41-24559 Ooold Soljer
IWM, Roger Freeman Collection
Object Number - FRE 4248 - A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-24559) nicknamed "Old Soljer" of the 303rd Bomb Group. Passed as censored 25 Jan 1943. Handwritten caption...
B-17F 41-24559 'Ooold Soljer' was assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-C] Bangor 14-Oct-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42.
16-Feb-43 Mission #10 - U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France - Aborted. The ball turret gunner's heated suit failed and the interphone equipment malfunctioned and aircraft forced to RTB.
26-Feb-43 Mission #11 - Naval facilities and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. Homer Bigart, War Correspondent of the New York Herald Tribune flew as an observer. Walter Cronkite, Jounalist flew as an observer on B-17F 41-24619 "S for Sugar", 303BG/427BS on this mission also.
31-Mar-43 MISSION # 19 FINAL OPERATION - Shipyards, Rotterdam, Holland.
The aircraft sustained a mid-air collision with B-17F 42-29573 "Two Beauts" 303BG/358BS over Wellingborough, UK in 10/10ths cloud cover while on a mission to bomb the port area of Rotterdam, Holland. The right wing from the #4 engine outward was sheared off and the aircraft crashed at Mears Ashby, Northamptonshire killing 8 of the crew. 2 bailed out successfully. 8KOM (Killed on Mission) 2RTD No MACR issued.
Connections
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Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11020638
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17020247 / O-728212
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-723925
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
![An airman of the 303rd Bomb Group with his B-17 Flying Fortress. A printed caption was previously attached to the reverse, however this has been removed. Handwritten caption on reverse: '6-9-43 C.' On reverse: Associated Press [Stamp].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-407606.jpg.webp?itok=WK_uiDmS)
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 2nd Bomb Group 303rd Bomb Group 351st Bomb Group 379th Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-364599
- Highest Rank: General
- Role/Job: Commanding Officer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 1st Bomb Division 303rd Bomb Group
- Service Numbers: O-021505
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Assistant Chief of Staff; Director of Operations; CO
Places
Missions
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Edited and Mission events for accuracy and format per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added Operation/Mission count to Description based on analyis of 303BG Mission Reports associated with this aircraft from Gary Moncur, Historian 303rd Bomb Group website.
Lee Cuuningham 20-Jul-2015. Edited final operation for this aircraft as MISSION #19 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Reprot of 31-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/027.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015 Added MISSION #18 per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 22-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/026.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015 Added MISSION #17 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 22-Mar-43, Gary Moncur; Historian, http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/025.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION event #16 per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 13-Mar-53, Gray Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/023.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015 Added MISSION #15 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 12-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/022.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015 Added MISSION #14 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 6-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/020.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION #13 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 4-Mar-43; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/018.pdf
Lee Cunnningham 20-Jul-2015 Added MISSION #12 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 27-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian, http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/018.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION #11 event per 303BG Mission Report of 26-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf
Lee Cunnningham 20-Jul-2015 Added MISSION #10 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 16-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION #8 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 4-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/014.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015 Added MISSION #6 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 27-Jan-43, Gray Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/012.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION #5 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 23-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION #4 event pr 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 13-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION #3 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Jul-2015. Added MISSION # 2 event per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 18-Nov-43, Gary Moncur, historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Jul-2015. EXPERIMENT Tweaking display of crew MISSION # 1
Lee Cunningham 19-Jul-2015. EXPERIMENT - Added MISSION # 1 event with edit to Description per 303rd Bomb Group Mission Report of 17-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/001.pdf
Lee Cunningham 13-Feb-2015. Added Block Number and Nickname per "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story" Roger A, Freeman with David Osborne, Added Mid-Air event , and crafted Description based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th AIr Forces" Stan Bishop & John A,. Hey MBE; Added crew position, rank, full proper name and disposition per 303rd Bomb Group website, historian Gary Moncur; Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Formatted crew display.