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William A Atkinson

Military

Service

People

  • Frank Ball

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
    Four missions in four days, Peenemunde, Augsburg, Leipzig and Cheinfurt didn't bother Lt. Frank Ball. RTD. Crashed at St Lo on 8/8/44 in B-17 43-37510

  • George Brand

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
    2nd Lt George C Brand flew 34 missions with the 401st Bomb Group, from 6 July 1944, mission to 30 October 1944. Brand was French, but enlisted in the US Army Air Forces,

  • Roger Gibson

    Military | First Lieutenant | 401st Bomb Group

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Units served with

  • 401st Bomb Group

    401st Bomb Group

    Group
    The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...

Aircraft

  • 42-102398 Dynamite John

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 29/2/44; Gr Island 22/3/44; Grenier 20/4/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-H] Deenethorpe 13/5/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 6/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 8/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in...

  • 42-102957 Fearless Fosdick

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 22/4/44; Kearney 3/5/44; Grenier 21/5/44; Assigned 358BS/303BG Molesworth 23/4/44; transferred 612BS/401BG [SC-F] Deenethorpe 1/6/44; detailed Merseberg 11/9/44 with Morris Mohler, rest unknown bailed our safely (9 Returned to Duty);...

  • 42-31485 Old Ironsides

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 11/10/43; Gr Island 21/11/43; La Guardia 29/11/43; New York 1/12/43; Presque Is 2/12/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-X] Deenethorpe 6/1/44; RAF Stornaway 5/4/44, ret grp 6/4/44; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 9/6/45; Syracuse 10/6...

  • 42-31891 The Shape

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 31/12/43; Kearney 12/1/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-P] Deenethorpe 15/2/44; Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 1/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 8/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...

  • 42-39993 'Hells Angels Out Of Chute 13', 'Grossly Inadequate'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Long Beach 26/10/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-C] Deenethorpe 1/1/44; 118m landing accident at base with Jim Nolan 7/5/45; sal 2 SAD Watton, Nfk 8/5/45. HELL’S ANGELS OUT OF CHUTE 13 aka GROSSLY INADEQUATE. ...

  • 42-97487 Hangover Haven

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 30/11/43; Kearney 16/12/43; Presque Isle 19/12/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-C] Deenethorpe 12/1/44; crash landed base 3/10/44, Salvaged 2 SAD. HANGOVER HAVEN.

  • 43-37628 Heavenly Body

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 5/5/44; Hunter 18/5/44; Dow Fd 30/5/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-O] Deenethorpe 10/6/44; 612BS [SC-A]; Returned to the USA Bradley 7/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 12/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for...

  • 43-37632

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 6/5/44; Hunter 21/5/44; Dow Fd 4/6/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-L] Deenethorpe 10/6/44; Missing in Action Munster 30/9/44 with Otto Nagel, Co-pilot: Martin Holland, Navigator: Bernie Hodowski, Bombardier: Walt Wilchik, Flight...

  • 43-37790 Lady Luck

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 21/5/44; Kearney 30/5/44; Grenier 17/6/44; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-J] Deenethorpe 10/7/44; battle damaged 28/3/45 with ?; crash landed Belgium, 9RTD; Salvaged. LADY LUCK.

Missions

  • 395

    6 June 1944
    D-Day. Start of Operation Overlord.

  • 403

    10 June 1944

  • 405

    11 June 1944
    Flew a sortie flight to the French Coast at 24,000 feet. 8th Combat Flight. No flak.

  • 412

    14 June 1944
    Mission #10. Bombed an airfield south of Brussels. Bob Martin flew in place of Hussong.

  • 421

    18 June 1944

  • 423

    19 June 1944
    Bombed an airfield. Nine hour mission. Shortly after retiring we were called again but mission was called off at briefing room.

  • 425

    20 June 1944
    Bombed an airfield. We were hit by flak; a piece hit Palmer's armor plate and another hit a gas tank. Probriefed in the evening for a big secret mission.

  • 428

    21 June 1944
    Ruhland, Germany - The target, south of Berlin, bombed by 114 fortresses with an escort of 70 Mustangs went off as planned but not before the Germans destroyed 43 B-17's and damaged 26. Landed in Russia.

  • 94

    24 June 1944

  • 8th Air Force 441

    25 June 1944

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Associated Place

  • Deenethorpe

    Military site : airfield
    Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...

Events

Event Location Date
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
Not yet known
Highest rank
Second Lieutenant
Role/job
Co-Pilot
Awards
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
21 November 2021 23:34:47 acbernstein1 Changes to role, person associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

http://401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=1584
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:27:34 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=3562

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