B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 17/11/43; Kearney 3/12/43; Cincinnati 9/12/43; Rome 11/12/43; Presque Is 14/12/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-G] Deenethorpe 1/2/44; Missing in Action Leipzig 20/2/44 with Ed Gardner`found Pilz, near Gommern – bailed too low, 12/3/44` Radio Operator: Fred Monnes, Waist gunner: Sal Trupia (3 Killed in Action); Co-pilot: George Carter, Navigator: Carroll Gouger, Bombardier: John Foster, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Dale Minard, Ball turret gunner: Pete Piazza, Waist gunner: Francis Durben,Tail gunner: Steve Bosowski (7 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed between Pechau & Wahlitz, six miles E of Magdeburg, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 2437. DOOLITTLE'S DOUGHBOYS.
Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Attacked by fighters after the bombing mission to Leipzig on 20 Feb 1944, B-17G #42-31518 'Doolittle's Doughboys' left formation and attempted to reach Sweden but was hit again by fighters. The remaining crew baled out before the aircraft exploded and...
29 January 1944
The primary target for this mission was the railroad marshalling yards and industrial areas of Frankfurt, Germany. A combined force of 863 heavy bombers were despatched in three elements to make the attack. The combined bomber gunner claims on enemy...
30 January 1944
This mission has the aviation industry at Brunswick, Germany as the primary target. The mission is composed of a combined force pf 777 heavy bomber aircraft despatched in three elements: 1st Bomb Division; 2nd Bomb Division and 3rd Bomb Division. The...
5 February 1944
German airfield in France are the targets for this mission. All three Bomb Divisions despatch aircraft. The combined bomber gunner's claims of all three Bomb Divisions were 5-0-5 (displayed with Chateauroux element of 1BD). Summary as follows:
...
6 February 1944
German airfields and V-Weapon sites in France are the primary targets of this mission. A combined force total of 642 heavy bombers are depatched from 8th Air Force 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bomb Divisions. The primary targets of 1st Bomb Division were the...
11 February 1944
This mission is composed of two separate elements. 3rd Bomb Division stands down having sustained massive losses of 29 aircraft on the previous day.
...
20 February 1944
This mission is the opening salvo of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive known officially as "Operation Argument" but remembered in 8th Air Force History as "BIG WEEK". The immediate strategic objective of this six-day operation is the degradation of...
Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 20 February 1944 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 11 September 2021 22:33:39 | acbernstein1 | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
http://401bg.org/Main/History/Aircraft/Details.aspx?ID=31518 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 11 September 2021 22:32:51 | acbernstein1 | Changes to markings and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
http://401bg.org/Main/History/Aircraft/Details.aspx?ID=31518 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:38 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2437 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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