B-17 Flying Fortress
The stele in Brix, France in memory of the 9 crew members who were killed in the crash of B-17 #42-37890 on 20 March 1944. “They gave their lives for our freedom.” - Photo Patrick Boyer ( https://www.aerosteles.net/stelefr-brix-b17 )
Delivered Denver 4/10/43; Gr Island 24/10/43; Assigned 568BS/390BG [BI-R] Framlingham 8/11/43. Missing in Action La Glacerie (33m) on 20 March 1944 with Richard L. Mann, Co-pilot: John E. Vaughan, Navigator: McKinnon Cameron, Bombardier: Walter J. Kwoka, Radio Operator: Bernard A. Anderson, Ball Turret gunner: Raymond Zucco, Left Waist gunner: Robert T. Wedemeyer, Right Waist gunner: Walter E. Hermenau, Tail gunner: Mark I. Overstreet (9 Killed in Action). Flight engineer/Top Turret gunner: Jesse W. Roberts (POW- blew out of ship and captured near crash site). Flak hit the Fortress, which exploded before all the crew could bail out. Crashed near Brix, 6km NW of Valognes, 20km SE of Cherbourg, France. Missing Air Crew Report-MACR 4169. ROVIN’ ROMONA II/BIG FRIEND.
Group
The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Crew Number 68
Military | Corporal | Radio Operator | 390th Bomb Group
Shot down 20 April 1944 in B-17 #42-37890 "Big Friend". Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Radio Operator | 390th Bomb Group
Frank Bobrowicz was Radio Operator on board B-17 #42-39819, hit by Flak on return from the 13 April 1944 mission to Augsburg, Germany. Ditched in the Channel/North Sea, about 18km West of the entrance to the port of Ostend, Belgium. Killed In Action ...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 390th Bomb Group
Shot down 20 April 1944 in B-17 #42-37890 "Big Friend". Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Flight Engineer | 390th Bomb Group
Crew Number 7
Military | Engineer/Top Turret gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Johnny R. Enlow was Flight engineer/Top Turret gunner on the Warren Hawes Crew (Crew Number 18) in the 390th Bomb Group. He flew most missions with the Hawes crew on B-17 #42-31717 “HELLS BELLS”. In total, he flew 41 missions in two tours. He was shot...
Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Right Waist Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Robert Gibbs was Right Waist gunner on board B-17 #42-39819, hit by Flak on return from the 13 April 1944 mission to Augsburg, Germany. Ditched in the Channel/North Sea, about 18km West of the entrance to the port of Ostend, Belgium. Killed In Action ...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 390th Bomb Group
Wilmer Goldinger was Co-Pilot on board B-17 #42-39819, hit by Flak on return from the 13 April 1944 mission to Augsburg, Germany. Ditched in the Channel/North Sea, about 18km West of the entrance to the port of Ostend, Belgium. Killed In Action (KIA).
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Flight Engineer | 390th Bomb Group
Alec Gwazdosky was Top Turret gunner on board B-17 #42-39819, hit by Flak on return from the 13 April 1944 mission to Augsburg, Germany. Ditched in the Channel/North Sea, about 18km West of the entrance to the port of Ostend, Belgium. Killed In Action ...
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | B 17 gunner waist, Ball, top/flight engineer | 390th Bomb Group
Crew Number 8
20 April 1944
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force from 1942 to 43, Framlingham was home first to the 95th Bomb Group, before that unit moved to RAF Alconbury. From 1943 to 1945, it was operated by the 390th Bomb Group. The airfield was handed back to the RAF in 1945, and...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Brix, near Valognes, France | 20 April 1944 |
|
crashed near Brix, 6km NW of Valognes, France |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 24 July 2020 13:07:04 | ED-BB | Changes to nicknames, description, events and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 4169 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:46 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 4169 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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