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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42-30244
B-17 Flying Fortress
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B-17 42-30244 'Holy Terror' 334 BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF.
Delivered Cheyenne 1/5/43; Smoky Hill 14/5/43; Tinker 24/5/43; Smoky Hill 29/5/43; Dow Fd 31/5/43; Assigned 351BG Polebrook 9/6/43; transferred 388BG Knettishall 17/6/43; 334BS/95BG [BG-M] Horham 18/6/43; with J.M. Adams force landed Bassingbourn AFB 16/9/43; 39m, Missing in Action Eberfeld 5/1/44 with Andy Williams, Navigator: George Thomas, Bombardier: Gene Schienburg, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Carl Westfall, Radio Operator: Paul Levinson, Ball turret gunner: George Ganster, Waist gunner: Harry Hunke, Waist gunner: Don Lynch, Tail gunner: Joe Booker (9 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Gene Davila (EVD - ret UK 7/9/44); crashed Lambourg, near Mesmil-Martinsart, 16 miles S of Arras, Fr. Missing Air Crew Report 1687. HOLY TERROR.
Service
Units
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95th Bomb Group
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... -
334th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Carlton Beck
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 95th Bomb Group
Flew missions as a Radio Operator with the Leonard Jeffers crew in the second half of 1943. Flew in "Cuddle Cat (42-37734) , "Holy Terror" (42-30244) and "Flak Fed Gal" (Serial ?) - Completed tour. -
Joseph Booker
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30244 'Holy Terror'. Plane crashed into Channel. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Harry Conley
Military | Observer; Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
WIA 10 Oct 1943 in B-17 #42-30244. Pilot of B-17 #42-3202 'Blondie' and B-17 #42-30182 'Blondie II'. PH -
Robert Cozens
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot/Command Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
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Eugene Davila
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30244 'Holy Terror'. Plane crashed into Channel. Evaded. -
George Ganster
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30244 'Holy Terror'. Plane crashed into Channel. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Harold Hunke
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30244 'Holy Terror'. Plane crashed into Channel. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Paul Levinson
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30244 'Holy Terror'. Plane crashed into Channel. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
George Lindley
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 335BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. ETD Awards: DFC, AM, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Donald Lynch
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 5 January 1944 in B-17 #42-30244 'Holy Terror'. Plane crashed into Channel. Prisoner of War (POW). POW
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 84
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 ... -
VIII Bomber Command 114
10 October 1943
This mission was intended to be a massive attack of 307 B-17s on the railroad facilities and waterway (canals) at Munster, Germany. This attack was to be supported by a diversion 39 B-24s. The formation was attacked by hundreds of German fighters which...
Places
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Bassingbourn
Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long... -
Knettishall
Military site : airfield
Knettishall was built to Class A standard for an American Bomb Group that would be bringing up to forty heavy bombers with them in three or four Squadrons. The 388th Bomb Group, which stayed at Knettishall for their entire service in the ETO, flew B-17... -
Polebrook
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...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Crashed | Bassingbourn, Royston, Cambridgeshire SG8, UK | 16 September 1943 |
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Force landed Bassingbourn AFB 16/9/43. |
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| Crashed | Lambourg, 35630 Saint-Brieuc-des-Iffs, France | 5 January 1944 – 5 January 1944 |
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Missing in Action Eberfeld 5/1/44. Crashed Lambourg, near Mesmil-Martinsart, 16 miles S of Arras, France. (9 x POW, 1 x EVD) Missing Air Crew Report 1687. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 24 January 2020 21:36:12 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space in front of the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” for clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 November 2015 14:26:50 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:28 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 1687 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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