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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42-29866
B-17 Flying Fortress
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"A crew of the 379th Bomb Group poses beside a Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Judy B' at an 8th Air Force base in England, 16 July 1943." Crew list for 17-Jul-43: Lt Willis C Carlisle, Lt Charles R Bigler, Lt John W Bradley, Lt Joseph G Glaser Jr, T/Sgt Benjamin B Johnson, T/Sgt Albert P Tyler, Cpl Charles J Kukawski, Sgt James A Dyson, Sgt Vernon F Bennett, Sgt John A Stachura. Pictured L-R: Rear: 2Lt Lt Charles R Bigler, 1Lt Willis C Carlisle, Lt Joseph G Glaser Jr, Lt John W Bradley. Front: Cpl Charles J Kukawski, T/Sgt Benjamin B Johnson, T/Sgt Albert P Tyler, Sgt John A Stachura.
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B-17 42-29866 Judy B
Delivered Denver 27/2/43; Sioux City 16/3/43; Kearney 8/4/43; Dow Fd 15/4/43; Assigned 524BS/379BG [WA-L] Kimbolton 21/4/43; Missing in Action Le Bourget 16/8/43 with Chas Biglar, Bombardier: John Boyle, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Albt Tyler, Waist gunner: Jim Dyson (4 evaded capture), Co-pilot: Vern Deehr, Navigator: John Bradley, Radio Operator: Ben Johnson, Ball turret gunner: Chas Kukawski, Tail gunner: Paul Matthew (5 Prisoner of War), Waist gunner: John Stachura (Killed in Action); flak, crashed on bomb run to Le Bourget, Fr. Missing Air Crew Report 1352. JUDY B.
Service
Units
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379th Bomb Group
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit... -
524th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Charles Bigler
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 14 x combat missions. Co-pilot of B-17 42-29866 'Judy B' on Hamburg mission, when pilot Lt Willis C Carlisle was killed at controls. A/C fought off fighters whilst in uncontrolled plunge from 16,000ft to 3,500ft 25... -
John Boyle
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 1 x combat missions. Shot down 16-Aug-1943 in B-17 42-29866. Evaded and returned (EVD/RTD) Awards: AM, PH, WWII Victory, EAME. -
John Bradley
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 14 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Le Bourget in B-17 42-29866 16-Aug-43; Shot down by flak. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 1352 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME -
Willis Carlisle
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 11 x combat missions. Pilot fatally wounded by fighter attack in B-17 42-29866 'Judy B' on Hamburg mission. Took deflected round (ricocheted off co-pilots seat) in back. Crew fought off fighters and co-pilot... -
Vern Deehr
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 8-Jun-43 B-17 #42276 was returning to BW1 to collect codes and allied papers left at the control office, when a/c suffered damage on landing. Crew is listed with the Reed Prov. Bomb Group. Shot down 16-Aug-43 in B... -
James Dyson
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 10 x combat missions. Took off from Gander in B-17 42-3143 en route to Prestwick, Scotland, but landed at Bunduran, Ireland 10-May-43. Shot down 16-Aug-43 in B-17 42-29866 'Judy B'. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 1352 ... -
Joseph Glaser
Military | Captain | Squadron Bombardier | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. Finished 30 missions and then volunteered for 3 more. Lead Bombardier on grapefruit mission (glide bomb) to Cologne, Germany 28-May-44. Earlier on Hamburg mission, 25-Jul-43, pilot Lt Carlisle killed, I then... -
Benjamin Johnson
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 12 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Le Bourget in B-17 42-29866; Shot down by flak 16-Aug-43. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 1352 Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Charles Kukawski
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 13 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Le Bourget in B-17 42-29866; Shot down by flak 16-Aug-43. After he was shot down, lived with about 90 different families before he was captured. Prisoner of War (POW).... -
Paul Matthew
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 10 x combat missions. Took off from Gander in B-17 42-3143 en route to Prestwick, Scotland, but landed at Bunduran, Ireland 10-May-43. Shot down 16-Aug-43 in B-17 42-29866 'Judy B'. Prisoner of War (POW) at Stalag...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 76
25 July 1943
This mission was composed of three elements. The primary targets were the diesel engine works at Hamburg, Germany; the shipyards at Kiel, Germany and the aircraft industries at Warnemude, Germany, but weather frustrated the effort. The first element... -
VIII Bomber Command 83
16 August 1943
This mission consists of two elements of B-17s despatched to bomb the German airfields of Le Bourget (Paris), Poix and Abbeville, France. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (21); 92BG (17); 303BG (20); 305BG (20); 306BG (20);...
Places
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Kimbolton
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Long Beach, CA | 1943 |
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Built at Boeing. |
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| Delivered | Denver AAF, CO | 27 February 1943 |
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Delivered Denver AAF 27-Feb-43. |
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| Assigned | Kimbolton, UK | 21 April 1943 |
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Assigned 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | Le Bourget, FR | 16 August 1943 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Le Bourget; ; downed by flak, crashed on bomb run to Le Bourget, France. 4 x EVD, 5 x POW, 1 x KIA MACR 1352 |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 10 May 2021 21:31:33 | 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 |
| 04 August 2019 18:48:35 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/32192770 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 04 August 2019 18:47:54 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings and events |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/32192770 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 January 2017 15:05:03 | Yorkshireman | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Hutchinson & Cortright |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 May 2015 23:56:53 | Amcstar1 | Changes to person associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://books.google.com/books?id=LGaaZU2JguwC&pg=PA17&lpg=PA17&dq=willi... |
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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 1352 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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