Richard G White Jr
Military1LT Richard G. White was assigned as a Navigator with 1LT Charles N. Austrin's crew with 92BG (aircraft assignment not determined). He arrived with his aircraft and 92BG at Bovington, UK on 18-Aug-42 and was transferred with the Group when it moved to the station at Alconbury on 11-Jan-43. On 10-Feb-43, 1LT Austin's crew was reassigned to the 303BG/358BS as a replacement crew with B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". He participated in 9 Operations - 2 Aborts with the 303BG (See Biography events).
18-Mar-43 - Shot down in B-1F7 41-24558 'Hunga Dunga' [VK:F], 303BG/358BS while serving as Navigator. Aircraft was attacked by fighters and flak near Wilhelmshaven while on a mission to bomb the submarine construction yards at Vegesack, Germany. 1LT White baled out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). Aircraft crashed on the sand flats of the Jadebusen (Jade Bight) south of Wilhelmahaven, Germany.
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
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hunga Dunga
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 18 March 1943
- Date: 13 March 1943
- Date: 8 March 1943
- Date: 6 March 1943
- Date: 4 March 1943
Places
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Arrived at Station |
Bovington, Dorset, UK | 18 August 1942 - 11 January 1943 | Assigned as Navigator of the crew of 1LT Chales N. Austin with 92BG (aircraft asssignment not determined) and arrived with his aircraft at Bovington, UK. |
|
Other Transferred with Group |
Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 11 January 1943 - 10 February 1943 | Transferred with his aircraft and Group to Alconbury, UK. |
|
Other Transferred |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 10 February 1943 | Transferred with the Austin crew to 303BG/358BS as a replacment crew and assigned to B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". |
|
Other Mission #1 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas NW of Hamm, Germany, but weather forced a recall of all 303BG aircraft despatched. |
|
Other Mission #2 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the port area of St. Nazaire, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #3 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany (secondary target) but the Pilot was forced to abort the mission because the Bombardier, 1LT Coltrane developed altitude sickness (due to a faulty oxygen mask). |
|
Other Mission #4 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Brest, France | 27 February 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Brest, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #5 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #6 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 42-5432, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 6 March 1943 | erved as Navigator on B-17F 42-5432 "The Hunting Club", 303BG/358BS to bomb the power station and adjacent bridge at Lorient, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #7 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rennes, France | 8 March 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #8 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Amiens, France | 13 March 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Ameins/Longeau, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Prisoner of War - Camp 1 |
Zagan, Poland | 18 March 1943 - 15 January 1945 | Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan Silesia (now Poland). Moved to Stalag 13D Nuremberg-Langwasser. |
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Other Mission #9 1LT Richard G. White, Jr. w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS POW |
Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the submarine construction yards at Vegesack/Bremen, Germany. The aircraft was shot down by fighters and flak. He was able to bale out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW) |
|
Other Prisioner of War - Camp 2 |
90471 Langwasser, Germany | 16 January 1945 - 15 April 1945 | Held at Stalag 13D, Nurmemberg-Langwasser until libertated 15-Apr-45 |
|
Other Last Report Date - Discharged |
21 July 1945 | Evacuated to the United States after his liberation from Stalag 13D and discharged from the USAAF. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Added Last Repor Date event per NARA WWII POW database records.
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Added POW Camp 2 event based on Stalag 3 history: http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag3.htm
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Added POW Camp 1 event based on Stalag 3 history: http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag3.htm
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 18-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/023.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 8-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/021.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/020.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 4-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/019.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 27-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/018.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 26-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 16-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added Arrived at Station, Transferred with Group and Transferred events per "USAAF Combat Chronology:", Jack McKillop and Charles N. Austin crew page, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/358austin.html; Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Aug-2015. Added 92BG assignments and transferrs based on 92BG station history and made connections to Places based on "USAAF Combat Chronology", Jack McKillop; Made connections of ALL 303BG mission events per 303BG Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html
Lee Cunningham 4-Aug-2015. Added Decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Made connection to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; Edited Summary Biography with A/C model letter, Radio Call Letters, Unit association and crew position, corrected SN per MACR 15149. Added loss details to Summary 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, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey, p. 91, 303rd web site