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42-31707

B-17 Flying Fortress

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Delivered Denver 8/12/43; Kearney 24/12/43; Long Beach 2/1/44; Presque Is 5/1/44; Prestwick 15/1/44; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 17/1/44; Missing in Action Kiel 22/5/44 with Jack Glantz, Co-pilot: Bill Edwards, Navigator: Morton Berger, Bombardier: Jim Finucane, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: John Hobbs, Radio Operator: Joe Monteith, Ball turret gunner: Marcel Bourgoin, Waist gunner: Ralph Campbell, Waist gunner: Art Potter,Tail gunner: Carl Slicker (10 Prisoner of War); flak & enemy aircraft KOd three engines, crashed Wennemanns Wisch, four miles W of Holstein, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 4955. JAKE'S JERKS.

Service

Units

  • 388th Bomb Group

    388th Bomb Group

    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...

  • 561st Bomb Squadron

    561st Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

People

  • Morton Berger

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 May 1944 in B-17 #4231707 'Winneman's Witch. ' Prisoner of War (POW). The name of the aircraft was not "Winneman's Witch." The crash location was Wennemanns Wisch, Germany POW

  • Marcel Bourgoin

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 May 1944 in B-17 #4231707 'Winneman's Witch. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Ralph Campbell

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 May 1944 in B-17 #42-31707 "Winneman's Witch", Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Milton Casebere

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 388th Bomb Group

  • William Edwards

    Military | Flight Officer | Co-Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 May 1944 in B-17 #42-31707 'Winneman's Witch', Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • James Finucane

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 May 1944 in B-17 #4231707 'Winneman's Witch. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Jack Glantz

    Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 May 1944 in B-17 #4231707 'Winneman's Witch. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • James Godwin

    Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group

  • John Holbs

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 22 May 1944 in B-17 42-31707 'Winneman's Witch'. Prisoner of War. POW

  • James Maher

    Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group

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Places

  • 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...

  • Presque Isle Army Airfield

    Military site : airfield

Events

Event Location Date
Delivered Denver, Colorado 12 August 1943
Assigned Knettishall Airfield, UK 17 January 1944

388BG
561BS
1st combat mission Frankfurt, Germany 29 January 1944
Failed to Return (FTR) Wennemanns Wisch, Germany 22 May 1944

Shot down by flak on 35th mission
Nicknames
Jake's Jerks
Production block number
B-17G-25-BO Fortress
Manufacturer
Boeing
Markings and paint scheme/livery
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
26 February 2019 02:09:21 466thHistorian Changes to nicknames and events
Sources

http://www.388bg.info/servlet/Controller?pageType=detail&id=42-31707&dat...
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:40:40 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 4955 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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