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Military
August 1943 - Operational Training, Wendover Field, UT Sgt Kenneth Dyer 448th BG, 712th BS, crew #17
![Ground personnel of the 448th Bomb Group with their B-24H Liberator, 41-29191, named, Hello Natural. Handwritten caption on reverse : '448th B.G., 8th Air Force.' On reverse: E. Olov Sundgren, Esq. [Stamp].](https://www.americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/freeman/media-414338.jpg?itok=vd0fLWTe)
Ground personnel of the 448th Bomb Group with their B-24H Liberator, 41-29191, named, Hello Natural. Handwritten caption on reverse : '448th B.G., 8th Air Force.' On reverse: E. Olov Sundgren, Esq. [Stamp].
The B-24H, 41-29191, Hello Natural, over the U.K.
8th Air Force, 2nd Air Division, 20th Combat Wing, 448th Bomb Group, 712th Bomb Squadron, Crew #17. L-R Stand.- Sgt Robert Cook (G), Sgt Jack Porter (G), Sgt Kenneth Dyer (R), Sgt Billy Espich (G), Sgt Edwin Pixley (G), SSgt Charlie Dugosh (E) L-R Kneeling - 1st Lt Robert Winn (P), 2nd Lt James Harmon (CP), 2nd Lt David Tobin (N), 2nd Lt Richard Brady (B)
August 1943 - Operational Training, Wendover, UT 448th BG, 712th BS, crew #17
November 1943 - Natal, Brazil L-R standing: Sgt Billy Espich, Sgt Kenneth Dyer 448th BG, 712th BS, crew #17; flew southern route from USA to England.
B-24H, 41-28711, Little Sheppard, Crew - 11 Mar 1944. Standing L-R : SSgt. Raymond G. Giwojna - Tail Gunner - SSgt. Benjamin Z. Means - Waist Gunner/ Second Armorer - SSgt. Norbert (Mike) Duginske - Waist Gunner Second Engineer - SSgt. Gerald E. Carroll - Top Turret Gunner - First Engineer - SSgt. Kenneth L. Dyer - Radio Operator - SSgt. Bill J. McCullah - Ball Turret Gunner - First Armorer - Kneeling L-R : 2nd Lt. Alfred E. Cannon - Navigator - 2nd Lt. John J. Schneider - Copilot - 2nd Lt. Paul R. Helander - Pilot - 2nd Lt. Henry M. Snyder - Bombardier.
Original crew of the B-24H, Boomerang, 42-52132, from Oct 1943 - Feb 1944, before it crashed, 10 Feb 1944. Standing left to right : SSgt. Bill McCullah - SSgt. Raymond Giwojna - SSgt. Benjamin Means - SSgt. Norbert (Mike) Duginske - SSgt. Kenneth Dyer. Kneeling : Unknown maintenance crew members. Not shown : 2nd Lt. Paul Helander - Pilot - 2nd Lt. John Schneider - Copilot - 2nd Lt. Alfred Cannon - Navigator - 2nd Lt. Henry Snyder - Bombardier
S/Sgt Kenneth L. Dyer - Radio Operator while assigned to "Boomerang" (42-52132) Jan-Feb 1944, "Little Sheppard" (41-28711) Feb-Mar 1944.
S/Sgt. Kenneth L. Dyer was born August 7, 1922 in Indianapolis, Indiana. He enlisted in Indianapolis on November 12, 1942. He was a radio operator while assigned to, Boomerang, 42-52132, Jan-Feb 1944, Little Sheppard, 41-28711, Feb-Mar 1944, and, Hello Natural, 41-29191, until it crash landed in Sweden. 6 Mar 1944. MACR 3548.
Ken Dyer died January 24, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana and is buried in the Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Greenwood, Indiana.
Military | Second Lieutenant | B-24 Bombardier | 389th Bomb Group
Lt. Richard Brady was assigned as a bombardier to 564BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. On 5 Jan 1944 B-24 42-64451. Upon landing in poor visibility and ice on runway, A/C ran off runway and crashed.
