We are currently working on a site-wide upgrade which will be completed in September 2022
You will not be able to search, add or edit information in the American Air Museum archive while this takes place.
You can find out more about our plans here
B-17 Flying Fortress
Photo taken 31 July 1943. Back, left to right : Rudolph A. Thigpen, Victor Ciganek, Gerald H. Tucker, James A. Bowcock, Jarvis Allen, Albert T. Diminno Front Left to right : Carl N. Smith, Jack A. Hargis, Capen R. Simons, William H. Turcotte. Some men are still wearing the dry clothing supplied to them by the British Air Sea Rescue.
Left to right back row: Jarvis Allen, Gerald Tucker, Al DiMinno. Front row: Victor Ciganek, Rudy Thigpen, James Bowcock. Photo taken after B-17 #42-3119 ditched into the North Sea on July 26, 1943.
Delivered Cheyenne 18/2/43; Presque 28/4/43; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-M] Bassingbourn 4/6/43; Missing in Action on the aircraft's 5th mission - Hamburg 26/7/43 with some members of Lt Jack A. Hargis' new crew. Hargis' crew was split up to fly their first mission with crews having flown five or more missions and so, benefit from their experience. On #42-3119 that day were Pilot Jack A. Hargis, Co-pilot: Carl N. Smith, Navigator: William H. Turcotte, Bombardier: Capen R. Simons, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jarvis Allen, Radio Operator: Victor Ciganek, Ball turret gunner: Rudolph A. Thigpen, Waist gunner: Gerald H. Tucker, Waist gunner: Albert Diminno, Tail gunner: James A. Bowcock. The pilot ditched the plane in the North Sea and the crew managed to leave the plane before it broke in two and sank. All ten men were rescued. Five flew rapidly off in RAF Walrus L2307 and the other five boarded a second Walrus K8549, which was too heavy to take off and had to slowly taxi back to Yarmouth Harbour. #42-3119's nickname was possibly FRISCO JINNY (named for Pilot Jack Hargis' wife), but was better known as DESTINY'S TOT.
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla...
Squadron
Military | Technical Sergeant | Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 26 July 1943 in B-17 #42-3119. Plane ditched in North Sea. Returned to base.
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 26 July 1943 in B-17 #42-3119. Plane ditched in North Sea. Returned to base. Shot down 17 August 1943 in B-17 #41-24453 'Mizpah/ The Bearded Beauty/ The Bearded Lady'. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Sgt Victor Ciganek was assigned to the 91st Bomb Group 322nd Squadron based at Bassingbourn. Victor served as radio operator on the B-17 #42-3119 "Destiny's Tot" on the Hamburg mission of 26 July 1943. Upon returning the B-17 ditched into the North Sea...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 26 July 1943 in B-17 #42-3119. Plane ditched in North Sea. Returned to base.
Shot down 17 August 1943 in B-17 #42-2990 'Dame Satan', Evaded (EVD). See the full story of his evasion at https://www.evasioncomete.be/fdiminnat.html
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 26 July 1943 in B-17 #42-3119. Plane ditched in North Sea. Returned to base.
...
Military | Captain | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. Was once co-pilot to Capt Robert B Campbell on B-17 41-24497 'Mizpath II'.
Awards: DFC, AM (2OLC), WWII Victory, American Defense and Campaign, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier, Navigator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 26 July 1943 in B-17 #42-3119. Plane ditched in North Sea. Returned to base.
Shot down 9 October 1943 in B-17 #42-5178 'The Old Stand', Prisoner of War (POW).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 26 July 1943 in B-17 #42-3119. Plane ditched in North Sea. Returned to base.
Shot down 17 August 1943 in B-17 #42-2990 'Dame Satan', Evaded (EVD). See the full story of his evasion at https://www.evasioncomete.be/fsmithcn.html
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 26 July 1943 in B-17 #42-3119. Plane ditched in North Sea. RTD. Damaged by fighters on mission to Frankfurt on 29 Jan 1944 in B-17G #42-37987 'Man O War - Horsepower Ltd' managed to return to England on two engines and crashed near...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Sgt Gerald Tucker (whose first name is often misspelled Gerold) was Right Waist Gunner on B-17 #42-3119 when it was shot down on the Hamburg mission of 26 July 1943. The plane ditched in the North Sea and all ten crew were saved and returned to base.
...
26 July 1943
The German rubber industry at Hannover, Germany and the U-Boat shipyards at Hamburg, Germany are the primary focus of this mission. In addition, a German ship convoy and targets of opportunity at Wilhelmshaven and Wesermunde are bombed. The first...
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...
Not yet known
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 20 February 2021 19:24:45 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added punctuation to the A/C “Description” to aid clarity. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 August 2015 10:56:52 | ED-BB | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Change to nickname |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 August 2015 10:23:32 | ED-BB | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, markings, description, unit associations, person associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Details found by Victor Ciganek's daughter in the April 1945 issue of "The Ragged Irregulars" Newsletter |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 August 2015 21:31:09 | V York | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Airman's diary |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 August 2015 21:27:13 | V York | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Airman's diary |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:37 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
||
