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B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17G 42-38054 'Holy Matrimony' 412nd BS, 95th BG, 8AF USAAF.
Delivered Cheyenne 26/11/43; Presque Is 23/12/43; Assigned 334BS/95BG [BG-V] Horham 30/12/43; 412BS [QW-V]; 45m, Missing in Action Politz 25/8/44 with Everett Perry, Co-pilot: Jim Daniels, Bombardier: Guiseppe Merlo, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Dominic Maffentone, Radio Operator: George Sulick, Ball turret gunner: John Detweller, Waist gunner: Mike Natt,Tail gunner: Francis Sutphin (8 Prisoner of War); Navigator: Larry Kieinman (Killed in Action); with #3 afire, ship peeled off, crashed Westhof, Sundische Insel, NE of Barth, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 8282. HAMAWA aka HOLY MATRIMONY.
Group
The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August...
Squadron
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down and crashed at Westhof on 8/25/44 in B-17 "Hamawa" #42-38054, Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot/Instructor/Evaluator/SquadronCC | 95th Bomb Group
Completed 30 missions between May 7, 1944 and September 3, 1944
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Crashed at Westhof on 8/25/44 in B-17 "Hamawa" 42-38054, Prisoner of War.
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Assigned to 334BS, 95BG, 8AF USAAF. 35 x combat missions.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 95th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War. Shot down at Westhof on 8/25/44 in B-17 Hamawa 42-38054.
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down at Westhof on 8/25/44 in B-17 "Hamawa" 42-38054, Prisoner of War. He was sent to Stalag Luft III for 8 months, enduring a harrowing 90 day forced march at the end of the war. His personal account is on file with the Veteran's Oral History...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer / Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
25 August 1944
Military site : airfield
Horham airfield was planned and built for RAF use, but handed over to the Eighth Air Force and used initially by the 47th Bomb Group. When they joined the Twelfth Air Force in January 1943, it became home to the B-26 Marauders of the 323rd Bomb Group....
Military site : airfield
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Crashed | Westhof, 34519 Diemelsee, Germany | 25 August 1944 – 25 August 1944 |
|
Missing in Action Politz 25/8/44. With #3 afire, ship peeled off, crashed Westhof, Sundische Insel, NE of Barth, Germany. (8 x POW, 1 x KIA) Missing Air Crew Report MACR 8282. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 20 May 2022 13:12:58 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 March 2019 12:12:11 | phil marchese | Changes to markings |
| Sources | ||
AAM image |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 December 2015 16:44:31 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:48 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 8282 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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