William F Kahlden
Military9-Feb-42 Assigned as Bombardier on B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS at Molesworth, UK. 303BG records do not indicate that he was in the original complement of aircraft and crews of the 303BG at Molesworth, UK in October 1942. It seems likely that he was part of a replacement crew and was processed through one of the Combat Crew Replacment Centers prior to his assigment with the 303BG.
6-Mar-43 Shot down in B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS while serving as Bombardier. The aircraft crashed into Bay of Biscay after a FW-190 attack that knocked out engines 1 & 2, crashing off of Penmarch Point, France. Copilot and LWG killed instantly. Kahlden and the other 7 survived in leaky rafts for 12 hours before a German boat hauled them aboard to become Prisoner of War (POW)s
Participated in 3 Operations (NO Aborts) See Biography events.
POW
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
Missions
- Date: 6 March 1943
- Date: 27 February 1943
- Date: 26 February 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 9 February 1943 | Assigned as Bombardier on B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS at Molesworth, UK. |
|
Other Mission #1, 2LT William F. Kahlden, Jr., w/B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Served as Bombardier on B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the naval facilities and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #2, 2LT William F. Kahlden, Jr., w/B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS |
Brest, France | 27 February 1943 | Served as Bombardier on B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Brest, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Prisoner of War - Camp 1 |
Zagan, Poland | 6 March 1943 - 15 January 1945 | Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland). 15-Jan-45 moved to Stalag 13D Nuremberg-Langwasser. |
|
Other Mission #3, 2LT William F. Kahlden, Jr., w/B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS - POW |
Lorient, France | 6 March 1943 | Served as Bombardier of B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. Aircraft was shot down by fighters but the pilot managed to ditch the aircraft into the Bay of Biscay. He and 7 other airmen were able to get in rafts and were eventually captured by the Germans. Two other crew were KIA in the attack. |
|
Other Prisoner of War - Camp 2 |
90471 Langwasser, Germany | 16 February 1945 - 16 April 1945 | Held at Stalag 13D, Nuremberg-Langwasser. Liberated by 3rd Army 16-Apr-45. |
|
Other Last Report Date - Discharged |
25 May 1945 | Evacuated to the US after liberated from Stalag 13D and discharged from the USAAF. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Correcting year date on POW Camp 1 event
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Added Last Report date event per NARA WWII POW database records.
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Added POW-Camp 2 event per history of Stalag III: http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag3.htm
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Added POW-Camp 1 event based on Stalag Luft 3 history per http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag3.htm
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/020.pdf
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 27-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/018.pdf
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 26-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf
Lee Cunningham 27-Feb-2016. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, 303BG Personnel Roster: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 29-Feb-2016. Made connections to Place, Aircraft and Missions; Added initial assignment info and Participations statement to Summary Biography per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, 303BG Personnel Roster; http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunnungham 3-Jul-2015. Added Decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Added unit and crew position to Description per MACR 15536.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15536 / MACR 15536, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. 1, pp. 88-89 by Bishop & Hey . 303rd web site mission report. / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database