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner ; Flight Engineer / Ball Turret Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 712BS, 488BG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 564BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. On 5-Jan-44 B-24H 42-64451. Upon landing in poor visibility and ice on runway, A/C ran off runway and crashed. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Pforzheim in B-24 41-28763,...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 448th Bomb Group
8th Air Force, 2nd Air Division, 20th Combat Wing, 448th BG, 712th BS
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Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 448th Bomb Group
2nd Lt James H Harmon went to England as a member of the 8th Air Force, 2nd Air division, 20th Combat Wing, 448th Bomb Squadron, 712th Bomb Squadron, Crew #17. They flew the Southern Route to England, leaving Harrington Airfield in Kansas on 15-Nov...
Military | Sergeant | Airplane Armorer-Gunner, Gunner | 448th Bomb Group
Edwin transferred from Crew #17 to Crew #16 to replace gunners who while on an operational mission to Cherbourg, FR on 21 Jan 1944 in B-24H #41-29208 a target marker went off in the a/c forcing four gunners to bail out and become prisoners of War (POW).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 389th Bomb Group
Assigned to 712BS, 448thBG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 564BS, 389BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Pforzheim hit by flak, crash landed just outside Ransart, France 1-Apr-44 POW. MACR 3596.
Awards: AM, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 448th Bomb Group
Division
The groups under the command of the 2nd Bomb Wing came under the command of the 2nd Bomb Division in August 1943. In December 1944, the Division was redesginated the 2nd Air Division.
Wing
Prewar bombardment wing in the northwest. Moved to England, May–June 1943, for duty with Eighth Air Force. Received its first groups in November 1943 and served in combat in the European theater from December 1943 until April 1945. Returned to the US...
Group
The 448th Bombardment Group was organized on 6 April 1943 and activated on 1 May 1943 at Gowen Field, near Boise, Idaho. The initial training of the air crews took place in Florida. The entire group was assembled Wendover Field, Utah. Both air and...
Squadron
B-24 Liberator
The B-24H, 41-28711, named, Little Sheppard, was assigned to the 712th Bomb Squadron, the 448th Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force in the U.K.
...
B-24 Liberator
The B-24H, 41-29191, Hello Natural, was organized with 448th Bomb Group and the 712th Bomb Squadron on 6 Apr 1943 at Gowen Field near Boise, Idaho. After deployment to the U.K., the airplane was damaged in a landing accident at Seething, England, 21...
B-24 Liberator
The Liberator bomber, B-24H-10-FO, 42-52132, was assigned to Crew 11 of the 712th Bomb Squadron, and the 448th Bomb Group, in October, 1943. It was named, Boomerang, by the crew when they arrived at the Topeka Army Air Field, Kansas, to take ownership...
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 712BS, 448BG, 8AF USAAF. Upon landing in poor visibility and ice on runway, ran off runway and crashed 5-Jan-44 pilot Robert L Campbell, Cat 5 damage. Written off.
Military site : airfield
Built during 1942-43 as an Eighth Air Force bomber base, Seething had three concrete runways, 51 hardstandings of both loop and 'frying-pan’ types, and two T2 hangars, one on each side of the airfield. It was home to the 448th Bomb Group, equipped with...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | 7 August 1922 |
| Enlisted | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | 12 November 1942 |
| Buried | Greenwood, Indiana, USA | 2010 |
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Mount Pleasant Cemetery |
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| Died | Indianapolis, Indiana, USA | 24 January 2010 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 19 April 2022 06:39:12 | Kickapoo | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Removed punctuation from aircraft name for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 February 2022 02:18:03 | dmccullo | Changes to unit associations |
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Revised connections. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 February 2022 19:16:09 | dmccullo | Changes to media associations |
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Added photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 11 October 2021 17:57:07 | jmoore43 | Changes to events |
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Added Born, Died, Buried and Enlisted events per info in the "Summary biography". |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 July 2021 18:08:41 | dmccullo | Changes to media associations |
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Added media. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 March 2021 17:45:53 | dmccullo | Changes to unit associations and media associations |
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Updated profile photos. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 August 2020 18:24:04 | dmccullo | Changes to biography |
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Updated biography. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 July 2020 23:00:20 | dmccullo | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Updated Summary Biography with date of death and burial location. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 July 2020 05:38:36 | dmccullo | Changes to media associations |
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Updated Media for 41-29191. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 July 2020 05:35:16 | dmccullo | Changes to middlename, place associations and media associations |
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Added Media. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 July 2020 05:33:24 | dmccullo | Changes to media associations |
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Updated Key Image. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:17:56 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3548 / MACR 3548, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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