Arthur I Adams
Military ROLL OF HONOUR26-Jul-42 Assigned as Pilot of B-17F 41-24563 [PU-H] "Garbage", 303BG/360BS with crew at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. 16-Oct-42 Arrived at Molesworth, UK, aboard "Garbage".
11-Nov-42 as Pilot of B-17F 41-24563 'Garbage', the aircraft sustained a mid-air collision with RAF Anson EF939, and made a forced "belly" landing at Luton, UK. There were no injuries but the aircraft was Damaged Beyond Repair and eventually salvaged for parts. Poor weather conditions contributed to accident on landing 'Garbage'.
Sometime between 18-Nov-42 and 30-Dec-42 he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and held that rank when he flew the mission of 30-Dec-42 as Pilot of B-17F 42-1973 "Iza Vailable". Effective 1-Jan-43 he was promted to Captain.
Shot down 3 January 1943 in B-17F 41-24620 'Snap! Crackle! Pop!' while serving as Pilot. Aircraft crashed into the Forest of Escoublac, France, west of St. Nazaire. Their target was the U/B (submarine base) at St. Nazaire, France. Killed in Action (KIA). No burial record has been located.
Participated in 3 Operations (1 was aborted) See Biography events.
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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Garbage
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Yardbird II
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Snap! Crackle! Pop!
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
![Two airmen of the 303rd Bomb Group admire the nose art of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Iza Vailable". Printed caption removed from reverse. On reverse: Keystone Press Agency, 'Sacred' and U.S. Official Photograph O.W.I. [Stamps].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-407619.jpg.webp?itok=aEyghgX9)
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Iza vailable
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 3 January 1943
- Date: 30 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 9 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 26 July 1942 | Assigned as Pilot of B-17F 41-24563 "Garbage", 303BG/360BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 16 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Pilot aboard B-17F 41-24563 "Garbage", 303BG/360BS. |
|
Other Aircraft Accident |
Luton, Luton, UK | 11 November 1942 | While flying serving a Pilot of B-17F 41-24563 "Garbage", 303BG/360BS on a training mission, the aircraft sustained a mid-air collision with an RAF aircraft. He was forced to make a belly landing at Luton, UK. There were no injuries but the aircraft was damaged beyond repair. |
|
Other Promotion in Rank |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 18 November 1942 - 30 December 1942 | Promoted to 1st Lieutenant. |
|
Other Mission #1, 2LT Arthur I. Adams, w/B-17F 41-24602, 303BG/360BS - Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24602 "Yardbird II" on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #2, 2LT Arthur I. Adams, w/B-17F 42-2973, 303BG/360BS |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 42-2973 "Iza Vailable", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Promoted in Rank |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 1 January 1943 | Promoted to the rank of Captain. |
|
Other Mission #3, 2LT Arthur I. Adams, w/B-17F 41-24620, 303BG/360BS - KIA |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24620 "Snap! Crackle! Pop!, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was shot down and he was Killed in Action (KIA). |
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Bois d'Escoublac, 44500 La Baule-Escoublac, France | 3 January 1943 | Killed when aircraft sustained damage from AA fire and fighter attacks and crashed into the Forest of Escoublac, France. His remains were never recovered. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Correcting date error.
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Correcting typos in Aircraft Accident note.
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf
Added Promoted in Rank (Captain) event per Arthur I. Adams crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-adams.html
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Arthur I. Adams crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-adams.html
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added Promoted in Rank event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Arthur I. Adams crw page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-adams.html
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added Aircraft Accident event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Arthur I. Adams crw page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-adams.html
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Arthur I. Adams crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-adams.html
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Arthur I Adams crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-adams.html
Lee Cunningham 24-Jan-2016. Added iniial assignment and promotion info to Summary Biography; made connections to AIrcraft and Missions per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Arthur I Adams crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-adams.html
Lee Cunningham 15-Jan-2015. Added SN and KIA event per MACR 15464; made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; edited description to include crash location 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 / Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 61, WWII Memorial web site, MACR 15464 / MACR 15464 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database