Military
1st Lt. Lundsberg - 1944
The yoke of 42-97307 "Flak Shak" My grandfather pulled this off of the B-17 after landing in Brussels. He etched her serial number into the back of the yoke.
Force landed B-17 "Flak Shak" SN 42-97307 near Brussels, Belgium Sept. 12 1944 on 23rd mission.
Prisoner of War (POW) Bailed out over Wesermunde, Germany on Sept. 26, 1944 in B-17 "Reluctant Lady" SN 42-107035 on 24th mission.
'My father was a B-17 pilot at 19 years of age, one of only five chosen early on at that age. He flew out of Great Ashfield in 1944. He was able to land his crippled aircraft on one engine in or very near Belgium in September of 1944. This was his 23rd mission and he had flown Flak Shack's first and last flights. It was the aircraft he had named an considered his own, although these guys flew a number of aircraft.
On his 24th mission he was again down to one engine in the Reluctant Lady, but the prop went to a flat pitch and when he realized he could not make it Sweden, he elected to have his crew make a controlled bail put. All were captured and survived the war as guests of the Germans.'
Remembered by Wes Lundsberg, Sycamore, IL.
Group
The 385th Bomb Group, who took the nickname "Van's Valiants" after their first Commanding Officer Col. Elliot Vandevanter, flew B-17s from Great Ashfield, Suffolk. The Group led the famous attack on the Focke-Wolfe aircraft factory at Marienburg on 9...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 3/2/44; Dow Fd 24/4/44; Assigned 398BG Nuthampstead 30/4/44; transferred 548BS/385BG [GX-L] Gt Ashfield 6/5/44; Missing in Action Bremen 26/9/44 with Chas Lundsberg, Co-pilot: J. M. Elzey, Navigator: Bob Smallman, Bombardier: John Wise,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 17/2/44; Rapid City 5/3/44; Dow Fd 28/4/44; Assigned 398BG Nuthampstead 3/5/44; no ops, transferred 548BS/385BG [GX- ] Gt Ashfield 4/5/44; battle damaged Bohlen 12/9/44 with Pilot: Charles Lundsberg, Co-pilot: J.M. Ellzey, Navigator:...
Military site : airfield
The airfield was built in 1942 by John Laing & Son Ltd. 108,000 tons of concrete was used in its construction, creating a Class 'A' airfield suitable for heavy bombers. The 385th Bomb Group took up residence in the summer of 1943, and remained at the...
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | ||
| Prisoner of War (POW) | Barth, Germany | 26 September 1944 – 1945 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 05 December 2014 17:30:33 | clunds | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Updated Stalag Luft I location from knowledge |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2014 17:25:38 | clunds | Changes to biography and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Personal records - military records. Corrected spelling errors and consistency. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2014 17:10:12 | clunds | Changes to nickname and highest rank |
| Sources | ||
My Grandfather - personal records. Was 1st Lt throughout the war, but as of service end he was a Captain. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 November 2014 12:53:02 | Emily | Changes to biography and memoriam |
| Sources | ||
Wes Lundsberg (Son), via American Air Museum Memory Book Correspondence. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:06:04 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 10204 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
||
