Military
15-Jul-42 Assigned as Navigator on B-17F 42-2967 [PU-G] "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. 16-Oct-42 Arrived at Molesworth, UK aboard "Shak Hak"
16-Feb-42 Shot down in B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS The aircraft was attacked by fighters and crashed in the English Channel. Killed in Action (KIA).
1st Lieutenant Homer R. Allen was born on January 22, 1919, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jessie Floyd Allen. He was married to Dorothy Fay Allen. His hometown was Ventura, California, and he was a 1942 graduate of UCLA with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He also was a member of the campus Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC). He received his commission as an officer on July 4, 1942.
On February 16, 1943, he was bombardier on “Shack Hak,” B-17F 42-2967, of the 303rd Bomb Group, 360th Bomb Squadron. Their target was the German submarine base at St. Nazaire, France. One witness stated that the plane “went down in water off Brest, France.” Neither LT Allen nor any member of his crew was ever recovered.
Participated in 5 Operations (NO Aborts) See Biography events.
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24567 [PU:J] "Beats Me" was assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-J] Bangor 14-Oct-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42. Participated in 7 Operations - 2 Aborted (See Biography events)
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B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak" was Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-G] Bangor 18-Sep-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42.
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17 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are the Primary (P) target for a combined force of 49 B-17s despatched from 91BG (20), 303BG (16) and 306BG (13). Another element of 14 B-24s despatched from 93BG also joins the bombing force on St. Nazaire. The...
18 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at Lorient and La Pallice, France are the Primary (P) targets for this mission. However, those at St. Nazaire, France are attacked by 21 B-17s of 303BG when they are mistaken for those of Lorient. The force attacking Lorient is composed...
23 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are the Primary (P) for this mission. A combined force of 50 B-17s despatched from 91BG (10), 303BG (12), 305BG (20) and 306BG (8) to attack this target. 91BG is not able to put any of their group on the target,...
3 January 1943
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are once again the target for this mission. This is proving to be a particularly difficult target to destroy due to its massive, reinforced concrete design. It consists of 14 individual pens connected together in...
16 February 1943
The port area and U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are designated as the primary target of this mission of 71 B-17s and 18 B-24s. B-17s are from 91BG (18); 303BG (15); 305BG (18); 306BG (20) of these 59 are effective on the target and 6 are lost....
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Ventura, California | 22 January 1919 |
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1st Lieutenant Homer R. Allen was born on January 22, 1919, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Jessie Floyd Allen. He was married to Dorothy Fay Allen. His hometown was Ventura, California, and he was a 1942 graduate of UCLA with a Bachelor of Science Degree. He also was a member of the campus Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC). He received his commission as an officer on July 4, 1942. |
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| Assigned to Aircraft | Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 15 July 1942 |
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Assigned as Navigator on B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak" at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. |
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| Arrived in UK | Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 16 October 1942 |
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Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Navigator of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS. |
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| Mission #1, 2LT Homer R. Allen, w/B-17F 42-2967, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 |
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Served as Navigator of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #2, 2LT Homer R. Allen, w/B-17F 42-2967, 303BG/360BS | 18 November 1942 | |
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Served as Navigator of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #3, 2LT Homer R. Allen, w/B-17F 41-24567, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 |
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Served as Navigator of B-17F 41-24567 "Beats Me", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #4, 2LT Homer R. Allen, w/B-17F 42-2967, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 |
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Served as Navigator of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Killed in Action (KIA) | English Channel | 16 February 1943 |
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On February 16, 1943, he was bombardier on “Shack Hack,” B-17 tail #42-2967, of the 303rd Bomb Group, 360th Bomb Squadron. Their target was the German submarine base at St. Nazaire, France. One witness stated that the plane “went down in water off Brest, France.” Neither LT Allen nor any member of his crew was ever recovered. |
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| Mission #5, 2LT Homer R. Allen, w/B-17F 42-2967, 303BG/360BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 |
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Served as Navigator of B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was shot down by fighters and crashed into the sea, He was Killed in Action. (KIA) |
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| Commemorated | Saint-James, France | 1945 |
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Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany Amercian Cemetery. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 24 February 2016 22:54:34 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, events and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 24-Feb-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303Bg website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 16-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 February 2016 23:29:49 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Feb-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 February 2016 23:27:37 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Feb-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 February 2016 23:24:31 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Feb-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 February 2016 23:23:05 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Feb-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 17-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/001.pdf |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 February 2016 23:18:52 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Feb-2016. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Breed crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-breed.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 February 2016 23:13:38 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Feb-2016. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Breed crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-breed.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 February 2016 23:11:05 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 14-Feb-2016. Added initial assignment and arrival in UK info to Summary Biography; Made connections to Place, Aircraft (through 23-Jan-43) and Missions (through 23-Jan-43) per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, William H. Breed crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-breed.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 February 2015 02:14:37 | WW2 Researcher Bill Beigel | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
IDPF and/or crash report researched by Bill Beigel. IDPF donated to American Air Museum by Bill Beigel. For more information about this flyer, you may contact http://ww2research.com. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:13:08 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15116 / MACR 15116, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Heys pp. 77-78 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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