41st Combat Bomb Wing
Wing
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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 Bomb Group, popularly known as 'Hell’s Angels' which moved in with its B-17s in September 1942 and remained at the base until June 1945. Molesworth reverted to RAF control in 1945 and was closed in 1946. It was re-opened in 1951 for use by the US Air Force, and it remains a US base today: home to the Joint Intelligence Operations Center Europe Analytic Center. It was announced in January 2015 by the US Department of Defense that RAF Molesworth will close as a USAFE base in 2022. The USAF intelligence and support elements currently located at RAF Molesworth and RAF Alconbury will be combined in a new complex at RAF Croughton, Northamptonshire. RAF Mildenhall, Suffolk, will also close as a USAFE base after 2020.
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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...
Group
Squadron
Browse 18th Weather Squadron photographs and other documents in the 2nd Air Division Memorial Library digital archive here: www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive/Dashboard/Index/60
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
The 15th Bomb Squadron was the first US bomb unit sent to UK. Flying personnel arrived at Newport without aircraft on 13 May 1942.
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Military | Captain | Pilot/Co-Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Donald C Aageson served as a pilot with the 303rd Bomb Group. He flew 29 missions.
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down by flak on a mission to Dyon, FR on 6 Feb 1944 in B-17G 42-97498 'Padded Cell'. Crew baled out and a/c crashed near Bricey. Prisoner of War (POW).
Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 427BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR Gilze-Rijen in B-17 42-5392 'Stric Nine' 19-Aug-43; shot down, ditched North Sea, off Hoek van Holland. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 285
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio operator | 303rd Bomb Group
Assigned to 427BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. 34 x combat missions. Ended Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
11 missions from July to August 1943. Severely wounded and unable to return to active duty as gunner. 1. 10 July 1943-Poix, France2. 14 July, 1943-Villacoublay, France3. 24 July 1943-Heroya, Norway4. 25 July 1943-Hamburg, Germany5. 26 July 1943-Hamburg...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #42-39764 'Santa Anna'. Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Captain | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
26-Jul-42 Assigned as Pilot of B-17F 41-24563 [PU-H] "Garbage", 303BG/360BS with crew at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant. 16-Oct-42 Arrived at Molesworth, UK, aboard "Garbage".
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Military | Technical Sergeant | Gunner | 303rd Bomb Group
Orginally assigned with the 92BG at Bovingdon, UK as an Aerial Gunner with the rank of Sergeant. He flew his first mission (and the only one with the 92BG) on 21-Oct-42.
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 303rd Bomb Group
Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #42-39764 'Santa Anna', Prisoner of War (POW).
POW
Military | Technical Sergeant | Automotive mechanic | 303rd Bomb Group
George N Ali served as an automotive mechanic with the 1681st Ordnance Company at Molesworth, which bombed up the B-17s of the 303rd Bomb Group.
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B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 326BS/92BG Bangor 16/7/42; 95BG Horham /43; 359BS/303BG [BN-V] Molesworth, 17/6/43; Returned to the USA Sheppard 5/7/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 26/10/45. BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS.
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F #41-24517 [GN-O] 'Kali' 303BG/427BS assigned with crew on 1-May-42 at Alamogordo Field, Almogordo, New Mexico. Sent with crew to Dow Field, Bangor, Maine for deployment 5-Oct-42. Arrived at Molesworth, UK 24-Oct-42
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B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24526 "Leapin Liz". Assigned 358BS/303BG [VK-J] Bangor 19-Sep-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42; Missing in Action St Nazaire 3-Jan-43, shot down by enemy aircraft, crashed off St Brevin, Bay of Biscay, France. 10KIA Missing Air Crew Report (MACR)...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 358BS/303BG [VK-K] Kellogg Fd 15/9/42; Molesworth 16/10/42; CCRC Bovingdon 27/7/43; 384BG Grafton Underwood 22/9/43; Salvaged NBD 31/5/45. JERSEY BOUNCE.
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24541 "Spook" was assigned 358BS/303BG [VK-G] Kellogg Fd 14-Sep-42; Molesworth 16-Sep-42;The aircraft participated in 12 Operations - 4 Aborted (See Biography events)
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B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F-25-BO 41-24558 [VK:F] "Hunga Dunga" was assigned to the 358BS/303BG [VK-F] at Bangor. Maine on 14-Oct-42; arrived at Molesworth, UK on 16-Oct-42; Missing in Action Vegasack 18-Mar-43 when it was attacked by enemy aircraft near Helgoland. Germany...
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24559 'Ooold Soljer' was assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-C] Bangor 14-Oct-42; Molesworth 16-Oct-42.
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B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-T] Bangor 10/9/42; Molesworth 16/10/42; 59m transferred 1 Base Air Depot (sic),* Burtonwood 7/7/44; Returned to the USA Altus 18/8/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Altus 14/8/45. Over...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 358BS/303BG [VK-A] Bangor 14/10/42; Molesworth 16/10/42; 60m Missing in Action Oschersleben 11/1/44 with Aubrey Emerson, Co-pilot: McDonald Riddick, Navigator: Lew Halliburton, Bombardier: Don Delaura, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Grover...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 360BS/303BG [PU-H] Bangor 14/10/42; Molesworth 16/10/42; on training flight with Arthur Adams, Co-pilot: Gene Witterstetter, Navigator: Glen Herrington, Bombardier: Mike Libonatti, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Lew Hart, Radio Operator:...
Date | Contributor | Update |
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08 November 2016 12:13:42 | Lucy May | Changes to aircraft associations |
Sources | ||
Connected aircraft records that have 'Molesworth' in their biography fields. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
09 January 2015 11:36:33 | IWMPM | Changes to description |
Sources | ||
USAFE-AFAfrica Press Release, 08 January 2015. See http://www.mildenhall.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123435803. |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:02:17 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Roger Freeman, Airfields of the Eighth Then And Now (London, 1978) |