42-39893 | American Air Museum

42-39893

Delivered Long Beach 30/9/43; Gr Island 1/11/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-J] Deenethorpe 2/1/44; Missing in Action Oschersleben 11/1/44 with Don Sprecher, Co-pilot: Zuven Mascomian, Navigator: Ken Tinkelbaugh, Bombardier: Glen Weiss, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ole Anderson, Radio Operator: Bob Allen, Ball turret gunner: Don Smart, Waist gunner: Ray Windhurst (8 Prisoner of War); Waist gunner: Chas Schmader,Tail gunner: Jim White (2 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft KO’d #4 and set fire to bomb bay, ship disintegrated in mid-air crashed ten miles S of Oschersleben; Missing Air Crew Report 2505.

Connections

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Units served with

A pathfinder B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 44-8258) of the 401st Bomb Group. Image by Robert Astrella. Written on slide casing: '48258 14 A, Mount Farm.'

401st Bomb Group

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

The insignia of the 615th Bomb Squadron, 401st Bomb Group.

615th Bomb Squadron

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

People

Robert E Allen

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Radio Operator

Ole O Andersen

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 39455398
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner

Zaven Noobar Masoomian

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 12144652, O-687313
Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
Role/Job: Co-Pilot

Charles R Schmader

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 33409014
Highest Rank: Sergeant
Role/Job: waist gunner

Donald W Smart

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 401st Bomb Group 615th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 36409240
Highest Rank: 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

8th Air Force 182

Date: 11 January 1944

8th Air Force 178

Date: 7 January 1944

Revisions

Date11 Sep 2021 23:19:22

Contributoracbernstein1

ChangesChanges to production block number, manufacturer, markings and mission associations

Sources

http://401bg.org/Main/History/Aircraft/Details.aspx?ID=39893

Date27 Sep 2014 18:40:51

ContributorAAM

ChangesAAM ingest

Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log