Military
The B-17G, 44-6202, The Baby Shoe III, of the 833rd BS, the 486th BG, forms the backdrop for this aircraft's namesake : a single infant's shoe, held by 1st Lt Edward C. Unger (Left) - ) and a second, unidentified crew member. Probably taken upon completion of Unger's 28th mission. 13 Jan 1945
B-17G serial 44-8218 "Baby Shoes III/Downbeat" (coded 4N-V), a PFF ship assigned to the 833rd Bomb Sq, 486th BG. She flew nine missions with the Group between 30 December 1944 and 8 March 1945. Carrying a single infant's shoe for luck, 1st Lt Edward C Unger [Rear 3rd from Right], 833rd Bomb Sq, 486th BG completed his 28th mission on 13 January 1945 flying this aircraft as Group Lead (with Capt Roy Wilson, Jr) to bomb a rail bridge near Mainz, Germany. [NB caption states these are members of this B-17s "crew," but gentleman at rear far right is one of the 486th BG chaplains - possibly 1st Lt Robert L. Costner.]
Lt Edward C Unger's crew of the 486th Bombardment Group In England.10th December 1944. Rear L-R: Lt Dan Dennis, Lt Edward C Unger, Lt John Belay, Lt George Moller, Lt Reinhardt Zirbel. Front L-R: S/Sgt Walter Griffith, T/Sgt Jack Boyce, Lt Dick "Jake" Jacobsen, Sgt John McBride.
Lt Edward C Unger and Colonel Huglin's crew of the 486th Bombardment Group in England. 6-Nov-44 (100th mission for 486th Bomb Group). Rear L-R: Lt John Belay, Lt Dan Dennis, Lt Edward C Unger, Colonel Harold Q Huglin, Lt Reinhardt Zirbel. Front L-R: Lt Dick Jacobsen, S/Sgt Walter Griffith, T/Sgt Jack Boyce, Sgt John Mcbride, Lt George Moller.
Lt. Richard “Dick” Jacobson (L) and Capt. Edward Unger (R) both ex 486th Bomb Group, congratulate each other on being assigned to the 3rd Scouting Force. Unger was the pilot of the B-17 "Five Grand" (the 5,000th B-17 produced by Boeing) and Jacobson the co-pilot. They both finished their tours with the 486th at the same time and both volunteered for the Scouting Force. Due to the disparity in their heights, with Ed being 6' 4" and Dick 5' 6", they were known as "Mutt and Jeff" from the popular cartoon characters of the time and named their P-51s accordingly.
Edward Collins Unger USAF
Edward Unger was a pilot assigned to the 834th Bomb Squadron, the 486th Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force in the USAAF. He ferried the B-17G, 43-37716, 5 Grand, to Britain and the ETO.
He flew 30 missions with the 486th Bomb Group : 28 Jul 1944, to St. Lo; Aug 5 Hamburg; 7 Jussy; 8 St. Sylvian; 14 Mannheim; 16 Rositz; 25 Rechlin; 3 Sep Brest; 13 Darmstadt; 17 Holland; 26 Bremen; Oct 3 Nurnberg; 9 Mainz; 22 Munster; Nov 2 Merseberg; 4 Neunkirken; 6 Neumunster; 9 Saarbruechen; 27 Bingen; Dec 6 Merseburg; 10 Coblenz; 23 Hamburg; 24 Pforzheim; 26 Coblenz; 31 Hamburg; 1945 - Jan 1 Dahlbergen; 2 Troop Support; 13 Mainz; 18 Kaiserlautern; 21 Maneheim-Karlsrohe. 32 missions w/ 55th FG 1945: Feb 24 Bremen; 25 Munich; 26 Berlin; 27 Leipzig; Mar 1 Ulm; Nurnberg; Keisel; Brunswick; Nurnberg; Chemnitz; 14 Hannover; 15 Oranienberg; 17 Ruhland; 18 Berlin; 20 Hamburg; 21 Ruhland; 22 Leipzig; 26 Plaun; 31 Zeitz; Apr 4 Kiel; 5 Bamburg; 6 Leipzig; 7 Buchin; 9 Munich; 10 Zerbst; 11 Ingolstadt; 14 Bordeaux; 16 Bironde Estuary; 17 Dresden; 19 Munich; 20 Prague/ 21 Munich.
Transferred to the 3rd Scout Force flying the, P-51D, 44-14154, named, Mutt.
Awards: Legion of Merit w/an Oak Leaf Cluster - Air Medal w/8 Oak Leaf Clusters - DFC - Army Air Force and Army Commendation Medals
Post war: He remained in the USAAF serving in Korea and Vietnam and retired as a Colonel.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail gunner | 486th Bomb Group
Lt. Robert Bohyer was part of Lt. Edward C. Unger's crew who ferried the B-17G, 43-37716, 5 Grand, over to Britain and the European Theater of Operations.
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
Member of Unger crew
Military | Staff Sergeant | Flight engineer | 486th Bomb Group
Member of Unger crew
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
Military | Lieutenant | Co-Pilot / Fighter pilot | 3rd Scouting Force
Member of Unger crew
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
Member of Unger crew
Military | Lieutenant | Bombardier | 486th Bomb Group
Member of Unger crew
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 486th Bomb Group
Member of Unger crew.
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Lieutenant | Pathfinder Navigator | 486th Bomb Group
Member of Unger crew
Group
The 3rd Scouting Force was unique in that it operated P-51s and B-17s simultaneously, flying weather reconnaissance and escort missions for the 8th Air Force's Bomb Groups.
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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...
Group
The 55th Fighter Group were the first P-38 Lightning Group to go fully operational from England. The pilots flew long-range escort missions for bombers flying over occupied Europe and racked up 'kills' of their own by destroying enemy aircraft in...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
The B-17G, named, 5 Grand, was constructed at the Boeing Plant 5 in Seattle, WA, in 1944. It was named, 5 Grand, because it was the 5,000th B-17 to come off the Boeing production line in Seattle, since Pearl Harbor. It was the only B-17 that was ever ...
P-51 Mustang
Assigned to 38FS, 55FG, 8AF USAAF. Transferred to 3SF, 8AF USAAF.
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...
Military site : airfield
Wormingford was a Royal Flying Corps/RAF anti-Zeppelin aircraft Landing Ground First World War, rebuilt for the Eighth Air Force 1942-43. It was a Ninth Air Force base from 1943-44, and home to the 362nd Fighter Group. Switching back to the Eighth Air...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Spokane, Washington | 12 May 1920 |
| Based | Sudbury | July 1944 – 21 April 1945 |
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Assigned to 834BS, 486BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Based | Wormingford | 22 April 1945 – May 1945 |
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Transferred to 3rd Scout Force, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | Carmichael, CA, USA | 4 April 1992 |
| Buried | Golden Gate National Cemetery San Bruno San Mateo County, CA | 7 April 1992 |
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Golden Gate National Cemetery San Bruno |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 26 March 2022 13:40:40 | Kickapoo | Changes to nickname, role and biography |
| Sources | ||
Removed punctuation marks from aircraft names, for clarity, uniformity, and readability. - Kickapoo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 08 February 2021 20:02:22 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/74117105/edward-collins-unger |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 March 2020 02:36:19 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "#" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 January 2018 21:08:32 | Al_Skiff | Changes to person associations |
| Sources | ||
Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 January 2018 18:46:29 | Al_Skiff | Changes to nickname, service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:08:18 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / widow, Dorothy L. Unger, and son, Edward C. Unger, Jr. |
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