Charles N Austin
Military1LT Charles N. Austin was originally assigned to the 92BG and arrived in England in August 1942. On 10-Feb-43 he and his crew were transferred from 92BG to 303BG/358BS as a replacement crew and assigned to B-17F #41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". He participated in 9 Operations - 2 Aborts with the 303BG. Mission participation with 92BG not determined. (See Biography events)
18-Mar-43 - Shot down by flak and fighters in B-17F #41-24558 [VK:F] 'Hunga Dunga', 303BG/358BS while serving as Pilot. Target was submarine yards at Vegesack, Germany. Aircraft was attacked by fighters and sustained damage from flak and crashed on the flats of the Jadebusen (Jade Bight) near Wilhelmshaven, Germany. He managed to bale out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW) taken to Stalag 7A Mooseburg.
POW
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
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Arrived at Station |
Bovington, Dorset, UK | 18 August 1942 - 11 January 1943 | Assigned as Pilot with 92BG (aircraft assignment not determined) at Bovington, UK. |
|
Other Transferred with Group |
Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 11 January 1943 - 10 February 1943 | |
|
Other Transferred |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 10 February 1943 | Transferred with crew from 92BG as a replacement crew in 303BG/358BS on 10-Feb-43. |
|
Other Mission #1 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Hamm, Germany, but weather forced the recall of the entire 303BG aircraft despatch (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #2 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France (RTB OK). |
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Other Mission #3 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany (secondary target), but he was forced to abort the mission when the Bombardier, 1LT Coltrane, became overcome with altitude sickness (faulty oxygen mask). (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #4 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Brest, France | 27 February 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Brest, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #5 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #6 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 42-5432, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 6 March 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 42-5432 "The Hunting Club", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the power station and adjacent bridge at Lorient, France (RTB OK) |
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Other Mission #7 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rennes, France | 8 March 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France (RTB OK) |
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Other Mission #8 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Amiens, France | 13 March 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Amiens/Longeay, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Prisoner of War - Camp 1 |
Moosburg, Germany | 18 March 1943 - 13 October 1943 | Held at Stalag 7A. Moosburg, Bavaria. 13-Oct-43 moved to Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems), Austria. |
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Other Mission #9 1LT Charles N. Austin w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS POW |
Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the submarine construction yard at Vegesack/Bremen, Germany. Aircraft shot down by fighters as flak. He managed to bale out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). |
|
Other Prisoner of War - Camp 2 |
Krems an der Donau, Austria | 14 October 1943 - 15 April 1945 | Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf, (near Krems), Austria until 15-Apr-1945 when he was liberatied by US Army forces. |
|
Other Last Report Date - Discharged |
8 June 1945 | Evacuated to the United States after his liberation from Stalag 17B and Discharged from the USAAF. | |
|
Born |
West Virginia |
Revisions
Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography" - "serving" was misspelled.
Corrected a typo in the Summary biography.
Lee Cunningham 2-May-2016. Added Last Report Date event per NARA WWII POW database record.
Lee Cunningham 2-May-2016. Added POW Capt 2 event per NARA WWII POW database records.
Lee Cunningham 2-May-2016. Added POW - Camp 1 event per research of Stalag 7A and Stalag 17B records.
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Arrived at Station, Bovington with 92BG per 92BG record of arrival in UK, and Transfer with Group event; and made connection to Bovington per "USAAF Combat Chronology", Jack McKillop.
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 18-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf; Made connections to 92BG, Alconbury, Aircraft and Missions per 303BG website Mission Reports: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/023.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 8-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/021.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/020.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 4-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/019.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 27-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/018.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 26-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 16-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Operation participation to Summary Biography and Transferred event per 303BG website, Charles N. Austin crew page, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/358austin.html
Lee Cunningham 3-Aug-2015. Added Decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW 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