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B-17 Flying Fortress
"Boeing B-17s returning from Lille creating a vapour trail." -B-17F's 42-5060 422nd BS 305th BG, 41-24614 'SNAFU' 346th BS 305th BG, 41-24591 'Rigor Mortis' and 42-5052 'Old Testament' 366th BS, 305th BG among others.
B-17F 42-5060 was delivered Cheyenne 13-Sep-42; Houlton 22-Oct-42; Assigned 422BS/305BG [JJ-Q] Chelveston 12-Nov-42; Missing in Action 4-Feb-43. Mission was to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany but the target was obscured by clouds, so the port area of Emden, Germany was bombed as a target of last resort. The aircraft crashed near Den Helder, Holland. 10 KIA No MACR issued.
P Capt William K. Davidson (KIA) CP: Charles W. McMehen (KIA)
N 2Lt John H. Kinsey, Jr. (KIA); B 2Lt James W. Bryant (KIA)
E/TTG SSgt Kermit R. Plaskett (KIA); RO SSgt Jack C. Hickman (KIA)
BTG SSgt Leroy J. Moyer (KIA); LWG SSgt Robert L. McKnight (KIA)
RWG SSgt Charles Peterson (KIA); TG SSgt Paul E. Heatherly (KIA)
Group
The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Bombardier. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). No MACR issued for this loss.
...
Military | Captain | Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Pilot. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Tail Gunner. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).No MACR issued for this loss.
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Radio Operator. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). No MACR was issued for this loss.
...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Navigator. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). No MACR issued for this loss.
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4-Feb-43 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Waist Gunner. Original target was Hamm, Germany, but formation turned back because of weather. Aircraft crashed into the 6 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Killed in Action (KIA) No MACR issued...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Killed in Action (KIA) on 4-Feb-43 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Co-Pilot. Original target was Hamm, Germany but formation turned around because of weather. Exact cause of loss not documented as no MACR was issued. Aircraft crashed into the sea 6...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Ball Turret Gunner. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). No MACR issued for this loss.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Waist Gunner. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). No MACR was issued for this loss.
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 305th Bomb Group Can Do
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 42-5060 while serving as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner. Mission was to Hamm, May have been shot down about 6 miles east of Den Helder, Holland. Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA). No MACR issued for...
4 February 1943
The marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany are again designated as the primary target for this mission follwing the abortive attempt of 2-Feb-43. However, weather and extreme cold frustrate this operation also. The main attacking force consists of 65 B-17s...
Military site : airfield
Chelveston was adapted and expanded in preparation for the arrival of American forces. Rather than heavy bombers, the first aircraft to fly from its runways were C-47 Skytrains that were flown by the 60th Troop Carrier Group in July 1942. The first...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Den Helder, Netherlands | 4 February 1943 |
|
Exact reason for loss is not known as no MACR was issued. Aircraft crashed near Den-Helder, Holland. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 28 January 2015 20:48:11 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to description and events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 28-Jan-2015. Corrected Description with crash location per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A Hey MBE. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 January 2015 19:46:23 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, markings, description, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 27-Jan-2015. Added nickname, block number, FTR event, crew position, rank, full proper name and disposition, added markings, edited description with target information per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE; Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Names and SN confirmed from American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:52 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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