Bertis W Holland
Military ROLL OF HONOUR(Back L-R)
1st Lt Lawrence G Dunnica (Pilot), 2nd Lt Orson E Pacey (CoPilot), 1st Lt Leonard E Thornton (Nav), 2nd Lt James H Montgomery (Bomb
(Front L-R)
T/Sgt Harry W Tucker (Eng), S/Sgt Philip T Cascio (Ball), T/Sgt Bertis W Holland (Radio), S/Sgt Robert L Dew (R Waist), S/Sgt Claude F Taylor (Tail).
SGT Bertis W. Holland was assigned as Radio Operator with 1LT Lawrence G. Dunnica's crew on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook" on 3-Sep-42 at Kellog Field, Battle Creek, Michigan. He arrived with the aircraft at Molesworth, UK on 24-Oct-42. He participated in 11 Operations - 4 Aborted. (See Biography events)
16-February 1943 - Killed in Action (KIA). Shot down in B-17F 41-24541 'Spook' while serving as Radio Operator. Aircraft was attacked by ME-109s when it descended to assist another aircraft. Went down in Channel off Brest Peninsula. The target was St. Nazaire. Killed in Action (KIA). 4 crew members survived to become Prisoner of War (POW)s
Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
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: Spook
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 16 February 1943
- Date: 14 February 1943
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 13 January 1943
- Date: 3 January 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Battle Creek, MI, USA | 3 September 1942 | Assigned as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS at Kellog Field, Battle Creek, Michigan. |
Other Arrived at Station |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 24 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK with B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on 24-Oct-42 |
Other Mission #1 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #2 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France (RTB OK). |
Other Mission #3 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lillie, France (RTB OK). |
Other Mission #4 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK). |
Other Mission #5 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France (RTB OK). |
Other Mission #6 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #7 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the torpedo storage areas at St. Nazaire, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission. (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #8 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the Fives Company Locomotive Works at Lille, France (RTB OK) |
Other Mission #9 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the port area at Lorient, France (RTB OK). |
Other Mission #10 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Hamm, Germany but weather forced the recall of the entire despatch from 303BG. |
Other Mission #11 SGT Bertis W. Holland w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS KIA |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the port area of St. Nazxaire, France. Aircraft was shot down by German fighters and he was Killed in Action (KIA) |
Born |
Illinois | ||
Other Commemorated |
Saint-James, France | Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany AMerican Cemetery. | |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
English Channel | 16 February 1943 | Killed when aircraft was shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed off of the Brest-Peninsula, France. His remains have never been recovered. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Correcting typo in Mission #11 description.
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #11event per 303BG website Mission Report of 16-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #10 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 23-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 3-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 30-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 20-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 12-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 23-Nov-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 22-Nov-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Operation participation to Summary Biography and Assigned to Aircraft and Arrived at Stion events per 303BG website Lawrence G. Dunnica crew page, Gary Moncur, HIstorian: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-358-dunnica.html
Lee Cunningham 19-Feb-2015 . Corrected SN added KIA event per MACR 15476; Added decorations and Commemorated event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Added crew position and minor edits to Biography based on "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 / MACR 15476 / MACR 15476, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 77, Might in Flight Daily Diary of Hell's Angels by Harry Gobrect pp. 137-8 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database