Francis Warren Hoad | American Air Museum in Britain

"Crew of the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" 'Hell's Angel' pose beside their plane at a base in England, 16 June 1944. 401st Bomb Group." Rear L-R: 1Lt Francis W. Hoad, 1Lt Harvey G Tomlinson, 1Lt George F Bingham, 1Lt Eugene F Lott. Front L-R: Unk, T/Sgt Duane G Brandt, Unk, Unk, T/Sgt Johnny K Dunn, S/Sgt Carl W Johns. Unknowns - S/Sgt Emanuel Pinilis, S/Sgt Lawson Yeatts, S/Sgt Harold Magruger

Show caption About this image

Assigned to 612BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 56 x combat missions. Assisted pilot Lt Bingham in getting severely battle damaged B-17 42-39993 "Hells Angels" back to England after the Oscherleben mission, rest of crew baled out RTD

Shot down 10-Apr-44 in B-17 42-31511 'Fool's Luck III'. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3939

Awards: DFC, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Service

People

George Bingham

Military | Captain | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 612BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 33 x combat mission. ETD ...
Gaston Fox

Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 612BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 10 April 1944 in B-17 42-31511 'Fool's Luck III. ' Prisoner of War (POW). ...

Units served with

401st Bomb Group

Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
612th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

Aircraft

42-31511 'Fools Luck III'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 16/11/43; Kearney 3/12/43; Presque Is 9/12/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-D] Deenethorpe 1/1/44; Missing in Action Evere A/fd 10/4/44 with Gaston Fox, Co-pilot: Francis Hoad, Navigator: Darrel Wilson, Bombardier: Leon Mendelson, Ball...
42-39993 'Hells Angels Out Of Chute 13', 'Grossly Inadequate'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 26/10/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-C] Deenethorpe 1/1/44; 118m landing accident at base with Jim Nolan 7/5/45; sal 2 SAD Watton, Nfk 8/5/45. HELL’S ANGELS OUT OF CHUTE 13 aka GROSSLY INADEQUATE. ...

Associated Place

Deenethorpe

Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
Stalag Luft I

Other location
Dulag Luft 12

Other location

Events

Event	Location	Date
Born	Buffalo, Erie County, NY	15 March 1922
Son of Francis B and Marie Hoad.
Lived in	Buffalo, New York	1942
Enlisted	Buffalo, NY	22 July 1942
Buffalo, New York.
Based	Deenethorpe	November 1943 – 10 April 1944
Assigned to 612BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF.
Prisoner of War (POW)	Barth, Germany	10 April 1944 – May 1945
Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft 1 Barth-Vogelsang Prussia 54-12
Died	Enid, OK	10 November 2012
Buried	Enid Cemetery, Enid, OK	17 November 2012
Enid Cemetery Enid, Garfield County, OK

Date	Contributor	Update
23 February 2020 11:02:48	Al_Skiff	Changes to biography, events and place associations
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/image/29638088 https://www.fold3.com/record/83570292-francis-w-hoad https://www.fold3.com/record/527075771-francis-w-hoad https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100699842/francis-warren-hoad
Date	Contributor	Update
22 February 2020 03:56:39	jmoore43	Changes to events
Sources
Added a POW event per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Date	Contributor	Update
20 January 2020 00:04:28	jmoore43	Changes to awards
Sources
Added the awards mentioned in the "Summary biography" section.
Date	Contributor	Update
19 January 2020 23:55:24	jmoore43	Changes to biography
Sources
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Date	Contributor	Update
07 March 2019 22:38:01	Al_Skiff	Changes to events
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/image/29638088 https://www.fold3.com/record/83570292-francis-w-hoad https://www.fold3.com/record/527075771-francis-w-hoad https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100699842/francis-warren-hoad
Date	Contributor	Update
06 March 2019 10:27:55	Al_Skiff	Changes to middlename, nickname, service number, highest rank, biography, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/image/29638088 https://www.fold3.com/record/83570292-francis-w-hoad https://www.fold3.com/record/527075771-francis-w-hoad https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/100699842/francis-warren-hoad
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:09:51	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3939, http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=388