Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
B-17 Flying Fortress
388th BG Tail Marking
Delivered Cheyenne 21/9/43; Gr Island 6/10/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 25/10/43; Missing in Action Brunswick 10/2/44 with Jim Feeney - not found till 25/2/44, Radio Operator: Norman Kajut, Waist gunner: Marion Forbis, Tail gunner: Lou LeFevre (4 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Sam Gundy, Navigator: Sam Simon, Bombardier: John Drickson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Ball, Ball turret gunner: Walt Lennons, Waist gunner: Joe Smith, foto-Oscar Land (7 Prisoner of War); flak, on return crashed Hoogendijk, near Uitgeest, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 2348. HELL'S BELLS.
Group
The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...
Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
Squadron
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot up by flak over the target and exploded and crashed near Uitgeest, Holland on return from a mission to Brunswick on 10 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31115 'Hell's Bells'. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Captain | Navigator/Squadron Navigator | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Shot up by flak over the target and exploded and crashed near Uitgeest, Holland on return from a mission to Brunswick on 10 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31115 'Hell's Bells'. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot up by flak over the target and exploded and crashed near Uitgeest, Holland on return from a mission to Brunswick on 10 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31115 'Hell's Bells'. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Shot up by flak over the target and exploded and crashed near Uitgeest, Holland on return from a mission to Brunswick on 10 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31115 'Hell's Bells'. Lead Plane on target Brunswick. This was the crew's 18th mission . Prisoner of War ...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 388th Bomb Group
Shot up by flak over the target and exploded and crashed near Uitgeest, Holland on return from a mission to Brunswick on 10 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31115 'Hell's Bells'. Killed in Action (KIA).
AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster
Military | Technical Sergeant | Photographer | 388th Bomb Group
Shot up by flak over the target and exploded and crashed near Uitgeest, Holland on return from a mission to Brunswick on 10 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31115 'Hell's Bells'. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
26 November 1943
The industrial areas of Bremen, Germany are the target for this massive mission (largest to date) of 505 B-17s which included 14 B-17 Pathfinders from 482BG spread among the B-17 formations - 13 of these completed the mission and 7 were damaged.
...
29 November 1943
This is another massive raid on Bremen, Germany by a force of 360 B-17s. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 182 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 94BG (40); 95BG (20); 96BG (41); 100BG (20);...
5 December 1943
This mission is composed of three elements. The first element is a combined force of 216 B-17 from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (10); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (20); 306BG (21); 351BG (35); 379BG (21); 381BG (30); 384BG (20); and 301BG (20)...
11 December 1943
This mission is a massive raid of 583 heavy bombers on the industrial areas of Emden, Germany. The first element is a combined force of 242 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (24); 92BG (18); 303BG (20); 305BG (21); 306BG (20); 351BG (40)...
13 December 1943
The port areas at Bremen and Kiel, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. This is the first mission where more than 600 aircraft are despatched. This mission is comprised of 8 elements. The first element consists 182 B-17s from: 91BG (31);...
4 January 1944
The port area of Kiel, Germany and the railroad marshalling yards at Munster, Germany are the Primary targets of this Mission which is organised as two elements: one going to Kiel and the other to Munster. Roger A. Freeman begins to designate aircraft...
5 January 1944
This mission consists of five elements: The first element is a combined force of 131 B-17s are despatched by 1st Bomb Division: 92BG; 303BG; 305BG; 306BG; 379BG; 384BG; and 482BG to bomb the shipyards and industrial areas of Kiel, Germany. 119 are...
7 January 1944
The industrial areas of Ludwigshaven, Germany are the primary target for this mission. The formation has three elements. The bomber gunners of the entire force claim 30-6-17 of attacking German aircraft.
...
11 January 1944
Three aviation industry targets in Germany are bombed. The bomber force consists of 291 B-17s despatched from 1st Bomb Division in two elements, one element of 177 B-17s is despatched to Oschersleben, Germany as the primary target, the other 1BD...
14 January 1944
This mission is a combined effort of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bomb Divisions to attack V-Weapon sites near the French coast near Pas-de-Calaise. Some targets of opportunity were also bombed. A total of 20 out of 21 V-Weapon sites are hit with varying results.
...
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...
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | Cheyenne, WY, USA | 21 September 1943 |
| Assigned | Knettishall, Diss IP22 2TH, UK | 25 October 1943 |
|
388 BG |
||
| First 388th BG Combat Mission | Bremen, Germany | 26 November 1943 |
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Hoogendijk, Netherlands | 10 February 1944 |
|
Damaged by flak. Crashed |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 27 September 2020 20:01:53 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 December 2017 02:39:04 | 466thHistorian | Changes to nicknames, markings, events, mission associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.388bg.info/servlet/Controller?pageType=detail&id=42-31115&dat... |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:36 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 1769 / MACR 2348 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
||
