Frank Robert Spitznagel Jr
Military305th Bomb Group, 364th Squadron. Chelveston, England 1943
Doug Spitznagel
Born November 5, 1919 in Buffalo, NY.
Attended Columbus Flying School, Columbus, Mississippi, class 42-G. Additional flight training Boise, ID; Alamagordo, NM; Topkea, KS.
Assigned B-17E named "Boo" and flew Southern Route to European Theater (first assigned to North Africa, then ordered to England) January 13 – February 7, 1943.
Arrived Chelveston, England (AF#105) and attached to 364th Squadron of 305th Bomb Group. Completed tour of 26 missions. Led the wing during Bomber Command Missions #65 (Huls, Germany); #69 (St. Nazaire, France); #70 (Paris, France). Also led Groups on several missions and was Deputy Group Leader on Mission #84, aka "1st Schweinfurt", August 17, 1943. Returned to the United States on Nov. 14, 1943 (Northern Route).
While stationed at Langley, VA he trained many B-17 crews from 1943 thru 1945.
He left the service in December, 1945 with the rank of Major.
Married Ruth Elizabeth Schaaf on February 3, 1945. Had three children, (Pamela 1946; Frank Robert III 1949; Douglas 1953) 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
Deceased December 1, 2008. Final Resting Place: Rosecrans National Cemetery, Pt. Loma, CA
Connections
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Units served with
People
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 17 May 1943
- Date: 15 May 1943
- Date: 14 May 1943
- Date: 17 April 1943
- Date: 16 April 1943
Places
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Buffalo, NY, USA | 5 November 1919 | |
Enlisted |
Buffalo, New York | 23 September 1941 | "The draft board was breathing down my pretty little neck..." |
Revisions
Surname spelling corrected; nicknames added by Douglas Spitznagel (2nd son, b.1953)
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / son, Bob