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B-17 Flying Fortress
"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.
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.
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...
Squadron
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...
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.
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
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...
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...
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
...
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...
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.
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)....
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...
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...
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);...
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....
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 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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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 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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