42-31508 | American Air Museum

42-31508 Command performance

Delivered Denver 12/11/43; Kearney 27/11/43; RAF Valley 7/12/43; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-Q] Deenethorpe 21/1/44; Missing in Action Schweinfurt 13/4/44 with Alf Vokaty, Co-pilot: Bill Cambrell, Navigator: Shea Schacter, Bombardier: Chas Strode, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Joe Boros, Radio Operator: Ron Halpin, Ball turret gunner: Howard Crull, Waist gunner: John Campbell (8 Prisoner of War); Waist gunner: Roy Sanders, Tail gunner: Warren Canter (2 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft set #2 on fire, then gas tanks, crashed Kaiburg, four miles E of Aschaffenburg, Ger; Missing Air Crew Report 3938. COMMAND PERFORMANCE.

Connections

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

Units served with

401st Bomb Group

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

613th Bomb Squadron

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

People

Joseph J Boros

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron
Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner

William M Cambrell

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron
Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
Role/Job: Co-Pilot

John F Campbell

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron
Highest Rank: Sergeant
Role/Job: waist gunner

Warren Canter

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Howard M Crull

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 613th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 15339917
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Places

Bomber crews from the 401st Bomb Group look over P-51 Mustang, FT-T, serial number 43-12172, of the 353rd Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, at Deenethorpe airfield. One of their B-17 Flying Fortresses is in the background. Printed caption on reverse of print: '...401st Bomb Group look over a North American P-51 Mustang at an 8th Air Force base in England, 27 December 1943.'

Deenethorpe

Site type: Airfield
Known as: Benefield

Missions

301

Date: 13 April 1944

Airmen and ground crew of the 448th Bomb Group carefully transfer a flak casualty through the waist gun window of a B-17 Flying Fortress. Official caption printed on image: '(GM-11-2-448)(26-3-44)(Flak Casualty).' Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Col Patterson.'

8th Air Force 280

Date: 26 March 1944

8th Air Force 277

Date: 24 March 1944

8th Air Force 262

Date: 16 March 1944

A B-17 Flying Fortress (QJ-Q, serial number 42-31023) nicknamed "Skyball" of the 339th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group that has crash-landed at Honington. Official caption on image: "2138. 1-29-44. Hon. B-17F. 42-31028. M. F.S.A.D."

8th Air Force 198

Date: 29 January 1944

Events

Event	Location	Date	Description
Other Failed to Return (FTR)	Germany	13 April 1944

Event

Location

Date

Description

Other

Failed to Return (FTR)

Germany

13 April 1944

Revisions

Date10 Sep 2021 13:33:39

Contributoracbernstein1

ChangesChanges to markings and mission associations

Sources

http://401bg.org/Main/History/Aircraft/Details.aspx?ID=31508

Date13 May 2020 04:23:41

Contributorjmoore43

ChangesChanges to nicknames and description

Sources

Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity.
Added the A/C nickname listed in the A/C “Description”.

Date27 Sep 2014 18:40:38

ContributorAAM

ChangesAAM ingest

Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 3938 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database