Walter E Runge
Military ROLL OF HONOUR1-May-1942 Assigned as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24517 [GN-O] "Kali", 303BG/427BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. 24-Oct-42 arrived on B-17F 41-24517 at Molesworth airfield in Cambridgeshire, England.
3-Jan-43 Killed in Action (KIA) in B-17F-20-BO 41-24517 'Kali' while serving as Ball Turret 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 5 Operations (3 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
Missions
- Date: 3 January 1943
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 12 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 6 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 22 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Boise, ID, USA | 1 May 1942 | Assigned as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 24 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS. |
|
Other Mission #1, Walter E. Runge, w/B-17F 41-24571, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as the Tail Gunner of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 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 #2, Walter E. Runge, w/B-17F 41-24571, 303BG/427BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #3, Walter E. Runge, w/B-17F 41-24571, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS 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 #4, Walter E. Runge, w/B-17F 41-24571, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 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 1943 | 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 #5, Walter E. Runge, w/B-17F 41-24571, 303BG/427BS - KIA |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24517 "Kali", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was attacked by fighters and exploded in mid-air over the Atlantic just before the target. All crew KIA. |
|
Other Commemorated |
Saint-James, France | Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany American Cemetery |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 9-Jan-2016. Corrected initial assigment to location and Assigned to Aircraft location per 303BG records, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Dec-2015. 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-Dec-2015. 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-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303NG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Goetz crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Goetz crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-goetz.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Dec-2015. Added initial aircraft assignment and arrival in UK to Summary Biography; made connections to all mission participations based on my research of 303BG Mission Reports, 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/
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