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42-3488

B-17 Flying Fortress

  • The Pollock Crew Subsequenly flew #42-3488, shown here with a B-17F-BO. Standing Left to Right: T/Sgt. Herbert M Baber: Engineer/Gunner Sgt. Howard G Hall: Asst. Engineer/Gunner S/Sgt. Theodore R Schatz: Radio Operator/Gunner Sgt. Wilfred M Husband: Asst. radio Operator/Gunner Sgt. Francis M. Harwell: Waist Gunner Sgt. Joseph La Via: Tail Gunner Kneeling Left to Right: 2/Lt. Edwin F Pollock: Pilot 2/Lt. Milo A Raim: Co-Pilot 2/Lt. Maurice G Alexander: Navigator 2/Lt. Max Weinstein: Bombardier

    The Pollock Crew Subsequenly flew #42-3488, shown here with a B-17F-BO. Standing Left to Right: T/Sgt. Herbert M Baber: Engineer/Gunner Sgt. Howard G Hall: Asst. Engineer/Gunner S/Sgt. Theodore R Schatz: Radio Operator/Gunner Sgt. Wilfred M Husband: Asst. radio Operator/Gunner Sgt. Francis M. Harwell: Waist Gunner Sgt. Joseph La Via: Tail Gunner Kneeling Left to Right: 2/Lt. Edwin F Pollock: Pilot 2/Lt. Milo A Raim: Co-Pilot 2/Lt. Maurice G Alexander: Navigator 2/Lt. Max Weinstein: Bombardier

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Delivered Denver 13/7/43; Scott 15/8/43; Assigned 548BS/385BG [GX-L] Gt Ashfield 25/8/43; Missing in Action Emden 11/12/43 with Edwin Pollock, Co-pilot: Milo Raim, Navigator: Maurice Alexander, Bombardier: Max Weinstein, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Herb Baber, Radio Operator: Max Schwartz, Waist gunner: Francis Harwell,Tail gunner: Joe Lavia (8 Prisoner of War); Ball turret gunner: Wilf Husband, Waist gunner: Howard Hall (2 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft KO’d #2, crashed yards from Lake Sneekermeer, Offingawier, Holl. Missing Air Crew Report 1665. WEIDNER’S WILDCAT.

Service

Units

  • 385th Bomb Group

    385th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9...

  • 548th Bomb Squadron

    548th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

People

  • Maurice Alexander

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #42-3488, Prisoner of War (POW).

  • Herbert Baber

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Howard Hall

    Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Francis Harwell

    Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Wilfred Husband

    Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Killed in Action (KIA). ...

  • Joseph La Via

    Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Prisoner of War (POW).

  • Edwin Pollock

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Prisoner of War (POW). ...

  • Milo Raim

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 385th Bomb Group
    Milo Raim served as a co-pilot with the 385th Bomb Group, flying bombing missions out of Great Ashfield, England. On 11 December 1943, he was shot down in B-17 #42-3488 and taken as a Prisoner of War (POW).

  • Max Schwartz

    Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Max Weinstein

    Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 385th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 December 1943 in B-17 #423488. Prisoner of War (POW). ...

Places

  • Great Ashfield

    Military site : airfield
    The airfield was built in 1942 by John Laing & Son Ltd. 108,000 tons of concrete was used in its construction, creating a Class 'A' airfield suitable for heavy bombers. The 385th Bomb Group took up residence in the summer of 1943, and remained at the...

Events

Event Location Date
Failed to Return (FTR) Germany 11 December 1943
Nicknames
Weidner’s Wildcat
Production block number
G-1-DL
Manufacturer
Douglas
Markings and paint scheme/livery

The aircraft shown with the crew is not a Douglas F-70-DL/G-1-DL but rather a much earlier Boeing built B-17F below block -90/95. The image is neither 487 nor 488.

The early G-1-DL were nosed PFF/Bendix chin aircraft however there is no indication in the FORTLOG synopsis that it was so modified at the Rome Air Depot.

The picture of the crew with the B-17F-BO very possibly was taken in the first half of 1943 stateside.

What would be of interest is if this crew were trained as a radar lead crews at Rome NY, Langley or elsewhere.

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
31 December 2020 14:57:19 phil marchese Changes to markings
Sources

Grammatical editing to my prior remarks.
Date Contributor Update
22 April 2020 15:24:44 phil marchese Changes to markings
Sources

Corrected typo only.
Previous comments apply.
Date Contributor Update
14 June 2019 22:05:22 phil marchese Changes to markings
Sources

AAM assoxcated crew photo.
Date Contributor Update
14 June 2019 21:58:34 phil marchese Changes to production block number
Sources

Block corrected
Date Contributor Update
04 April 2019 22:25:54 phil marchese Changes to markings
Sources

Typo corrected
Date Contributor Update
23 March 2019 21:38:53 phil marchese Changes to markings
Sources

AAM image of Boeing B-17F.
Date Contributor Update
23 March 2019 21:34:51 phil marchese Changes to markings
Sources

AAM photo of the crew of the 42-3488.
Date Contributor Update
21 September 2016 23:43:26 hermanns Changes to nicknames
Sources

385th BG website
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:40:44 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 1665 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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