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B-17 Flying Fortress
Lt William H Wheeler and crew of the 401st Bomb Sqn, 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, beside The Boeing B-17 42-29816 "The Eager Beaver". England. NARA Ref 342-FH-3A10658-C62772AC.
A Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 42-29816 'The Eager Beaver' of the 324th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group comes in for a landing at its base at Bassingbourn, England, after a mission on 24 June 1943. NARA Ref 342-FH-3A06112-79284AC.
Delivered Denver 22/2/43; Salina 3/3/43; Assigned 401BS/91BG [LL-K] Bassingbourn 19/4/43; Missing in Action Amiens Glisy 31/8/43 with Buster Peek, Co-pilot: Bill Edwards, Navigator: Merlen Crist, Bombardier: Roger Fuller, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Wade Boggan, Radio Operator: Paul Payne, Ball turret gunner: Nelson Sanschagrin, Waist gunner: Ed Niebojewski, Waist gunner: Tom Power (9 Killed in Action), Tail gunner: Chas Allen (RTD – picked up by Air Sea Rescue within minutes); collision with #41-24523 (91st) on assembly to target and tail snapped off, crashed Channel. Missing Air Crew Report 671. THE EAGER BEAVER.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 323BS/91BG [OR-N] Bangor 13/9/42; Bassingbourn 10/11/42; Missing in Action 19m Amiens 3/8/43 with Dick Rodman, Co-pilot: Stan Czerwinski, Navigator: Renis TeMaat, Bombardier: Saul Berson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Leo Kane, Radio...
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31-Aug-43 in B-17 42-29816 'The Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Returned to base. Mr. Allen lived through the most harrowing experience in the history of the group. He was a husky, 20 year old Indiana boy with a sparse...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air Collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator, Radio Operator Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
Merlen Crist's name is commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing at Cambridge American Cemetery.
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Tail Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
He was living in Lake County, Tennessee before he enlisted at Ft. Oglethorpe. He flew 25 missions on the B-17 Eager Beaver with the 8th Air Force and 32 missions with the 9th Air Force in a B-26.
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Mid air collision 31 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29826 'Eager Beaver'. Plane crashed into Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
31 August 1943
This mission is composed of two elements. The first element is composed of 170 B-17s from: 91BG (16); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (18); 306BG (18); 351BG (21); 379BG (21); 381BG (19); and 384BG (18). The primary target for this element is German...
Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Manufactured | Long Beach, CA, USA | 1943 |
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Built at Boeing. |
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| Delivered | Denver, CO, USA | 1943 |
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Delivered to USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Bassingbourn, Royston SG8 5LP, UK | April 1943 |
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Assigned 401BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | English Channel | 31 August 1943 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Amiens Glisy collision with 41-24523 (91st) on assembly to target and tail snapped off, crashed Channel. 31-Aug-43. 1 x RTD, 9 x KIA. MACR 671. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 May 2022 09:29:43 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 20 March 2021 20:18:55 | 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 |
| 12 February 2017 14:48:36 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, description, events, aircraft associations, unit associations, person associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
www.fold3.com |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:24 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 671 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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