B-17 Flying Fortress
42-30135 "Trouble Shooter" of the 95th BG. Lost second Schweinfurt mission 14 Oct 43 with William McPherson crew.
SSgt Edward J Wall in front of Trouble Shooter
"Trouble shooter" crew, with Edward Wall, 95th Bomb Group.
Delivered Cheyenne 15/4/43; Smoky Hill 22/4/43; Presque Is 10/5/43; Assigned 511BS/351BG [DS-N] Polebrook 26/5/43. Transferred 334BS/95BG [BG-H] Horham 16/6/43.
On 16/9/43, with Bill McPherson, force landed RAF Harwarden.
Taxi accident with Albert Rummans Metfield 13/10/43.
Missing in Action (20m) Schweinfurt 14/10/43 with:-
9 Prisoners of war -
Capt Bill McPherson;
Co-pilot: George Byrnes;
Navigator: Bill Prochaska;
Bombardier: Austin Pritchard;
Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Leon Ciaccia;
Radio Operator: Tony Kosmala;
Waist gunner: Morris Eckard;
Waist gunner: Henry Rhodes.
Tail gunner: Fred Nunnold (EVD-and returned).
#3 feathered, gear down, then crashed between Rheims & Sedan, France.
Missing Air Crew Report 855.
TROUBLE SHOOTER.
Group
The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August...
Squadron
Military | Lieutenant | Navigator | 95th Bomb Group
WIA. 8 Oct 1943. AC 42-30135
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-30135 'Trouble Shooter', Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-30135 'Trouble Shooter. ' Prisoner of War (POW) in Stalag 17 in Austria.
18 months later, he and fellow prisoners were on a forced march when
General Patton's advanced scouts found and liberated them!
POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner, Top Turret Gunner ; Flight Engineer | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-30135 'Trouble Shooter', Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #4230135 'Trouble Shooter. ' Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 334BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. William McPherson crew. 24 x combat missions. ETD
Awards: DFC, AM, PH, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Captain | Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 42-30135 'Trouble Shooter. ' Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-30135 'Trouble Shooter', Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
17 August 1943
The mission flown on 17-Aug-43, the 1st anniversary of the 1st mission flown by the 8th Air Force, is probably the most written about mission of the war. This is the famous Schweinfurt/Regensburg mission on which 60 B-17s are lost. It has been dubbed ...
Military site : airfield
Horham airfield was planned and built for RAF use, but handed over to the Eighth Air Force and used initially by the 47th Bomb Group. When they joined the Twelfth Air Force in January 1943, it became home to the B-26 Marauders of the 323rd Bomb Group....
Military site : airfield
Polebrook was laid down for RAF Bomber Command use in 1940-1941. Built by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd, it had short runways which were lengthened for USAAF heavy bomber use. The RAF used the base for operational trials - including of B-17 Flying...
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 14 October 1943 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 October 2017 15:30:54 | andrewgreen | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Family |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:27 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 855 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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