41-24566 Zombie
B-17F 41-24566 'Zombie' [BN-W] was assigned 303BG/359BS [BN-W] at Alamogordo Field, New Mexico on 23-Jun-42. Stationed at Kellogg Field, Battle Creek, Michigan until 3-Oct-42 when it went to Bangor, Maine for deployment to England.; Molesworth 25-Oct-42. Shot down 20-Dec-42 by enemy aircraft, crashed in Channel, off Dieppe, France while on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. 10KIA MACR 15708. Participated in 4 Operations (1 aborted) See Biography events 18-Nov-42 Mission #1 - U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France (See Biography events)
22-Nov-42 Mission #2 - U-Boat pens at Lorient, France (See Biography events)
12-Dec-42 Mission #3 - Railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France - Aborted (See Biography events)
20-Dec-42 LAST OPERATION - Mission #4 - Air Depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France MIA
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 359th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39019035
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-724011
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-659676
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-724160
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-435790
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Missions
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description: 72 HBs attack air de pot at Romilly-sur-Seine in effective raid. 6 bmrs are lost to ftrs.
- Date: 12 December 1942
- Official Description: 17 HBs bomb Rouen-Sotteville M/Y. Bad weather prevents large attack planned for air installations at Romilly-sur-Seine.
- Date: 23 November 1942
- Official Description: 36 HBs hit Saint-Nazaire submarine base for the fifth time in 2 weeks. Cumulative effect of operation on the base is large though the sub shelter shows little permanent damage. HB crews report change in ftr tactics from rear to head-on attack as they...
- Date: 22 November 1942
- Official Description: 11 HBs attack Lorient-Keroma 17 U-boat base.
- Date: 18 November 1942
- Official Description: VIII BC conducts missions against 3 U-boat bases. 19 HBs attack at La Pallice, 13 at Lorient Keroman, and 19 at Saint-Nazaire.
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Group |
Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 23 June 1942 | Assigned to the 306BG/359BS on 23-Jun-42 at Alamogordo Field, New Mexico. Original Crew P 1LT Orville S. Witt; CP 2LT George C. Woodman N 2LT Donald H. Brightbill; B 2LT Wilmer E. Dyar E/TTG SSGT Lyle C. Woods; RO CPL Edmund R. Thornton BTG SSGT Warner E. Renner; LWG Not assigned RWG Not assigned; TG SSGT Lawrence C. Thomas |
|
Other Station Transfer |
Battle Creek, MI, USA | 7 August 1942 - 3 October 1942 | Stations at Kellogg Field, Battle Creek, Michigan. |
|
Other Station Transfer for Deployment |
Bangor, ME, USA | 3 October 1942 - 24 October 1942 | Transferred to Bangor, Maine in preparation for deployment to England. |
|
Other Mission #1 B-17F 41-24566, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | CREW P 1LT Orville S. Witt, Jr. (RTB); CP 1LT Herbert E. Kalhoefer (RTB) N 1LT Donald H. Brightbill (RTB); B 1LT Wilmer Dyar (RTB) E/TTG TSGT Lyle C. Woods (RTB); RO TSGT Thomas F. Bachom (RTB) BTG CPL Bernard W Millet (RTB); LWG SSGT Warner E. Renner (RTB) RWG SSGT Harold A. Kinsey (RTB); TG SSGT Laurence W. Thomas (RTB) |
|
Other Mission #2 B-17F 41-24566, 303BG/359BS |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | CREW CMP MAJ Eugene A. Romig (RTB); CP 2LT Walter E. Dooley (RTB) N 1LT Donald H. Brightbill (RTB); B 1LT Wilmer Dyar (RTB) E/TTG TSGT Lyle C. Woods (RTB); RO TSGT Thomas F. Bachom (RTB) BTG CPL Bernard W Millet (RTB); LWG SSGT Warner E. Renner (RTB) RWG SSGT Harold A. Kinsey (RTB); TG SSGT Laurence W. Thomas (RTB) |
|
Other Mission #3 B-17F 41-24566, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | CREW CMP Eugene A. Romig (RTB); CP 1LT Herbert E. Kalhoefer (RTB) N 1LT Donald H. Brightbill (RTB); B 1LT Wilmer Dyar (RTB) E/TTG TSGT Lyle C. Woods (RTB); RO TSGT Thomas F. Bachom (RTB) BTG CPL Bernard W Millet (RTB); LWG SSGT Warner E. Renner (RTB) RWG SSGT Harold A. Kinsey (RTB); TG SSGT Laurence W. Thomas (RTB) Mission Aborted. |
|
Other Mission #4 B-17F 41-24566, 303BG/359BS - MIA |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | CREW P 1LT Orville S. Witt, Jr. (KIA); CP 2LT Francis M McMurtry, Jr. (KIA) N 1LT Donald H. Brightbill (KIA); B 1LT Wilmer Dyar (KIA) E/TTG TSGT Lyle C. Woods (KIA); RO TSGT Thomas F. Bachom (KIA) BTG CPL Bernard W Millet (KIA); LWG SSGT Warner E. Renner (KIA) [body washed up 1-Feb-43] RWG SSGT Harold A. Kinsey (KIA);TG SSGT Laurence W. Thomas (KIA) Mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-su-Seine, France. |
|
Other Failed to Return (FTR) Over Water (OW) |
English Channel | 20 December 1942 | Shot down by enemy aircraft near the Channel coast. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 1-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 10-Dec-2015 . Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 10-Dec-2015. Added Mission # 1 event per 303Bg website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf
Lee Cunningham 8-Dec-2015 Correcting Mission #5 title and noteformat.
Lee Cunningham 8-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 8-Dec-2015. Added transfer to Bangor, Maine per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Orville S. Witt crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-witt.html
Lee Cunningham 8-Dec-2015. Added ASsigned to Group event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Orville S. Witt crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-witt.html
Lee Cunningham 8-Dec-2015. Added Mission particpation list to Biography summary and made connections to all mission participations per my research on 303BG Mission Reports, 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2014. Corrected typo on BACHOM.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2014. Edited description, converted dates to military-style designations, added aircraft nickname; added target information, formatted crew information to include rank and proper name; all information per MACR 15708 and "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 15708 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database