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42-30130

B-17 Flying Fortress

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Delivered Cheyenne 15/4/43; Smoky Hill 24/4/43; Presque Is 16/5/43; Assigned 337BS/96BG [AW-J] Andrews Fd 25/5/43 ALIA BUBBLE TROUBLE; Snetterton 12/6/43; Missing in Action Ludwigshafen 7/1/44 with Roland Peterson, Co-pilot: Oscar Megginson, Navigator: Frank Painer, Bombardier: Morris Friedman, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Preston Hildebrand, Radio Operator: Cliff Busch, Ball turret gunner: Harry White, Waist gunner: Jerome Dudek (8 Killed in Action); Waist gunner: Bill Roberts, Tail gunner: Andy Wiess (2 Prisoner of War); flak set engine afire near Eindhoven, crashed Molenschot, between Breda & Tilburg, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 2018. KLAP TRAP II.

Service

Units

  • 8th Air Force

    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. ...

  • 96th Bomb Group

    96th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ...

  • 337th Bomb Squadron

    337th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

People

  • Clifford Busch

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland.

  • Jerome Dudek

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland. PH

  • Morris Friedman

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland. PH

  • Preston Hildebrand

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland. PH

  • Oscar Megginson

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17 #4230130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). PH

  • Frank Palmer

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland. PH

  • Roland Peterson

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland. PH

  • William Roberts

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Prisoner of War (POW). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland. POW

  • Harry Wayland

    Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot/Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
    Flew on 'KLAPTRAP' part of McClatchy Crew, After completing 30 missions, stayed at 8HQ Signal Corps. to work on use of Radio in combat. Volunteered for more raids to work with the special radio equipment just prior to accident which occurred while...

  • Harold White

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
    Shot down 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30130 'Klap Trap II. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Hit by flak in the No 3 engine and exploded near Molenschot, Holland. PH

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Missions

  • VIII Bomber Command 75

    24 July 1943
    Three targets in Norway are the primary targets for this first mission flown by 8th AIr Force to Norway. They are the nitrate works at Heroya and the port areas at Trondheim and Bergen. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (22)...

Places

  • Snetterton Heath

    Military site : airfield
    Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50...

  • Presque Isle Army Airfield

    Military site : airfield

Events

Event Location Date
Failed to Return (FTR) France 7 January 1944
Nicknames
Klap Trap II (Buggle Trouble)
Production block number
B-17F-85-BO Fortress
Manufacturer
Boeing
Markings and paint scheme/livery
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
30 May 2020 23:52:09 kstrykerAK Changes to nicknames, unit associations and mission associations
Sources

Snetterton Falcons II: The 96th Bomb Group in World War II by Robert E Doherty & Geoffrey D Ward. Second Edition with Errata & Supplemental Information. Taylor Publishing Company. 1996. pages 36, 294, 301
Date Contributor Update
06 February 2018 10:04:50 Lucy May Changes to nicknames, description and unit associations
Sources

Removed transfer to 413 Bomb Squadron after arrival at Snetterton Heath as aircraft is still listed as part of 337 Bomb Squadron in MACR 2018: https://www.fold3.com/image/1/28708731
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:40:27 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2018 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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