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Squadron
The insignia of the 701st Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group.
B-24H "Conquest Cavalier ", 701st Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, 8AF.
B-24J-60-CF, 44-10525, "The Bad Penny", 445th Bomb Group, 701st Bomb Squadron (MK-H+), later 700th Bomb Squadron (IS-A+). Crashed 22 May 1945 near Port-au-Croix, Newfoundland while returning to the USA.
445th o their way to a target
Flak
T/Sgt Robert G Kaster, Radio Operator, 701st Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group. Robert arrived at Tibenham on 11/30/43 on B-24 42-7515 "Green Gremlin". The crew's first mission occurred on 12/16/43 to the shipyards of Bremen, Germany. It was only the 445th Bomb Groups second combat mission, and T/Sgt Kaster's aircraft operated as the command ship leading the entire 445th Bomb Group. Major William Jones, acting as Command Pilot for the group, joined the Green Gremlin on the mission. On 01/30/1944 T/Sgt Kaster was transferred to B-24 42-7565 "Turd Bird" for his 7th mission, a raid on Luftwaffe plants in Brunswick, Germany. The aircraft experienced apparent engine issues the entire flight from leaving the coast of England until about 15 miles north of Osnabruk, where the aircraft left the formation and began the return trip to Tibenham. The last radio contact picked up by stations in England was received when the aircraft was 75 miles from the English Coast and 35 miles off occupied Holland. The aircraft was never heard from or seen again. His younger brother Richard H Kaster landed on Guadalcanal as a forward artillery observer attached to D Battery/ 2nd Battalion/ 11th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division, and was wounded three times fighting across the South Pacific.
Lt Tauer's Crew, 445th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, WWII Front Row (l-r): 1) Pilot , Lt. Otto S. Tauer, Washburn, ND ("Skipper") 2) DR Navigator, Lt Bob Conrad, Sunbury, PA ("Gimper") 3) Co-Pilot, Lt. Phil Goldfarb, New York, NY ("Toggle") 4) M Navigator, Lt. Bob Livingstone, Schenectady, NY ("Livy") 5) Bombardier, Lt. Abner Musser, Quarryville, PA ("Mate") 6) P Navigator, Lt. Harold L Clark, Saratoga Springs, NY ("Head") Back row (l-r) 7) Radio Operator, Sgt Maurice E Guerriero, Madison, NJ ("Pappa") 8) Top Turrent Gunner, Sgt Tony Hmura, Worcester, Mass ("Casanova") 9) Waist Gunner, Sgt Schultz ("Dutch") 10) Tail Gunner, Sgt Bill Trollinger, Washington, DC ("Bill") 11) Waist Gunner, Sgt Jack Wikoff, Tulsa, OK ("Jack") 12) Engineer, Sgt Bob H. Eisenberg, Rochester, NY ("Ike")
B-24H, IS-P+, Lucky Lucky (originally Plucky Lucky), From Dad's pictures, 445th BG. Originally thought to be 42-51245 (IS-P+) but later found to be 42-94820 (originally 453rd BG). Some questions remain about when it was in the 445th BG. Later RZI with 466th BG. (see lengthy discussion on Facebook 445th Bomb Group Memorial Association).
445th BG, 701st BS hut, Jay Heisel of California on left, Robert E Conrad Jr on right.
T/Sgt Robert G Kaster, Radio Operator, 701st Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group. Robert arrived at Tibenham on 11/30/43 on B-24 42-7515 "Green Gremlin". The crew's first mission occurred on 12/16/43 to the shipyards of Bremen, Germany. It was only the 445th Bomb Groups second combat mission, and T/Sgt Kaster's aircraft operated as the command ship leading the entire 445th Bomb Group. Major William Jones, acting as Command Pilot for the group, joined the Green Gremlin on the mission. On 01/30/1944 T/Sgt Kaster was transferred to B-24 42-7565 "Turd Bird" for his 7th mission, a raid on Luftwaffe plants in Brunswick, Germany. The aircraft experienced apparent engine issues the entire flight from leaving the coast of England until about 15 miles north of Osnabruk, where the aircraft left the formation and began the return trip to Tibenham. The last radio contact picked up by stations in England was received when the aircraft was 75 miles from the English Coast and 35 miles off occupied Holland. The aircraft was never heard from or seen again. His younger brother Richard H Kaster landed on Guadalcanal as a forward artillery observer attached to D Battery/ 2nd Battalion/ 11th Regiment of the 1st Marine Division, and was wounded three times fighting across the South Pacific.
Group
The 445th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Tibenham, Norfolk. The crews' first mission was bombing U-boat installations at Kiel on 13 December 1943. The Group continued to hit strategic targets in Germany, including the aircraft components factory...
| Station | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Based | Tibenham |
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 445th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 445th Bomb Group
Shot down in flames after fighter attacks and crashed near Einbeck, GR on a mission to Brunswick on 20 Feb 1944 in B-24H #42-7569 'Sky Wolf'. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Shot down 11 December 1944 in B-24 #42-50453, Killed in Action (KIA).
AM w/ 2 Oak Leaf Cluster, PH
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 445th Bomb Group
Military | Staff Sergeant | Armorer Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 445th Bomb Group
30 Missions completed
Purple Heart, Distinguished Flying Cross
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 445th Bomb Group
Shot down 12 April 1944 in B-24 #42109807. Killed in Action (KIA)
AM/ PH
Military | Sergeant | Nose Gunner | 445th Bomb Group
Warren Anderson was Nose Turret Gunner on board of B-24 42-51506 on the 27 February 1945 mission to the Halle Marshalling Yards, Germany. Crashed Betzenhausen, 1,5km NW of Freiburg-im-Breisgau, Germany. Prisoner of War (POW).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 445th Bomb Group
Shot down 11 December 1944 in B-24 #4250453. Killed in Action (KIA).
AM w/ 2 Oak Leaf Cluster/ PH
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 445th Bomb Group
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
Over target area (Halle, Germany), pilot Stanley Vitkavage feathered one engine (mechanical malfunction?). A/C gradually fell back and was last seen over the Koblenz area. Near Freiburg/Breisgau the plane was hit and the crew bailed out. Crashed...
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
None
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 10 April 2015 03:20:09 | EMBLEMHUNTER | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
my photo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 13 March 2015 16:44:15 | rossingtonj | Changes to type |
| Sources | ||
Type added. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:42:50 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Units in the UK from ETOUSA Station List, as transcribed by Lt. Col. Philip Grinton (US Army, Retired) and extracted by IWM; air division data from L.D. Underwood, based on the 8th Air Force Strength Report of 6th August 1944, as published in 'The 8th Air Force Yearbook' by Lt. Col. John H Woolnough (1980) |
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