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Roland R Haygood

Military

  • The insignia of the 834th Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group.

    The insignia of the 834th Bomb Squadron, 486th Bomb Group.

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  • Lt. Willis P. Smith, Lead Pilot, 834th Bomb. Squadron. Part of his crew photo taken after a bombing mission on Hamburg (8th Air Force 918), on 30th March, 1945. A/C flown was the B17G # 44-8453.

    Lt. Willis P. Smith, Lead Pilot, 834th Bomb. Squadron. Part of his crew photo taken after a bombing mission on Hamburg (8th Air Force 918), on 30th March, 1945. A/C flown was the B17G # 44-8453.

    Show caption About this image
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See the official crew list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm

Service

People

  • Marvin Lutes

    Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer and Top T. & Waist Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
    "Sgt. Lutes Gets Oak Leaf Cluster" ...

  • Kenneth Oberly

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-pilot | 486th Bomb Group
    See the official crew list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm

  • Henry Sessler

    Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 486th Bomb Group
    See the official crew list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm

  • Raymond Smith

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-pilot | 486th Bomb Group
    2Lt. Raymond G. Smith began as a copilot with the Benedetto crew. See the official crew list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm

  • Willis Smith

    Military | First Lieutenant | Lead Pilot & Flight Officer | 486th Bomb Group
    Flight Officer Willis P. Smith began as a second pilot on Eckenroth's 834th B.Sq. crew, but in January of 1945, was given his own crew. He became lead pilot when Eckenroth was promoted, and became an Air Commander. ...

  • Walter Wannos

    Military | Bombardier | 486th Bomb Group
    Walter Wannos began as the bombardier with the Fusco crew. See the official crew list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm

  • Robert Whitney

    Military | Captain | Flight Commander | 486th Bomb Group
    "Capt. Whitney arrives at Station 174, RAF Sudbury, with his first group of replacements [crew] in mid-July of 1944; they travelled over to England in the B17G that they nicknamed the "Pogo Stick" (fate and s/n of aircraft is unknown). He flies his...

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Units served with

  • 486th Bomb Group

    486th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 486th Bomb Group flew both B-24s and B-17s, swapping from the former aircraft to the latter in late July 1944 after 49 missions. In total the Group flew 292 missions during the war and remarkably the 834th Bomb Squadron lost no aircraft or...

  • 834th Bomb Squadron

    834th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

  • 42-98001

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 27/4/44; Hunter 5/6/44; Grenier 19/6/44; 111 BU Langley 12/7/44; Grenier 16/7/44; Assigned (PFF) 834BS/486BG [2S-S] Sudbury 17/7/44; {59m} transferred 838BS/487BG Lavenham 10/4/45; Returned to the USA Bradley 7/7/45; 4168 Base Unit,...

  • 44-8002

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 11/5/44; Langley 24/6/44; Dow Fd 11/7/44; Assigned 401BG Deenethorpe 13/7/44; transferred 838BS/486BG [4N-A] Sudbury 14/7/44; flak damage 10/1/45 with Dean Eakin (Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Dan Casey (brought ship home safely in...

  • 44-8025

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 14/5/44; Langley 3/7/44; Dow Fd 24/7/44; Assigned 833BS/486BG [4N-B] Sudbury 26/7/44; [42m] Salvaged 9AF 10/5/45.

  • 44-8035 Flora Belle

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Tulsa 17/5/44; Dallas 13/6/44; Langley 5/7/44; Dow Fd 26/7/44; Assigned PFF 94BG Rougham 28/7/44; transferred 833BS/486BG [4N-F/P], then 835BS [H8-P] Sudbury 8/44; `24m`, force landed Germany 19/4/45; Salvaged 9AF Germany 23/5/46. FLORA BELLE.

  • 44-8074

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Denver 28/6/44; Dorval 5/7/44; slated RAF HB 807; transferred 94BG Rougham 8/44; transferred 833BS/486BG [2N-J] Sudbury 10/44; `24m` Salvaged 9AF Germany 23/5/46.

  • 44-8453

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Dallas 17/9/44; Hunter 16/10/44; Dow Fd 26/10/44; Assigned 833BS/486BG [4N-E] Sudbury 30/10/44; `31m` transferred 15AF 29/5/45; Salvaged 9AF Germany 30/3/48.

  • 44-8712 Lonesome Polecat

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 3/12/44; Hunter 15/12/44; Dow Fd 3/1/45; Assigned 833BS/486BG [4N-S] Sudbury 8/1/45 (last aircraft assgd to Grp); `13m` Missing in Action Grafenwohr 8/4/45 with Tom Hohmann, Bob Crain, Elwin Newell (3 Prisoner of War); Paul Loreen,...

Missions

  • 809

    28 January 1945

  • 859

    2 March 1945

  • 861

    3 March 1945

  • 863

    4 March 1945

  • 881

    11 March 1945
    Narrative - Official Air Force Mission Description ...

  • 883

    12 March 1945
    Heavies Hit Near Rhine, Along Baltic ...

  • 886

    14 March 1945
    "1,250 Heavies Strike Tanks, Gun Factories Near Hanover" ...

  • 889

    15 March 1945

  • 896

    19 March 1945

  • 8th Air Force 918

    30 March 1945

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Associated Place

  • Sudbury

    Military site : airfield
    Situated between the villages of Great Waldingfield and Acton, the airfield was used by the 486th Bomb Group from March 1944 to August 1945. Facilities for administrative offices for the Combat Wing were also made available here and along with barrack...

Events

Event Location Date
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
34403449
Highest rank
Sergeant
Role/job
Flight Engineer & Top T. Gunner
Awards
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
17 November 2021 16:20:45 hansvonmaltzahn Changes to media associations
Sources

See the official crew and mission list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm
Date Contributor Update
17 November 2021 16:03:44 hansvonmaltzahn Changes to mission associations
Sources

See the official crew and mission list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm
Date Contributor Update
12 November 2021 20:36:15 hansvonmaltzahn Changes to biography and person associations
Sources

See the official crew list of Pilot Lt. Willis P. Smith at the 486th Bomb. Group web page at: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm
Date Contributor Update
12 November 2021 19:48:49 hansvonmaltzahn Changes to highest rank and role
Sources

http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm
Date Contributor Update
12 November 2021 19:47:32 hansvonmaltzahn Changes to person associations, place associations, aircraft associations, mission associations and media associations
Sources

See the Crew and Mission list of Pilot Lt Willis P. Smith, at the 486th Bomb. Group's official web page: http://www.486th.org/Photos/Crew2/SmithWP.htm
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:24:25 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

486th roster / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

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