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.
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42-29767
B-17 Flying Fortress
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George Ernest Forslund (photo Forslund family - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB96PeeMsXg )
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George Ernest Forslund ( Forslund family - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RB96PeeMsXg )
Delivered Cheyenne 15 February 1943; Walker 27 February 1943; Salina 10 March 1943; Assigned 338BS/96BG [BX- ] Grafton Underwood 17 April 1943; Andrews Field 13 May 1943.
Snetterton Heath. Missing in Action on a bombing mission to the prisoner transit point at the Lorient train station, France on 17 May 1943.
Pilot Louis L. Haltom, Co-Pilot George E. Forslund, Navigator Bailey J. Lovin Jr, Bombardier George D. Rawlings, Radio Operator Glen Wells, Top Turret Gunner Herman L. Marshall, Ball Turret gunner Roy A. Martin, Right Waist gunner Niles D. Loudenslager, Left Waist gunner William C. Martin, Tail Gunner Andrew L. Jorinscay, Observer William G. Carnahan. Missing Air Crew Report - MACR 15546. 2 men were Killed In Action : George Forslund and Andrew Jorinscay. Three were made Prisoners of War (POW) : Lt Jackson, Lt Rawlings and Captain Carnahan. The five others, Louis Haltom, Glen Wells, Niles Loudenslager, Roy Martin, William Martin and Herman Marshall managed to evade capture with the help of French patriots and Résistance organizations.
The plane's ball turret went out of commission on the way over due to its oxygen valve freezing open after refilling the oxygen bottle. While the bombing results were good, the plane was hit during its bombing run by Flak at 12:05. No 3 engine was hit, then No 2, with smoke and oil pouring onto the fuselage. The horizontal stabilizer was hit and the Fortress fell out of formation. Joining the 95th Bomb Group that was flying behind them, they flew back over Brest, slowing to 150mph in order to stay in close formation. Suddenly, Fw-190 fighters attacked and numerous holes were poked into the fuselage. A shell hit Tail Gunner S/Sgt Andrew Jorinscay, killing him. Losing altitude, dropping out of formation, the pilot ordered the crew to bail out at 12:30, about 6 km NW of Spézet, France. The Fortress exploded and broke in two. Crashed near Keramprès, NW of Plonévez-du-Faou, 6km NW of Spézet, Finistère Department, France. (1st group loss to enemy aircraft).
Service
Units
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96th Bomb Group
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ... -
338th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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William Carnahan
Military | Captain | pilot | 96th Bomb Group
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George Forslund
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #42-29767 'Boot Hill' First 96th airplane to be shot down. F/O George Forslund was co-pilot and was unable to bail out. The tail gunner S/Sgt Andrew L. Jorinscay was also killed. George died one week before his 20th... -
Louis Haltom
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #4229767 over France 'Boot Hill. ' Evaded. First 96th A/C to be shot down. -
Andrew Jorinscay
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #4229767 'Boot Hill. ' Killed in Action (KIA) -
Niles Loudenslager
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #4229767 'Boot Hill. ' Evaded. -
Bailey Lovin
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #42-29767 'Boot Hill'. Prisoner of War (POW). -
Herman Marshall
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #4229767 'Boot Hill. ' Evaded. -
Roy Martin
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #4229767 'Boot Hill. ' Evaded. -
William Martin
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 17 May 1943 in B-17 #4229767 'Boot Hill. ' Evaded. -
George Rawlings
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 96th Bomb Group
B-17 #42-29752 ditched in Channel 13 May 1943. Returned to base. Shot down 13 May 1943 by own waist gunner and bailed out safely. Shot down again on 17 May 1943 mission to Lorient, France in B-17 #42-29767 'Boot Hill'. Prisoner of War (POW) : initially...
Missions
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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
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Grafton Underwood
Military site : airfield
Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for... -
Snetterton Heath
Military site : airfield
Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Failed to Return (FTR) | Keramprès, France | 17 May 1943 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 29 May 2020 23:30:23 | kstrykerAK | Changes to nicknames, markings and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Snetterton Falcons II: The 96th Bomb Group in World War II by Robert E Doherty & Geoffrey D Ward. Second Edition with Errata and Supplemental Information. Taylor Publishing. 1996. pages 21, 24, 293 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 February 2016 15:32:53 | ED-BB | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Corrected typo in Biography |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 February 2016 15:31:41 | ED-BB | Changes to description, events, person associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 15546 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 October 2015 16:00:45 | dan35 | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
http://www.absa3945.com/Pertes%20Bretagne/Finistere/pertes_usaaf_finiste... |
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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 15546 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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