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B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 3/4/43; Pueblo 30/4/43; Smoky Hill 11/5/43; Dow Fd 23/5/43; Assigned 535BS/381BG [MS-N] Ridgewell 29/5/43 with Chas Dowell, Fred Evans, John Lander, Clarry Watkins, Chas Dodge, Herb Kern, Walt Wessler, Chas Miller, Stuart Doll, Ken Hackett; Missing in Action 12m Gelsenkirchen 12/8/43 with Fred Evans, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Dodge, Radio Operator: Herb Kernbody never found, Ball turret gunner: Walt Messler, Waist gunner: Chas Miller (5 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Joe Robbins, Navigator: John Lander, Bombardier: Clarry Watkins, Waist gunner: Stuart Doll, Tail gunner: Ken Hackett (5 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed Rheurdt, SW of Lintfort, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 385. FORGET ME NOT.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 17/3/43; Pueblo 8/4/43; Smoky Hill 7/5/43; Dow Fd 25/5/43; Assigned 534BS/381BG [GD-D] Ridgewell 25/5/43 with Bill Wroblicka, Omen Jones, Jim Delano, Lester Schneider, Joe Labushevicz, Fred Smith, Dick Wante, Edwin Jonson, John Kratzer...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 17/3/43; Pueblo 10/4/43; Smoky Hill 6/5/43; Dow Fd 19/5/43; Assigned 532BS/381BG [VE-T] Ridgewell 26/5/43 with Guerdon Humason, Alf Casaly, Leroy Hames, Bill Tsialas, John Ivey, Albt Parker, Joe Kralik, Frank Fabiano, Walt Anderson...
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...
Squadron
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
ETTG, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinight Stahlworks of Boxhum. #2 and #4...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
LWG, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks of Boxhum. #2...
Military | Flight Officer | Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Pilot, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 "Forget Me Not". Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks at Boxham. #2 and #4...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Tail gunner, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks of...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 381st Bomb Group
Radio operator, Evans, Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks at Boxhum. ...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target was hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks at...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
BTG, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission 317 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks of Boxhum. #2 and #4...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
RWG, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks of Boxhum. #2 and #4...
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Co-pilot, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks at Boxhum. ...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 381st Bomb Group
Bombardier, Evans Crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29950 'Forget Me Not'. Mission #17 to the synthetic oil works at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Alternate target hit at the steel works of Vereinigte Stahlworks at Boxham...
12 August 1943
This mission is separated into two elements. The first element is a combined force of 183 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division: 91BG (22); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (20); 306BG (20); 351BG (21); 379BG (21); 381BG (20); and 384BG (20) are dispatched to bomb...
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...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Belgium | 12 August 1943 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 21 April 2022 17:12:09 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid readability. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:25 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 385 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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