Military site : airfield
42-31570 VP*W flying in formation, early 1944
General NAZZARO (USAF)
44-6115 30 November 1944 tail
44-6115 30 November 1944 accident left side
44-6115 30 November 1944 accident report
44-6115 30 November 1944 accident pilots statement
44-6115 30 November 1944 accident overview
B-17G-45-BO 42-97174 GD*H "Joanne" of 534th BS, 381st BG
381st Bomber Group Ridgewell England WW2 Front Row : L to R 1. Pilot Leonard E. Zapenski (Zapinski) -Chicago Il POW 2. 2nd Pilot 2nd Lt Othmer G Widash (Widosh) - Los Angeles Ca 3. Nav --Dave Fuller POW 4. Bomb. 2nd Lt Robert Van Buskirk (Vanbuskirk) - San Diego Calif. POW Standing L to R : 1. Eng. Sgt William E. Webb W. Palm Beach Fla 2. A. Eng Sgt Hamilton B. Harper Winston- Salem NC 3. Radio O. Sgt George J.Pastre Pasadena Ca POW 4. Sgt Peter Kudviavitz Jr. (Kudriavetz)Springfield Vt ENG 5 A. Arm Sgt James E. Wilson Hillsboro Oregon POW 6 (Not Shown) Cpl Donald A. Harness St Louis Mo POW http://deadfred.com/surnamePersR_05.php?ID=129992
Built during 1941-42 as an RAF bomber station, Ridgewell operated as a satellite to RAF Stradishall until May 1943. It had three concrete runways, initially 36 pan hardstandings, and two dispersed T2 hangars. Taken over by the Eighth Air Force in June 1943 as home to the 381st Bomb Group, equipped with B-17s, the hardstandings were increased to 50 pans and five loops. The 381st Bomb Group flew a total of 296 missions and lost 131 B-17s while based at Ridgewell, although at least two specially-named B-17s 'Rotherhithe’s Revenge' and 'Stage Door Canteen' each completed over 100 missions. After the 381st Bomb Group left in June 1945, the station was handed back to the RAF and used as a Maintenance Unit munitions store until 1957. Although most of the site has since been sold, demolished and returned to agriculture, MOD retained the hangars as an extra storage facility for the USAFE at Wethersfield and Alconbury until the early 1990s. A small, private collection of SWW memorabilia is currently displayed in and around the old Hospital building by the Ridgewell Airfield Commemorative Association. Essex Gliding Club is also now based at Ridgewell Airfield, which is all-grass and limited to glider & glider-tug flights only.
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Group
The 381st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Ridgewell, Essex between June 1943 and April 1945. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, the first for bombing shipyards at Bremen, whilst under heavy attack, on 8 October 1943 and...
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
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Headquarters
Battalion
Military | Captain | Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
KIS 23 April 1945 on excursion flight to Ireland. 31 men were picked to go on one-week vacation to Belfast, Ireland. Crashed into 2,000- foot peak on Isle of Man.
Military | Major | Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Pilot, Alexander crew. 381st BG, 532nd BS, 8th AF. Shot down 25 July 1943 in B-17 #42-30153 "Worry Wart". Mission #12 to the Focke-Wulf factory at Hamburg. MACR 131. Flak damaged, vibrating violently over the English Channel, turned 180 degrees back to...
Military | Corporal | 381st Bomb Group
Corporal, 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. KIS 23 June 1943 when bombs loaded into B-17 #42-30024 "Caroline" exploded. 23 members of the 533rd BS were killed. Buried in the Brookwood Cemetery. Reinterred at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery with 9...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Nason crew. 381st BG, 533d BS, 8th AF. Shot down by fighters on mission #59 to the aircraft factories at Oschersleben, Germany on 11 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-37719 'Hellcat/Dinah Mite'. Plane crashed in Zuider Zee. MACR 1881. Killed in Action...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Assigned to 534BS, 381BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin in B-17 42-97214 'Carolina Queen'; Collided with another aircraft 24-May-44. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 5181
Awards: PH.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Entered service December 1944. Shot down 14 February 1945. Returned to service at Ridgewell. Flew approximately 22 combat missions. Returned to US 4/25/45. Achieved rank of 1st Lt during WWII service. Served in AF Reserves, achieved rank of LtCol.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Assigned to 532BS, 381BG, 8AF USAAF. Reseigh crew. 30 x combat missions. 14-Oct-44 both pilots wounded by flak burst directly above cockpit in B-17 42-102703 'Pella Tulip'. RTD. ETD
Awards: AM, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Steele crew. 381st BG, 533rd BS, 8th AF. Shot down by FW 190s on return from mission #62 to the marshalling yards at Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-29761 'Martha II'. MACR 2244. He had glass in is eyes from the exploding nose...
