43-38038 Flying Chapel

media-55503.jpeg UPL 55503 Smoke Crew - 838th Squadron, 487th Bomb Group
The crew of 2nd Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr outside the mess hall at Hunter Army Air Field, near Savannah, Georgia. The crew completed B-17 operational training at Biloxi, Mississippi, and was sent to Hunter Field to pick up a new B-17 for the deployment flight to England.
Back row (L to R): Sgt John White Jr (engineer), Sgt Harold J. Stone (radio operator), Sgt Richard E. Burres (tail gunner), Sgt Elmer E. Koepsell (waist gunner), Sgt David W. Sala (ball turret gunner)
Front row (L to R): 2nd Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr (pilot), F/O George H. Pendarvis (copilot), F/O Gunnar K. Olsen (navigator), 2nd Lt John H. Strong (bombardier)
These men all perished in B-17G 43-38038 in a midair collision with 43-37969 over France on March 19, 1945.

Object Number - UPL 55503 - Smoke Crew - 838th Squadron, 487th Bomb Group The crew of 2nd Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr outside the mess hall at Hunter Army Air Field, near Savannah,...

Delivered Cheyenne 19/6/44; Kearney 28/6/44; Grenier 9/7/44; Assigned 838BS/487BG Lavenham 12/7/44; battle damaged Jena 19/3/45 with Dan Smoke was in mid air coll with 43-37969; crashed Couvron, France; Salvaged 21/3/45. All 9 aboard 43-38038 were KIA. CREW: Sgt John White Jr (engineer), Sgt Harold J. Stone (radio operator), Sgt Richard E. Burres (tail gunner), Sgt Elmer E. Koepsell (waist gunner), Sgt David W. Sala (ball turret gunner), 2nd Lt Daniel C. Smoke Jr (pilot), F/O George H. Pendarvis (copilot), F/O Gunnar K. Olsen (navigator), 2nd Lt John H. Strong (bombardier).

Connections

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

Units served with

The insignia of the 487th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 487th Bomb Group 838th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 37586104
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Flight Officer
  • Role/Job: Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 487th Bomb Group 838th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: T-128391
  • Highest Rank: Flight Officer
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16060893
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Places

Officers of the 487th Bomb Group outside the 838th Bomb Squadron operations room.
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Lavenham/Alpheton Airfield

Aircraft

A B-17 Flying Fortress (2G-N, serial number 43-37969) of the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group after bombing a medium tank factory at Nurnberg, 10 September 1944. Handwritten caption on reverse: '10/9/44, 285 Extra.' Printed caption on reverse: '53933 - Over The Target - White boiling smoke surges skyward from an edium[sic] tank factory at Nurnberg, Germany about 90 miles north of Munich, as one of the attacking B-17 Flying Fortresses of the U.S. Eighth Air Force passes overhead Sept. 10 1944.'
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Failed to Return (FTR)

France 19 March 1945

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added an association to A/C #43-37969 per the info in the A/C description section.

Date
ContributorDouglas P
Changes
Sources

Addition to Media Connection

Date
ContributorDouglas P
Changes
Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 15844 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

43-38038: Gallery (1 items)