Francis R Sulcofski
Military10-Jul-1942 Assigned as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner of B-17F #41-24619 [GN-S] "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. It appears from available records that he and his crew were re-assigned to B-17F #42-2966 at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine on or about 5-Oct-42. He, his crew and B-17F #42-2966 arrived at Molesworth, UK on 28-Oct-42.
On 23 January 1943 in B-17F #41-24584 'Susfu' while serving as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner. Aircraft was shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed at Abbey Pleyben near Edern, France. He parachuted to safety and 303rd Bomb Group historian says he initially evaded, but was captured and became a Prisoner of War (POW).
Participated in 6 Operations (3 were Aborted) See Biography events.
NOTE: Entry includes data from an entry per Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database.
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: Kali
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Susfu
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
![Captain Albert W. Dieffenback, a bombardier of the 303rd Bomb Group, admires Bugs Bunny painted onto the nose of his B-17 Flying Fortress. Passed as censored 9 May 1943. Printed caption on reverse: '14. Captain Albert W. Dieffenbach, of Garrett Park, Md., and the bomber in which he flies as group bombardier.' On reverse: US Army Press Censor ETO [Stamp].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-407609.jpg.webp?itok=_FHnam-K)
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: S For Sugar
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: No 11 Combat Crew Replacement Center No 1 Combat Crew Replacement Center 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 6 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 23 November 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 18 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
10 July 1942 | Assigned as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner with crew of B-17F 41-24619 "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. | |
|
Other Change in Aircraft Assignment |
5 October 1942 | Assigned, with crew, to B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS at Down Field, Bangor, Maine. | |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
28 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner of B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS. | |
|
Other Mission #1, SSGT Francis Sulcofski, w/B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
17 November 1942 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS 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, SSGT Francis Sulcofski, w/B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
18 November 1942 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS 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 #3, SSGT Francis Sulcofski, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS |
23 November 1942 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. | |
|
Other Mission #4, SSGT Francis Sulcofski, w/B-17F 41-24619, 303BG/427BS |
6 December 1942 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24619 "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France. RTB OK. | |
|
Other Mission #5, SSGT Francis Sulcofski, w/B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
20 December 1942 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie, RTB OK. | |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
23 January 1943 - 13 July 1945 | Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems) Austria. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 13-Jul-45. | |
|
Other Mission #6, SSGT Francis Sulcofski, w/B-17F 41-24584, 303BG/427BS - POW |
23 January 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24584 "Susfu", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Baot pens at Lorient, France. The aircraft was shot down by German fighters but he managed to bale out of the stricken aircraft and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). | |
|
Born |
Revisions
Added " / " in the "Role/job" field as a separator to aid readability.
Added a "#" to all the A/C serial numbers in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Change to Aircraft Assignment event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Harry A. Robey crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf
Lee Cunningham 21-Oct-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission REport of 17-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/001.pdf
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Harry A. Robey crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Change to Aircraft Assignment event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Harry A. Robey crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Harry A. Robey crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 21-Dec-2015. Added initiail aircraft assignment, arrival in UK and mission participation satement to Summary Biography; made connections to all aircraft and missionparticipation based on my research of 303BG Mission Reports, 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian and Harry A. Robey crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 22-Jan-2015. Added NOT with source info to Biography.
Lee Cunningham 22-Jan-2105. Added SN per MACR 15571; Added decorations and POW event National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; made connections to Place, Aircraft & Mission within existing website data; edited 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, 3Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 66, MACR 15571,
href="http://303rdbg.com/rost-rs.html#R">http://303rdbg.com/rost-rs.html#R>