Military | Sergeant | 381st Bomb Group
"Sgt. Robert H. Anderson, of Thaxton, Virginia, a member of the 7th Station Complement Squadron was accidentally shot in the left chest about 1630 hours and died in the Station hospital a few minutes later. The shot was fired by Sgt. Martin L. Miller,...
Military | Bombardier | 381st Bomb Group
Elvin Andrews served as a bombardier with the Bomb Squadron of the 381st Bomb Group, flying missions out of Ridgewell, England, between April and August 1944.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Ogden 7/8/42; force landed Billings, MT 27/4/42 with Henry Blomquist; Scott 15/10/42; Presque Is 19/2/43; Assigned 535BS/381BG [MS-Y] Ridgewell, Ex. 27/5/43 ANNIE FREEZE;
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 414BS/97BG 3/42 as LI'L SKUNKFACE; transferred 305BG Grafton Underwood 6/11/42; 381BG Ridgewell 11/6/43; 327BS/92BG Bovingdon [UX-V] 10/7/43 as target tug; 482BG Alconbury 27/8/43 for operations; with Gene Smith in landing accident at Deopham...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 342BS/97BG Polebrook 3/42 PEGGY D on co-pilot’s side; with Capt Bill Musselwhite on 1st 8AF mission 17/8/42; 92BG Bovingdon /9/42; transferred 534BS/381BG [GD-A1] Ridgewell 7/43 as hack & tow target; to 2SAD 21/8/43 and ret 24/8/43 used to...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 2/3/44; Kearney 14/4/44; Grenier 29/4/44; Assigned 533BS/381BG [VP-Q] Ridgewell 21/5/44; detailed Allach, Ger. 28/6/44 with Leon O’Dell,Tail gunner: Bill Bursaw (Killed in Action); Missing in Action 24+m Munich 31/7/44 with Jack...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 10/3/44; Gr Island 31/3/44; Dow Fd 21/4/44; Assigned 368BS/306BG [BO-A] Thurleigh 5/5/44; landing accident with Ned Erne 1/1/45; transferred 534BS/381BG Ridgewell 5/45; 100+m, Returned to the USA Bradley 10/6/44; 4168 Base Unit,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/3/44; Hunter 8/4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; Assigned 398BG Nuthampstead 30/4/44; transferred 367BS/306BG [GY-D] Thurleigh 18/5/44; 532BS/381BG Ridgewell 5/45; 100+m, Returned to the USA Bradley 10/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 16/3/44; Kearney 1/4/44; Dow Fd 8/4/44; Assigned 534BS/381BG [GD-A] Ridgewell 24/4/44; Missing in Action 12m Tours 24/6/44 with Vic Romasco, Navigator: Jim Chandler, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Elbert Giddens,Tail gunner:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 17/3/44; Gr Island 10/4/44; Dow Fd 29/4/44; Assigned 535BS/381BG [MS-M] Ridgewell 22/5/44; Missing in Action 91m Bremen 30/3/45 with Bob Bennett, Navigator: Paul Cawley, tog-Elbert Holt, Radio Operator: Bob Mumper, Ball turret gunner...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/3/44; Hunter 17/4/44; Grenier 30/4/44; Assigned 534BS/381BG [GD-L] Ridgewell 21/5/44; after {70+m} transferred 327BS/92BG [UX- ] Podington 10/5/45; then,Sal 9AF Germany 10/12/45. CAROL LEIGH.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 24/3/44; Kearney 15/4/44; Grenier 29/4/44; Assigned 533BS/381BG [VP-U] Ridgewell 21/5/44; Missing in Action 23m Peenemunde with Frank O'Black, Co-pilot: Bob Karch, Navigator: Francis Treanor, Bombardier: Herb Higginbotham, Flight...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 30 September 2019 12:15:08 | Emily | Changes to name |
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Removed 'England' from station name |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 22 October 2018 11:05:03 | Lucy May | Changes to person associations and aircraft associations |
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Restored connections to people and aircraft records. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 16 April 2018 04:03:04 | ARowe95 | Changes to name, latitude, longitude and person associations |
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ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 April 2017 10:26:27 | Lucy May | Changes to aircraft associations |
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Connected aircraft records that have 'Ridgewell' in their biography fields. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 August 2015 17:56:08 | llaforgia | Changes to aircraft associations |
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LaForgia family records. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:02:18 | AAM | AAM ingest |
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Barry Anderson, Army Air Forces Stations (Alabama, 1985) / Roger Freeman, Airfields of the Eighth Then And Now (London, 1978) Roger Freeman, Mighty Eighth War Manual (2nd edn, London, 2001) Michael Bowyer, Action Stations 1: Wartime Military Airfields of East Anglia 1939-1945 (Cambridge, 1979) |
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