Alex LeBlanc
Military ROLL OF HONOUROriginally assigned to the 92BG at Bovington as part 1LT Charles N. Austin's crew at Bovington, UK. Aircraft assignment with the 92BG and number of missions flown with 92nd Group have not yet been determined.
The Austin crew was transferred as a replacement crew to the 303BG/358BS on 10-Feb-43 at which time SGT LeBlanc was assgined to B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" as the Ball Turret Gunner. He particiapted in 9 operations (2 were aborts) with the 303BG. (See Biography Events).
Shot down by flak and fighters 18th March 1943 in B-17F 41-24558 [VK:F] 'Hunga Dunga', 303BG/358BS while serving as Ball Turret Gunner. Target was submarine yards at Vegesack, Germany . Killed in Action (KIA).
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 18 March 1943
- Date: 13 March 1943
- Date: 8 March 1943
- Date: 6 March 1943
- Date: 4 March 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Group |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 10 February 1943 | Assigned with the crew of 1LT Charles N. Austin from 92BG to B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS. |
|
Other Mission #1 SSGT Alex LeBlanc w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Recalled |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | Assgined as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS. Mission was to bomb the industrial areas of Hamm, Germany, but target was mission was recalled. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #2 SSGT Alex LeBlanc, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 | Served as Right Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #3, SSGT Alex LeBlanc, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Assigned as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. However, the bombardier suffered altitude sickness and the pilot aborted the mission. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #4 SSGT Alex LeBlanc, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Brest, France | 27 February 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17FG 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Brest, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #5, SSGT Alex LeBlanc, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #6 SSGT Alex LeBlanc w/B-17F 42-5432, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 6 March 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5432 "The Hunting Club", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the power station and adjacent bridge at Lorient, France. The crew was that of 1LT Charles N. Austin which had been flying B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". That aircraft was not despatched as part of the formation. It is probable that it had received some minor damage on the previous mission to Rotterdam. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #7, SSGT Alex LeBlanc, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rennes, France | 8 March 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #8, SSGT Alex LeBlanc, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Amiens, France | 13 March 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Amiens, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Jade Bight, Germany | 18 March 1943 | Killed when aircraft was shot down by flak and German fighters and crashed on the sand flats of the Jadebusen (Jade Bight) south of Wilhelmshaven, Germany. |
|
Other Mission #9 SSGT Alex LeBlanc, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - FTR |
Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat construction yards at Vegesack, Germany. He was killed in action by anti-aircraft fire over the target. KIA. |
|
Born |
New York State | ||
|
Buried |
Buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery, Plot D, Row 12, Grave 48. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Correction typo in Mission #4 description.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 18-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 16-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Added Mission #7 to events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 8-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Added Mission #6 to events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 6-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 to events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 4-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 to events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 27-Feb-43.
Lee Cunningham 4-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 to events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 26-Feb-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #2 to events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 16-Feb-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 to events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 14-Feb-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Group Biography Event per 303BG website, Charles N. Austin crew page, Gary Moncur, historian.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Made connections to Mission participation based on research of 303BG website Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, historian.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added 92BG association to Summary Biography and made connection to Places and 303BG aircraft assignments based on 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Charles N. Austing crew page.
Lee Cunningham 4-Aug-2015. Added Decoration and Burial event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) database; Made connection to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; Edited Summary Biography with A/C model letter, Radio Call Letters, Unit association and crew position, per MACR 15149. Added loss details to Summary Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey, p. 91, 303rd web site, ABMC web site