Roger Blaser
Military | Technical Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Shot down 31 December 1943 in B-17 #4237731. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
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Edward Carrington Venable Boykin Jr
Military
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Captain Edward Carrington Venable Boykin, Jr, Londo, 25 December 1943 (Boykin family, via Bernard Ballenger, France)
New York-born Edward Boykin studied law at the University of Virginia from 1935 to 1940. He is listed as living in Orange, Essex County, New Jersey in the US 1940 Census, together with his parents and younger brother Samuel.
Edward entered the service in November 1941, and after his training as pilot, he was sent overseas and was assigned to the 351st Bomb Group / 508th Bomb Squadron. He became Assistant Operations Officer and on his eight mission, to the Bordeaux airfield on 31 December 1943, he was in the tail gunner position on board B-17 # 42-37731.
Boykin was usually the Co-Pilot of the John R. Blaylock crew but since this was the Division lead plane for the mission, Colonel William J. Hatcher Jr took his place and Boykin took the tail gunner slot.
Surviving crew members stated that they had seen Boykin, wounded, in the tail section of the plane and thought he would be able to jump. Ed Boykin's body was found by the Germans in the débris of the crashed aircraft. Killed In Action (KIA).
Service
People
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John Blaylock
Military | Major | Pilot | 351st Bomb Group
John Blaylock graduated from the University of Iowa in June, 1941 and shortly thereafter enlisted in the Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet. After training as a Pilot, he received his wings and was sent overseas. He arrived in England in April, 1943, where... -
Jack Danby
Military | Major | Navigator | 351st Bomb Group
Jack Danby served as a navigator with the 509th Bomb Squadron of the 351st Bomb Group, who flew bombing missions out of Polebrook, England. His first mission was on the 21 May 1943 striking submarine pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. ... -
Adam Fischer
Military | Technical Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Shot down 31 December 1943 in B-17 #4237731. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
William Hatcher
Military | Colonel | Co-Pilot; Pilot; Group Commanding Officer | 351st Bomb Group
William Hatcher Jr was born in Grand Rapids, was brought up in Detroit’s north end and attended Northern High School. After his enlistment in the Air Corps, he followed pilot training courses and rose rapidly through the ranks. ... -
Edward Kase
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 351st Bomb Group
Shot down 31 December 1943 in B-17 #42-37731, Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
William Maupin
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Shot down 31 December 1943 in B-17 #4237731. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Joseph Quiles
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 351st Bomb Group
Shot down 31 December 1943 in B-17 #4237731. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
John Smith
Military | Captain | Bombardier | 351st Bomb Group
Shot down 31 December 1943 in B-17 #4237731. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
James Taylor
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 351st Bomb Group
Shot down 31 December 1943 in B-17 #42-37731. Killed in Action (KIA).
Units served with
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351st Bomb Group
Group
The 351st Bomb Group flew strategic bombing missions from their base at Polebrook, Northamptonshire from April 1943 to June 1945. The Group's most famous member was Hollywood actor Clark Gable, who flew four/ five missions with them as an observer... -
508th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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510th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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42-37731
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 10/8/43; Dalhart 17/8/43; Assigned 510BS/351BG [TU-A] Polebrook 22/9/43; transferred 508BS [YB-A]. Missing in Action on its 12th mission, to Bordeaux on 31 December 1943 with Pilot Major John R. Blaylock; Navigator: James Taylor; Tail...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 171
31 December 1943
This mission is the last heavy bomber operation of 1943. 1943 had been a very "tough" year for the 8th Air Force in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). 23365 B-17s had been despatched on missions and 881 had Failed to Return (FTR) for a loss...
Associated Place
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Polebrook
Military site : airfield
Polebrook was laid down for RAF Bomber Command use in 1940-1941. Built by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd, it had short runways which were lengthened for USAAF heavy bomber use. The RAF used the base for operational trials - including of B-17 Flying...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | New York State, United States | 13 April 1917 |
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the son of Edward Carrington V. and Anne (Gunter) Boykin |
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| Lived in | Orange, Essex County, New Jersey, United States | 1940 |
| Lived in | Charlottesville, Virginia, United States | 1941 |
| Enlisted | Camp Stewart, Hinesville, Georgia, United States | 7 November 1941 |
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in the Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet |
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| Killed In Action (KIA) | near Médis, France | 31 December 1943 |
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Wounded in the aircraft, he didn't bail out and his body was found in the crashed plane. |
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| Buried | Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia, United States | |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 03 December 2015 14:05:28 | ED-BB | Changes to middlename, service number, role, biography, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 1984 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:08:16 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1984 |
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