42-31333 | American Air Museum

42-31333 Wee Willie

media-25721.jpeg UPL 25721 "Combat crew of the 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, beside Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Wee Willie". England". - B-17G 42-31333 "Wee Willie" (coded LG-W) of the 322nd Bomb Sqn, 91st BG. "Wee Willie" showed up at Bassingbourn just before Christmas, 1943. Mission scoreboard indicates 100 missions, 333 would go onto achieve 129 missions before its loss on 8-Apr-45, only 1 member of the crew escaping from her.
Officer kneeling at right of group is Nav 2nd Lt Jess Ziccarello.

NARA Ref 342-FH-3A10717-B62808AC.

www.fold3.com

Object Number - UPL 25721 - "Combat crew of the 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, beside Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "Wee Willie". England". - B-17G 42-31333 "Wee Willie" (coded...

Delivered Cheyenne 22/10/43; Gr Island 3/11/43; Memphis 9/11/43; Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-W] Bassingbourn 20/12/43; Missing in Action 129m Stendahl 8/4/45 with 1Lt Robert E Fuller (POW), 2Lt Woodrow A Lien, T/Sgt Francis McCarthy, S/Sgt Richard D Proudfit, S/Sgt Wylie McNatt Jr, S/Sgt Ralph J Leffelman, S/Sgt Willian H Cassidy, S/Sgt James D Houtchens, Sgt Lemoyne Miller (9 Killed in Action); flak hit between fuselage and #2 engine caused massive fire which detached the port wing, exploded in the resulting dive, crashed Stendahl; MACR 13881; (oldest G in group) 1 x POW, 9 x KIA. WEE WILLIE.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

322nd Bomb Squadron

Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
Air Force: Eighth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

91st Bomb Group

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

People

William H Cassidy

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 32346219
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

James Ryland Fink

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-822659
Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
Role/Job: Pilot

Robert E Fuller

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-774609
Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
Role/Job: Bomber pilot

James Donald Houtchens

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 37483248
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Ralph J Leffelman

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 19112019
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Radio Operator

Places

Bassingbourn

Site type: Airfield

Missions

Two airmen of the 398th Bomb Group examine the damaged tail of a B-17 Flying Fortress.

8th Air Force 932

Date: 8 April 1945

Events

Event	Location	Date	Description
Delivered	Cheyenne, WY, USA	22 October 1943	Delivered to USAAF.
Assigned	Bassingbourn, Royston SG8, UK	20 December 1943	Assigned to 322BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF.
Crashed Failed to Return (FTR)	Stendahl, 21629 Neu Wulmstorf, Germany	8 April 1945	Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Stendahl, flak hit between fuselage and #2 engine caused massive fire which detached the port wing, exploded in the resulting dive, crashed Stendahl. 1 POW, 9 KIA MACR 13881.
Manufactured	Burbank, CA, USA		Built at Boeing.

Revisions

Date17 May 2022 18:46:23

ContributorAl_Skiff

ChangesChanges to unit associations

Sources

Roger Freeman Photo.

Date13 Jul 2021 19:38:34

Contributoracbernstein1

ChangesChanges to markings

Sources

http://www.91stbombgroup.com/nose_artists/starcer.html

Date18 Sep 2017 14:24:35

ContributorAl_Skiff

ChangesChanges to media associations

Sources

Roger Freeman Photo.

Date2 Jan 2017 16:27:48

ContributorAl_Skiff

ChangesChanges to production block number, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations and mission associations

Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/29433690

Date27 Sep 2014 18:40:37

ContributorAAM

ChangesAAM ingest

Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 13881 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

42-31333: Gallery (9 items)

The nose art of B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Wee Willie"of the 91st Bomb Group Handwritten caption on reverse: 'After four missions. H.'

Object number: FRE 3542 -

The left wing of B-17 Flying Fortress (LG-W, serial number 42-31333) nicknamed "Wee Willie" of the 322nd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group falls away after having suffered a direct flak hit. 10 April 1945.

Object number: FRE 3628 -

A B-17 Flying Fortress (LG-W, serial number 42-31333) nicknamed "Wee Willie" of the 322nd Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group explodes after suffering a direct flak hit to the left wing. 10 April 1945. Printed caption on reverse of print: '#4217, 6 seconds after 4216. Tail Gunner believed to have survived. H.'

Object number: FRE 3629 -

A B-17 Flying Fortress (LG-W, serial number 42-31333) nicknamed "Wee Willie" of the 91st Bomb Group suffers a direct flak hit on the left wing. 10 April 1945. Handwritten caption on reverse: '#4215 "Wee Willie" direct burst of flack on 128th mission.'

Object number: FRE 693 -

A B-17 Flying Fortress (LG-W, serial number 42-31333) nicknamed "Wee Willie" of the 91st Bomb Group explodes after suffering a direct flak hit to the left wing. 10 April 1945.

Object number: FRE 694 -

The left wing of B-17 Flying Fortress (LG-W, serial number 42-31333) nicknamed "Wee Willie" of the 91st Bomb Group falls away after having suffered a direct flak hit. 10 April 1945.

Object number: FRE 695 -

Object number: UPL 25721 -

Object number: UPL 25722 -

Object number: UPL 25723 -