Merel D Bradley
Military ROLL OF HONOUR10-Jul-42 Assigned as the Tail Gunner of B-17F #41-24619 [GN-S] "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. Arrived in the UK with the crew of 41-24619 aboard B-17F #42-2966, 303BG/427BS on 28-Oct-43. B-17F #41-24619 was commandeered by Maj George L. Robinson and flown with a different crew to Molesworth, UK on 25-Oct-42.
Killed in Action (KIA) in B-17F #41-24517 'Kali' while serving as Tail Gunner. Aircraft was targeting U/B (submarine base) at St. Nazaire, France. 'Kali' encountered intense flak and fighter attacks and went down over the Atlantic.
Participated in 7 Operations (4 were Aborted) See Biography events.
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: Memphis Tot
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Bad Check
- 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: 3 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.
- Date: 6 December 1942
- Official Description: 36 HBs attack Atelier d’Hellemmes locomotive works at Lille while a smaller group of aircraft bomb Abbeville/Drucat A/F.
- Date: 23 November 1942
- Official Description: 36 HBs hit Saint-Nazaire submarine base for the fifth time in 2 weeks. Cumulative effect of operation on the base is large though the sub shelter shows little permanent damage. HB crews report change in ftr tactics from rear to head-on attack as they...
- Date: 22 November 1942
- Official Description: 11 HBs attack Lorient-Keroma 17 U-boat base.
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 20 July 1942 | Assigned as Tail Gunner of B-17G 41-25619 "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. |
|
Other Re-assigned to another aircraft |
Bangor, ME, USA | 23 October 1942 | Assigned as a Aerial Gunner to B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine. |
|
Other Arrive in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 28 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth as the Tail GUnner on B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS. |
|
Other Mission #1, SGT Merel D. Bradley, w/B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 | Served as Right Waist 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, SGT Merel D. Bradley, w/B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Right Waist 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, SGT Merel D. Bradley, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Right Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS 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 Mission #4, SGT Merel D. Bradley, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 | Served as Right Waist 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 #5, SGT Merel D. Bradley, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24587 "Bad Check", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #6, SGT Merel D. Bradley, w/B-17F 42-2966, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Tail 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 Killed in Action (KIA) |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1942 | Killed when aircraft sustained damage from flak and fighter attacks and crashed into the Atlantic near the target. His remains have never been recovered. |
|
Other Mission #7, SGT Merel D. Bradley, w/B-17F 41-24517, 303BG/427BS - KIA |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24517 "Kali" on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was attacked by German fighters over the sea on approach to the target and exploded in mid-air. The entire crew was KIA. |
|
Other Commemorated |
Saint-James, France | Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany American Cemetery |
Revisions
Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography" - “Participated ” was misspelled.
Lee Cunningham 20-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 20-Dec-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-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 20-Dec-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 20-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Harry A. Robey crew pahe: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Harry A. Robey crew pahe: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added initial aircraft assigment and arrival in UK statement to Summary Biography; made connections to all Mission participations per my reasearch of 303BG Mission Reports, 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Harry A, Robey crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-robey.html
Lee Cunningham 13-Jan-2015. Added SN and KIA event per MACR 6141; added decorations and Commemoration event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; made connections to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; added crew position and made minor edits to biography.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 60