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

Official emblem of the 303rd Bomb Group approved 7 November 1942.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • 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

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: 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

Date11 Dec 2015 00:29:38
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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

Date11 Dec 2015 00:23:36
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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

Date11 Dec 2015 00:17:07
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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

Date9 Dec 2015 00:34:09
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

Lee Cunningham 8-Dec-2015 Correcting Mission #5 title and noteformat.

Date9 Dec 2015 00:31:17
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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

Date9 Dec 2015 00:23:45
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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

Date9 Dec 2015 00:11:57
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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

Date8 Dec 2015 23:55:15
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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/

Date4 Dec 2014 20:37:58
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2014. Corrected typo on BACHOM.

Date4 Dec 2014 20:33:35
ContributorLee8thbuff
Sources

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.

Date27 Sep 2014 18:40:03
ContributorAAM
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 15708 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database