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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42-3158
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 6/3/43; Morrison 31/3/43; Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-Y] Molesworth 2/6/43; Missing in Action Hanover 29/4/44 with Jim Fisher, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Gus Johnson[body recovered from lake 20/5/44] (2 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: George Franzen, Navigator: Harry Kauffman, Bombardier: S/Sgt Ed Helton, Radio Operator: Don Duncan, Ball turret gunner: Bob Eklund, Waist gunner: Henry Hoff, Waist gunner: Irving Bellitt,Tail gunner: Joe Tereck (8 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft KOd #3 and #4, ship then exploded, crashed in Schwielowsee, W of Caputh, SW of Berlin=Potsdam road, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 4471. MAX.
Service
Units
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303rd Bomb Group
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New... -
427th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Irving Bellitt
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #423158 'Max. ' Killed in Action (KIA). PH -
Donald Duncan
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #423158 'Max. ' Killed in Action (KIA). PH -
Robert Eklund
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #423158 'Max. ' Killed in Action (KIA). PH -
James Fisher
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #423158 'Max. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
George Franzen
Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #42-3158 'Max', Killed in Action (KIA). PH -
Ed Helton
Military | Staff Sergeant | Bombardier | 303rd Bomb Group
Staff Sergeant Ed Helton, Jr., was born September 1, 1922. His next of kin were his parents, Ed Sr., and Grace Helton. He was from Whitley City, Kentucky. ... -
Henry Hoff
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 427BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Hanover in B-17 42-3158 'Max'; Shot down 29-Apr-44 Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 4471 Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), PH. -
August Johnson
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #423158 'Max. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Harold Kauffman
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 29 April 1944 in B-17 #423158 'Max. ' Killed in Action (KIA). PH -
Robert Landry
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 303rd Bomb Group
From January 1943, men of the 303rd Bombardment Group modified steel flak helmets to enable them to be worn directly over flying helmets fitted with earphones. 1st Lieutenant Robert Landry, wrote in 1997, "(this) flak helmet was worn on 32 missions (B...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 63
13 June 1943
German naval facilities and port areas at Bremen, Germany and Kiel, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. A formation of 151 B-17s despatched from: 91BG (21); 92BG (17); 303BG (27); 305BG (24); 306BG (28); 351BG (21); and 379BG (13) are to... -
VIII Bomber Command 65
22 June 1943
The German rubber industry (Chemische Werke Hüls AG) at Marl (district Hüls-Nord), Germany, is the primary objective of this mission and is assigned to the Bomb Groups with the most expericence. Also the industrial area of Antwerp, Belgium is assigned... -
VIII Bomber Command 67
25 June 1943
This mission was intended to be the first major attack on the industrial area of Hamburg, Germany but weather and contrails made fromation flying too difficult and dangerous. As a result, the main formation 197 B-17s from: 91BG (18); 92BG (23); 303BG ... -
VIII Bomber Command 77
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... -
VIII Bomber Command 79
29 July 1943
The primary targets for this mission are the port facilities at Kiel, Germany and the Heinkel aircraft factories at Warnemunde, Germany. A combined force of 168 B-17s from: 91BG (18); 92BG (14 these included 1 Y-B40 gunship); 305BG (19); 306BG (18);... -
VIII Bomber Command 80
30 July 1943
The aircraft factories at Kassel, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. The mission is flown by two elements of B-17s which attack 15 minutes apart. The firts element is a combined force of 119 B-17s from: 91BG (20); 303BG (23); 351BG (21);... -
VIII Bomber Command 82
15 August 1943
German airfields in Holland and France are the targets for this mission. All of the attacks were made late in the afternoon just prior to sunset. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (20... -
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 88
31 August 1943
This mission is composed of two elements. The first element is composed of 170 B-17s from: 91BG (16); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (18); 306BG (18); 351BG (21); 379BG (21); 381BG (19); and 384BG (18). The primary target for this element is German... -
VIII Bomber Command 97
16 September 1943
This mission is composed of two elements: Bomb Groups from 1st Bomb Division and Bomb groups from 3rd Bomb Division. The first element is a combined force of 147 B-17s from: 91BG (18); 303BG (19); 305BG (16); 351BG (19); 379BG (19); 381BG (20); and...
Places
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Molesworth
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 29 April 1944 |
| Crashed/Destroyed | In the air over Hanover. Germany | 29 April 1944 |
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Sustained damage between No. 3 and 4 engines, started trailing smoke, and was then attacked by German fighters. Was seen to explode in midair in the vicinity of Hanover, Germany. Two taken prisoner, with the remaining killed. SSgt Samuel C Ros, tail gunner on B-17 42-38051, was the interviewed witness for the missing aircraft report. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 19 May 2020 13:00:48 | CastleBren | Changes to nicknames, markings, events, unit associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
303rd Bomb Group records |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:39 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 4471 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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