Lloyd Robert Cole
Military
Object Number - UPL 52103 - 2nd Lt Lloyd R Cole, 303BG
1-May-42 Assigned as Pilot of B-17 41-24619 [GN-S] "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. 22-Oct-42 Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Pilot of 41-24569 [GN-V] "Memphis Tot" 303BG/427BS.
Shot down 4-Feb-43 in B-17 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS while serving as Pilot. The mission target was Osnabruck, Germany, but crew reported guns didn't work so crew turned back. Fighters attacked and Cpt Cole crash landed in the Waddenzee, Holland. Plane broke in two in contact with the water. Cole was hit in the left hip by a 20 mm shell and had a leg amputated. He died of wounds at as a prisoner of the Germans Wilhelmina Hospital in Amsterdam. He is buried in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial, Belgium.
Participated in 8 Operations (4 were aborted) See Biography events.
Awards: AM, PH, American Campaign, EAME (1 x Battle Star).
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-724125
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 6147027
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron 360th Bomb Squadron 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13024754 / O-724149
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Group Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-727000
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-661514
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Memphis Tot
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 4 February 1943
- Date: 2 February 1943
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 13 January 1943
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description: 72 HBs attack air de pot at Romilly-sur-Seine in effective raid. 6 bmrs are lost to ftrs.
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Clark County, Kentucky | 18 October 1919 | |
|
Enlisted |
Fort Thomas, Newport, KY | 22 November 1940 | Fort Thomas, Newport, Kentucky |
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Boise, ID, USA | 1 May 1942 | Assigned as Pilot of B-17F 41-24619 "S-for-Sugar" at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. |
|
Other Re-assgined to Aircraft |
Bangor, ME, USA | 12 October 1942 | Re-assigned, with crew, as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot" at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine. |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 22 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Pilot aboard B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS. |
|
Other Mission #1 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced him to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #2 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France, but mechanical failures forced him to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #3 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #4 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #5 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #6 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced him to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #7 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 2 February 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany, but severe cold weather forced Wing Command to recall the formation. |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Amsterdam, Netherlands | 4 February 1943 - 11 July 1943 | Captures at the crash site in the Waddenzee with a severe wound from 20mm shell in his left hip. Germans took him to the Luftwaffe Hospital (Wilhelmina Hospital) in Amsterdam, Holland |
|
Other Mission #8 CPT Lloyd R. Cole, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS POW/DIC |
Osnabrück, Germany | 4 February 1943 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Osnaruck, Germany. The aircraft truned back because of frozen guns and was attacked over Holland and shot down by fighters. He was caputred as a POW, but was severely wounded by a 20mm round and his left leg was amputated. He Died in Captivity of his wounds. (POW/DIC). |
|
Other Died of Wounds (DOW) in Captivity |
Amsterdam, Netherlands | 11 July 1943 | Wound in left hip made it necessary to amputate his left leg at the Luftwaffe Hospital in Amsterdam, Holland. He died on 11-Jul-43 |
|
Buried |
Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial | Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial Liege, Belgium Plot C, Row 1, Grave 10 | |
|
Buried |
Winchester Cemetery Winchester, Clark County, KY | Memorialised Winchester Cemetery Winchester, Clark County, Kentucky |
Revisions
NARA file verified Air Medal. He participated in at least one campaign regarding the EAME Campaign Medal.
Added birth & burial info per Find-a-grave MEMORIAL ID 55904123.
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Corrected crew position on Mission #3 event per Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 4-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/014.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 2-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/013.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. 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 20-Feb-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016 Corrected typo in Summary Bisography.
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Re-assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Re-assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Assigned to Aircraft per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added initial assignment and arrival in UK info to Summary Biography; Made connections to ALL missions per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 28-Jan-2015. Corrected Place location and connection to Molesworth within existing website data.
Lee Cunningham 28-Jan-2015. Added decorations and Buried event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; verified SN per MACR 15348; Added POW event and DOW/DIC event description per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE, added crew position to Biography.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15348 / MACR 15348, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 73, ABMC web site , 303rd web site mission report / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
![First Lieutenant Ehle H. Reber and Captain Lloyd R. Cole, both of the 303rd Bomb Group, relax in Reber's quarters. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 25 Jan 1943.' [stamp] and '245295.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'How the boys live and work at Flying Fortress Station in England. Wide World Photo shows: 1st Lieut. Ehle H. Reber, Malin, Oregon (left) and Captain Lloyd R. Cole, Winchester, KY. In Reber's quarters, which, as you see, he's turned into a](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-378909.jpg.webp?itok=wj-qwQe0)
