 12/3/43.
Assigned 336BS/95BG [ET-B] Alconbury 15/4/43.
334BG [BG-B] MASON'S MORONS - Framlingham 12/5/43.
With R.C. Mason, force landed RAF Colerne 17/5/43; Horham 15/6/43; 7m.
Transferred to 360BS/303BG [PU-B] Molesworth 17/6/43.
Missing in Action Watten 27/8/43 with:
(7 Prisoner of War):
- George Crockett, Pilot;
- Israel Millner, Navigator;
- Allen Jaynes, Radio Operator;
- Gene Williams, Left Waist gunner;
- Eddie Homer, Right Waist gunner;
- Ben Clarke, Ball turret gunner;
- Jim Burke, Tail gunner.
3 killed in action :
- Meran Barsam, Co-pilot;
- Bill Cramsie, Bombardier;
- Morris Tepper , Flight engineer.
Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. Missing Air Crew Report 405.
SHANGRI-LA LIL.
See more at : http://www.303rdbg.com/360crockett.html
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
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
Squadron
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Pilot in the 360th Squadron.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Watten in B-17 42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 405
Awards: AM, PH (OLC).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer | 303rd Bomb Group
On 30 July 1943, crashed into North Sea 22 miles off Felixstowe, England on return from raid on Kassel, Germany in B-17 42-29738 'Upstairs Maid'. Picked up by British Air Sea Rescue and returned to base. All survived, with serious injury only to...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Watten in B-17 42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. 27-Aug-43 Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 405.
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner / Right Waist Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 27-Aug-43 in B-17 42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Prisoner of War (POW).
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
See more at: http://www.303rdbg.com/360crockett.html
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. On 30-Jul-43, crashed into North Sea 22 miles off Felixstowe, England on return from raid on Kassel, Germany in B-17 42-29738 'Upstairs Maid'. Picked up by British Air Sea Rescue and returned to base. All survived,...
Military | Major | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Survived a ditching, emergency landing and finally a bale out. Medically grounded after aborting a mission on 26-Sep-43 due to back injuries during the bail-out. Transferred to Squadron/Group Operations.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Watten in B-17 42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. 27-Aug-43 Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 405.
Awards: PH.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 360BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. 6 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Watten in B-17 42-29754 'Shangri-La Lil'. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. 27-Aug-43 POW MACR 405.
...
27 August 1943
This mission is the first attack by the USAAF on suspected V-Weapon sites. The German development of pilotless winged aircraft was first divulged to the British just shortly after the beginning of World War II in two letters sent to the British embassy...
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 in 1940 as an RAF Fighter Station, with US fighters based here in late 1942.
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...
Military site : airfield
Horham airfield was planned and built for RAF use, but handed over to the Eighth Air Force and used initially by the 47th Bomb Group. When they joined the Twelfth Air Force in January 1943, it became home to the B-26 Marauders of the 323rd Bomb Group....
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Crashed | Colerne, Wiltshire, UK | 17 May 1943 |
|
Force landed RAF Colerne 17/5/43. Pilot Lt R C Mason. |
||
| Crashed | Saint-Omer, France | 27 August 1943 – 27 August 1943 |
|
Missing in Action Watten 27/8/43. Flak hit in bomb bay, exploded and crashed at St Omer, near Merville, France. (7 x POW, 3 x KIA) Missing Air Crew Report MACR405. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 May 2022 12:51:51 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 December 2020 17:16:44 | jmoore43 | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Added "aka" to nicknames. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 December 2015 19:00:41 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, events, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 April 2015 14:00:46 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Amended casualty details from http://www.303rdbg.com/360crockett.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 April 2015 12:23:20 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to nicknames, markings, description, unit associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Added details from http://www.303rdbg.com/360crockett.html |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:23 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 405 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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