Eldon T Ruppe
Military
Crew: [In no particular order]
1st Lt Oran T O'Connor (Pilot), 2nd Lt Eldon T Ruppe (CoPilot), 2nd Lt Bruce W Gordon (Nav),
2nd Lt Earl J Dumont, Jr. (Bomb), Capt Richard E Van Holdt (Group Weather Officer), T/Sgt Bernard H Koenig (Eng), Sgt Bernard A Gergash (Radio), Sgt Sidney V Hall (Gunner), Sgt Jesse R Kinney (Gunner), Sgt Frank L Batterson (Tail).
Object Number - UPL 19176 - B-17F Hell Cat (aka No Monkey Business) 41-24580 (VK-C) 358th BS, 303rd BG, 8AF USAAF. Crew: [In no particular order] 1st Lt Oran T O'Connor...
On 23 January 1943 in B-17F 41-24580 'Hellcat Agnes' while serving as Co-Pilot the aircraft was downed by enemy fighters near Brest, France. 2Lt Ruppe parachuted to safety and managed to evade capture returning to England on 14-Mar-43. The record of his evasion is recorded on Escape & Evasion Report #22 which may be viewed at: http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-22.pdf. 2LT Ruppe participated in 4 Operations - 1 Aborted (See Biography events)
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
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hellcat Agnes : No Monkey Business
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 12 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 6 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 18 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Mission #1 2LT Eldon T. Ruppe w/B-17F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B017F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. (RTB OK). The aircraft was Group Lead with Command Pilot, COL James H. Wallace, Commanding Officer, 303BG. |
|
Other Mission #2 2LT Eldon T. Ruppe w/B-17F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot on B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on mission to bomb the carraige and wagon works at Lille, France. (RTB OK). Aircraft sustained mechanical failures and Pilot was forced to abort the mission. |
|
Other Mission #3 2LT Eldon T. Ruppe w/41-24580, 303BG/358BS |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yeards at Rouen, France. (RTB OK). |
|
Other Evaded Capture |
Brest, France | 23 January 1943 - 14 March 1943 | The aircraft was downed by fighters near Brest, France. 2Lt Eldon T. Ruppe was able to parachute to safety and managed to evade capture returning to England on 14-Mar-43. His evasion is documented on Escape & Evasion Report #22, which may be viewed at:http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-22.pdf |
|
Other Mission #4 2LT Eldon T. Ruppe w/B-17F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS POW |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24580 "Hell Cat", 303BG/358BS on mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. Aircraft was shot down by fighters but he baled out and managed to evade capture. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 23-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 12-Dec-42, Gar Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf
Lee Cunningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 18-Nov-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf
Lee Cunnningham 12-Aug-2015. Added Operations participation yo Description based on 303BG website Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html
Lee Cunningham 22-Jan-2015. Added Evasion event per http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-22.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Jan-2015. Added Evaded Capture event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) Esacape & Evasion Report #22; http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-22.pdf. Also reference 303rd Bomb Group website: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-358-oconnor.html for name, crew position, etc; Made connections to Place, AIrcraft and Mission within existing website data; Edited descritpion per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A Hey MBE.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit history, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs by Bishop and Hey Vol. 1 p. 65-66