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

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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to events
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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to events
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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to description and events
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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to events
Sources

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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to description and events
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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to description and events
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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to description and events
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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to description and mission associations
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/

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to description
Sources

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

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
ChangesChanges to nicknames, markings, description, events, place associations and mission associations
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.

Date
ContributorAAM
ChangesAAM ingest
Sources

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