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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42-29803
B-17 Flying Fortress
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A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-29803) nicknamed “Flat Foot Floogie” of the 305th Bomb Group.
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B-17F 42-29803 "Flak Foot Floogie" (305th BG XK-Q, XK-E) 'Bombs burst on Amiens/Glissy Airdrome, France, during a bombing raid by planes of the 305th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, On 31 August 1943'. Alt 23,000 Ft. NARA Ref 342-FH-3A18363-3A18363.
Delivered Denver 22/2/43; Gore 8/3/43; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-D] Alconbury 8/4/43; Framlingham 12/5/43; Horham 15/6/43; 4m, transferred 365BS/305BG [XK-Q/E] Chelveston 17/6/43 FLAT FOOT FLOOGIE; 534BS/381BG [GD-P] Ridgewell 11/9/43; 6m/381 Missing in Action Schweinfurt 14/10/43 with Bernardo Yorba, Co-pilot: Gordon Childers, Navigator: Martin Dall, Bombardier: Wilbur Roberson, Radio Operator: Edgar Gracey, Tail gunner: Johnnie Johnson (6 Prisoner of War); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bill Gorgone, Ball turret gunner: Bob Boylan, Waist gunner: Ken Huitt, Waist gunner: Mike Feller (4 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft KO’d #3, and ship exploded, crashed Hausen, three miles E of Schweinfurt, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 1037.
Service
Units
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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... -
381st Bomb Group
Group
The 381st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Ridgewell, Essex between June 1943 and April 1945. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, the first for bombing shipyards at Bremen, whilst under heavy attack, on 8 October 1943 and... -
95th Bomb Group
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... -
334th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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335th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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365th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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534th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Robert Boylan
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
BTG, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. S/Sgt Boylan had reported his ball turret had been hit... -
Gordon Childers
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Co-pilot, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Evaded for 2 and a half days until captured by... -
Martin Dall
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Flew 6 missions between Aug, 1943 and Oct. 1943. Shot down bombing the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing factories at Schweinfurt Germany on Black Thursday in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39.... -
Michael Feller
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
RWG, Yorba crew. Not an original crew member. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Killed in Action (KIA).... -
William Gorgone
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner; Flight Engineer | 381st Bomb Group
ETTG, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Was last seen leaving his inoperable turret and... -
Edgar Gracey
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 381st Bomb Group
Radio operator, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft III and... -
Kenneth Huitt
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
LWG, Yorba crew. Not original crew member. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Killed in Action (KIA).... -
Johnnie Johnson
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Tail gunner, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission 339 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft IV. ... -
Wilbur Roberson
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 381st Bomb Group
Bombardier, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft I. Akron, OH -
Bernardo Yorba
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Pilot, Yorba crew. 381st BG, 534th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-29803 'Flat Foot Floogie'. Mission #39 to the Kugel-Fisher ball bearing works at Schweinfurt, Germany. MACR 1037. Prisoner of War at Stalag Luft III. Fullerton, CA
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 115
14 October 1943
This was the 2nd mission flown against the ball bearing industry at Schweinfurt, Germany and was as equally disastrous as that flown on 17-Aug-43. It came to be known as "Black Thursday". While fighter escort was dispatched, bad weather and lack of...
Places
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Alconbury
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... -
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... -
Framlingham
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... -
Horham
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.... -
Ridgewell
Military site : airfield
Built during 1941-42 as an RAF bomber station, Ridgewell operated as a satellite to RAF Stradishall until May 1943. It had three concrete runways, initially 36 pan hardstandings, and two dispersed T2 hangars. Taken over by the Eighth Air Force in June...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Crashed | Hausen, Germany | 14 October 1943 – 14 October 1943 |
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Missing in Action Schweinfurt 14/10/43. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 January 2020 20:05:58 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space to the A/C “Description” for readability. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 December 2017 06:55:22 | ARowe95 | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 December 2017 04:40:59 | ARowe95 | Changes to description and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 December 2015 11:27:42 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations and place 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 1037 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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