Grady B Ward
Military27-Jul-42 Assigned as Bombardier of B-17F #41-24568 [BN-U] "Lady Fairweather", 303BG/359BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico and arrived at Molesworth, UK aboard that aircraft on 25-Oct-42. He flew 2 Operations (1 was Aborted) with this aircraft. 2LT John W. Plummer replaced 2LT Ward as Bombardier on the 23-Nov-42 mission to St. Nazaire on which mission it was shot down.
6-Dec-42 he became the Bombardier on B-17F #42-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS and flew 7 Operations (2 were aborted) with this aircraft. See Mission events.
Shot down 23 January 1943 in B-17F #41-24603 'Green Hornet' while serving as Bombardier. Flak knocked out 3 engines and ac was attacked by FW 190s. All crew bailed out except the Pilot and Co-Pilot who decided to stay in the plane as only 1 parachute was available. Crash landed near Motreff, France.He became a Prisoner of War (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
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 13 January 1943
- Date: 3 January 1943
- Date: 30 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 27 July 1942 | Assigned as Bombardier on B-17F 41-24568 "Lady Fairweather", 303BG/359BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. |
|
Other Mission #1, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24568, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24568 "Lady Fairweather", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #2, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24568, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24568 "Lady Fairweather", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 25 November 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24568 "Lady Fairweather", 303BG/359BS |
|
Other Aircraft Re-Assignment |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 5 December 1942 | Reassigned to B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS. |
|
Other Mission #3, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
6 December 1942 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France, RTB OK. | |
|
Other Mission #4, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
12 December 1942 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK. | |
|
Other Mission #5, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS 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 Mission #6, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #7, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #8, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Zagan, Poland | 23 January 1943 - 20 July 1945 | Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland) moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 20-Jul-45. |
|
Other Mission #9, 2LT Grady B. Ward, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - POW |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Bost pens at Lorient, France. The aircraft sustained battle damage from flak, but he was able to bale out of the stricken aircraft and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). |
Revisions
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, HIstorian, Mission Report of 23-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, HIstorian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, HIstorian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, HIstorian, Mission Report of 30-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, HIstorian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, HIstorian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, HIstorian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Aircraft Re-Assignment event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Ellis J. Sanderson crw page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-sanderson.html
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. 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 16-Dec-2015. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Arthur E. Reddig crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-reddig.html
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Arthur E. Reddig crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-reddig.html
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added initial aircraft assignment, arrival in UK statement, 6-Dec-42 reassignment to 41-24603 to Summary Biography; made connections to all mission participations per my reswearch of 303BG website Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 23-Jan-2015. Added SN, decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Made connections to PLace, Aircraft and Mission within website data; Edited biography and added crew position per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE. No MACR for this loss.
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. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 66