30 November 1943
William Grosvenor photo from his false papers (COMET archives)
Not yet known
This mission is composed of two fighter elements despatched to provide escort to B-17 bomber formations attackin at Bremen, Germany. The frist element is a combined force of 20 P38s from 55FG (including some from 20FG). 1 aircraft Failed to Return (FTR) 1DIC. 1 aircraft was damaged. There were no claims on German aircraft.
The second element was a force of 327 P-47s from 4FG, 56FG, 78FG, 352FG, 353FG, 355FG, and 356FG. 4 aircraft Failed to Return (FTR) 3KIA 1EVD. 1 aircraft was damaged. The fighters claim 0-2-1 of German aircraft.
FIGHTER ESCORT
P-38 Lightning
Not yet known
Group
In August 1943, the 20th Fighter Group arrived in Clyde, Scotland, before travelling to Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, which was to be their base for the rest of the war. The Group flew 312 missions before their last mission on 25 April 1945. The...
Group
The 55th Fighter Group were the first P-38 Lightning Group to go fully operational from England. The pilots flew long-range escort missions for bombers flying over occupied Europe and racked up 'kills' of their own by destroying enemy aircraft in...
| Number of people Died in Captivity | 1 |
FIGHTER ESCORT
P-47 Thunderbolt
Fighter escort for Solingen raid.
Group
The 352nd Fighter Group were based at Bodney, Norfolk from July 1943 until November 1945 but in the winter months of 1944/1945 detachments moved to bases in Belgium to provide extra air support to ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge and to...
Group
The 353rd Fighter Group was assigned to the Eighth Air Force on 7 June 1943. The group flew P-47 Thunderbolts, and from October 1944, P-51 Mustangs, as escorts for bombing missions across occupied Europe and to strafe targets on the ground. Tactical...
Group
Where the 353rd Fighter Group had pioneered ground strafing techniques, it was the 355th Fighter Group who destroyed more enemy aircraft by ground strafing than any other Eighth Air Force Group. Based at Steeple Morden from July 1943 to July 1945, the...
Group
The 356th Fighter Group flew 413 missions between 15 October 1943 and 7 May 1945 and suffered the highest ratio of losses to enemy aircraft claims of any Eighth Air Force Group. This gave the Group the reputation of being the 'hard luck' outfit. The...
Group
Some of the pilots of the 4th Fighter Group had seen many hours of combat by the time they joined the 4th Fighter Group as they had volunteered with the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The three 'Eagle Squadrons' of RAF Fighter...
Group
Flying P-47 Thunderbolts throughout their time stationed in England, the Group, known as "the Wolfpack", had more ace pilots than any other Eighth Air Force Fighter Group. The 56th Fighter Group also destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any...
Group
The 78th Fighter Group was initially based at Goxhill but moved to Duxford in April 1943 and stayed there until October 1945. The 78th FG flew each of the three US built principal fighters of the AAF in the ETO. In their Thundetbolts, the 78th FG ...
| Number of aircraft Sent | 327 |
| Number of aircraft Missing In Action | 5 |
| Number of aircraft Damaged | 1 |
| Number of people Killed In Action | 3 |
| Number of people Evaded | 1 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Probably Destroyed by Fighter Command | 2 |
| Enemy aircraft claimed as Damaged by Bomber Command | 1 |
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down 22 December 1943 in B-17 #4237773 'Full House. ' Plane crashed into North Sea. Killed in Action (KIA).
The plane was ditched in the Ijsselmeer, The Netherlands.
AM w/ 2 Oak Leaf Cluster / Purple Heart
Military | Lieutenant | Fighter Pilot | 56th Fighter Group
Note : The 1930 US Census for Colfax, Jasper County, Iowa has him as Billie D. Grosvenor, the 1940 one as Billy D...
...
Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Right Waist Gunner/Flight Engineer - Top Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084. Killed in Action (KIA).
AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster
Flew his first 3 missions (plus 3 aborts) as a waist gunner. Flew the remainder of his tour as Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Assigned to 560BS, 388BG, 8AF USAAF. 16-Sep-43 mission to La Pallice. FR, in B-17 42-5904 'Gremlin Gus'. On return, crashed in Devonshire after scraping a hill top.
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084. Killed in Action (KIA). Earlier 10/14/43 on takeoff for Schweinfurt in B17#42-30193 'Hard Luck', no. 3 engine caught fire during take off with 10 bombs aboard. Lt. Swith retracted landing gear to avoid trees...
Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Flew 2 tours with the 388th BG. total of 45 missions.
Air Medal w 6/Oak Leaf Cluster; DFC
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084 on mission to Bremen. Killed in Action (KIA).
Earlier 24 November 1943 crash landed while on a cross-country training flight in B17#42-37844. RTD
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/7/43; Gore 6/8/43; Pendleton 12/8/43; Reno 14/8/43; Pierre 16/8/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 3/9/43; crashed on take off for France 13/8/44 with Leon Sutton, Co-pilot: Harlan Thompson, Navigator: George Healy, Bombardier:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/9/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 9/10/43; Missing in Action Bremen 20/12/43 with Ken Eccleston, Co-pilot: Pete Schou, Navigator: John Dorsett, Bombardier: Tom Tollin, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Joe Molinari, Radio...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 26/4/43; Sioux City 7/5/43; Smoky Hill 9/6/43; Dow Fd 30/6/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 3/7/43; detailed Solignen, 30/11/43 with Paul Kelly, Co-pilot: John Corzette, Navigator: John Wiley, Bombardier: Marion Wiles, Flight...
P-47 Thunderbolt
Encountered mechanical failure on an escort and support mission for bombers on a mission to Soligen, Germany, 30 November 1943. The pilot, Lt William D. Grosvenor managed to regain control of his P-47 and strafed a train above Puurs, Belgium. Flying...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 14 July 2015 22:03:46 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to event |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Jul-2015. Added fighter claims on enemy aircraft to P-47 element statistics per "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 July 2015 22:02:38 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Jul-2015. Added Mission Narrative based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 July 2015 21:56:55 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to name and description |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Jul-2015. Added Mission Narrative based on "The Mighty Eighth War Diary", Roger A. Freeman. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:43:20 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham, 8th Air Force missions research database / Stan Bishop's 'Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces', the Combat Chronology of the US Army Air Forces and the work of Roger Freeman including the 'Mighty Eighth War Diary'. |
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