41-24517 Kali
B-17F #41-24517 [GN-O] 'Kali' 303BG/427BS assigned with crew on 1-May-42 at Alamogordo Field, Almogordo, New Mexico. Sent with crew to Dow Field, Bangor, Maine for deployment 5-Oct-42. Arrived at Molesworth, UK 24-Oct-42 Missing in Action St Nazaire 3-Jan-43. Shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed into the Atlantic while on approach to target of St. Nazaire, France. 10 KIA, MACR 6141. Participated in 6 Operations (3 were Aborted) See Biography events for crew information.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with

- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment

- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18058489
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19062629
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O661444
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot

- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-435765
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16041534
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
Places

- Site type: Airfield
Missions
- Date: 3 January 1943
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 12 December 1942
- Official Description:

- Date: 6 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 23 November 1942
- Official Description:
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Assigned with Crew |
Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 1 May 1942 | Original Crew B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS P 1LT William H. Goetz; CP 2LT Mark L. McDermott N 2LT Robert L. Madrid; B 2LT Robert W. Smith E/TTG TSGT James F. Shelly; RO TSGT Joseph H. Walters BTG SGT Walter E. Runge; WG SGT Charles R. Storer WG SGT Vernon E. Koch; TG SGT Not assigned. |
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 24 October 1942 | CREW B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS P 1LT William H. Goetz; CP 2LT Mark L. McDermott N 2LT Robert L. Madrid; B 2LT Robert W. Smith E/TTG TSGT James F. Shelly; RO TSGT Joseph H. Walters BTG SGT Walter E. Runge; LWG SGT Charles R. Storer RWG SGT Vernon E. Koch; TG SGT Walter E. Runge |
Other Mission #1, B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | CREW B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS P 1LT William H. Goetz (RTB); CP 2LT Mark L. McDermott (RTB) N 2LT Robert L. Madrid (RTB); B 2LT Robert W. Smith (RTB) E/TTG TSGT James F. Shelly (RTB); RO TSGT Joseph H. Walters (RTB) BTG SGT Edward T. Levering (RTB); LWG SGT Charles R. Storer (RTB) RWG Not carried; TG SGT Walter E. Runge (RTB) |
Other Mission #2, B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 | CREW B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS. Temporary crew assignment P 1LT Harry A. Robey, Jr. (RTB); CP 2LT Benjamin H. Burma (RTB) N 2LT Charles S. Grice (RTB); B 2LT Roy R. Moser (RTB) E/TTG SSGT Francis Sulcofski (RTB); RO SSGT Sebastian L. Vogel (RTB) BTG SGT Edward T. Levering (RTB); LWG SGT Charles R. Storer (RTB) RWG SGT Merel D. Bradley; TG SGT Donald H. Rutt (RTB) |
Other Mission #3, B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | CREW B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS. P 1LT William H. Goetz (RTB); CP 2LT Mark L. McDermott (RTB) N 2LT Robert L. Madrid (RTB); B 2LT Robert W. Smith (RTB) E/TTG TSGT James F. Shelly (RTB); RO TSGT Joseph H. Walters (RTB) BTG SGT Charles R. Storer (RTB); LWG SGT Vernon E. Koch (RTB) RWG SGT Dante G. Barron(RTB); TG SGT Walter E. Runge (RTB) |
Other Mission #4, B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | CREW B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS P 1LT William H. Goetz (RTB); CP 2LT Mark L. McDermott (RTB) N 2LT Robert L. Madrid (RTB); B 2LT Robert W. Smith (RTB) E/TTG TSGT James F. Shelly (RTB); RO TSGT Joseph H. Walters (RTB) BTG SGT Walter E. Runge (RTB); LWG SGT Roger W. Milford (RTB) RWG SGT Edward T. Levering (RTB); TG SGT Charles R. Storer (RTB) |
Other Mission #5, B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | CREW B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS P 1LT William H. Goetz (RTB); CP 2LT Mark L. McDermott (RTB) N 2LT Robert L. Madrid (RTB); B 2LT Robert W. Smith (RTB) E/TTG TSGT SSGT Edmond L. Smock (RTB); RO TSGT Joseph H. Walters (RTB) BTG SGT Walter E. Runge (RTB); LWG SGT Charles R. Storer (RTB) RWG SGT Roger W. Milford (RTB); TG SGT Vernon E. Koch (RTB) |
Other Mission #6, B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - FTR |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | CREW B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS P 1LT William H. Goetz (KIA); CP: MAJ Charles C. Sheridan (KIA) N 2LT Robert L. Madrid (KIA); B 2LT Robert W. Smith (KIA) E/TTG TSGT James F. Shelly (KIA); RO TSGT Joseph H. Walters (KIA) BTG SGT Walter E. Runge (KIA); LWG SGT Martin F. McDonald (KIA) RWG SGT Donald H. Rutt (KIA); TG SGT Merle D. Bradley (KIA) |
Other Failed to Return (FTR) |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1944 | Shot down by enemy aircraft and exploded and crashed into the Atlantic during approaceh to St. Nazaire, France. |
Revisions
Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography" - “information” was misspelled.
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Addedd Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Addedd Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Addedd Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Addedd Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 event, per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42 http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, crw page of William H. Goetz: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Assigned with Crew event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, crw page of William H. Goetz: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html
Lee Cunningham 18-Dec-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission REport of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Dec-2015. Added assignment with original crew, mission participation statement to Summary Biography; made connections to all mission participations based on my research of 303BG Mission Reports, 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/ and William H. Goetz crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html
Lee Cunningham8-Jan-2015. added TN and nickname to description per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Lee Cunningham 8-Jan-2015. Added nickname and markings per "The Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A.Hey MBE; Changed dates in description to military style signification; Added place and mission conenctions within existing website data; added crew position, rank, full proper names and dispositions per MACR 6141; formatted crew display.
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 6141 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database