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786th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

  • 466TH BOMB GROUP, 786th Sq, Dougherty Crew # 612. While waiting for a delayed mission, crew members were taking it easy when a jeep rolled up and a photographer took this picture. The next day the photo was posted on the main bulletin board with a sign-

    466TH BOMB GROUP, 786th Sq, Dougherty Crew # 612. While waiting for a delayed mission, crew members were taking it easy when a jeep rolled up and a photographer took this picture. The next day the photo was posted on the main bulletin board with a sign- " Improper Crew Behavior while awaiting a delayed mission!" Crew members in the Photo: Standing L to Right: Everette M. Cranage (R/O), Charles Patton (RWG) Harry DeBoef (E) On the ground Front Left to Right; Richard Schroeder (LWG) Nick Kuklish (TG), Robert P Boumann (CP), Fred Utter (TT) On Ground Back Left to right: Ray "Buz" Edwards (B) , Jack Dougherty (P), Bill Horney, (N)

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  • A crashed Liberator of the 466th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on image: '466 BG 2nd Div 8th AF.' Image via Joh Bode. Caption added by 466th BG Historian: B-24H-15-FO #42-52566

    A crashed Liberator of the 466th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on image: '466 BG 2nd Div 8th AF.' Image via Joh Bode. Caption added by 466th BG Historian: B-24H-15-FO #42-52566 "Shack Date" Code: U8-P 466th BG - 786th BS. Shown at Attlebridge after being crash landed on 19 April 1944 by the Nick Furnace Crew (Crew #615). This was the regular aircraft of the Richard O. Foster Crew (Crew #606) but they weren't scheduled to fly this mission and the Furnace Crew had their a/c shot up the day before over the same target (Hamm).

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  • A B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-52511) nicknamed

    A B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-52511) nicknamed " The Queen of Hearts" of the 466th Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on image: 'The Queen of Hearts, 8th AAF England.' Printed caption on reverse: 'This a/c belonged to third ranking (Lt Taylor) in 786 therefore called the Queen of Hearts (Ace reserved for #1 crew, King for #2 crew). Per J Auman, Eng on Taylor's crew.'

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  • The insignia of the 786th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group.

    The insignia of the 786th Bomb Squadron, 466th Bomb Group.

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  • A Bomber crew of the 466th Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator. Handwritten on image: 'RG Gordon 279-55.' The crew went down over Belgium on 20 February 1945. The control cable on B-24H-20-FO #42-50336

    A Bomber crew of the 466th Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator. Handwritten on image: 'RG Gordon 279-55.' The crew went down over Belgium on 20 February 1945. The control cable on B-24H-20-FO #42-50336 "Pale Ale" had snapped. "Pale Ale" was one of the oldest a/c flying with the 466th BG at that time having served for 9 months exactly at the time of her loss Top Row Left to Right: 2nd Lt Henry Wynia, Bombardier 2nd Lt Jack D Campbell, Co-pilot 2nd Lt Robert G Gordon, Pilot 2nd Lt Ferdinand M Kjar, Navigator Bottom row, left to right Richard R Przybylski, Engineer Harvey H Stamper Jr, Upper Turret Gunner Harold H Hendrickson, Nose Gunner Aloysius W McCloskey, Gunner Sam Kessler, Radio Operator Barney B Fisher, Tail Gunner Gordon had left his seat to bail out, then noticed that Kjar and Hendrickson were still in the nose of the plane. He returned to the pilot's controls to try to gain control of the a/c for those two men to bail out. It was to no avail as the men were trapped by centrifugal forces. All three (Gordon, Kjar and Hendrickson were tragically KIA.

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  • B-24J-155-CO #44-40328

    B-24J-155-CO #44-40328 "This Above All" Code: U8-T 466th BG - 786th BS

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  • Erwin H. Sorensen Crew Crew #674 & #489 466th BG 786th and 784th BS Standing Left to Right: Erwin H. Sorensen (P), Joseph Goldman (CP), Ned Whitman (B), Donald J. Doll (N) Kneeling Left to Right: Norman Bastoky (G), Chester Havrick (R/O), Vohn D. Schmidt (G), Phillip J. Krystyniak (FE), Merrill Lee (G), Carl D. Peterson (G) Ned Whitman left the crew before they joined the 466th BG. This crew flew eight missions with the786th BS and then 12 missions as a lead crew with the 784th BS before hostilities ended.

    Erwin H. Sorensen Crew Crew #674 & #489 466th BG 786th and 784th BS Standing Left to Right: Erwin H. Sorensen (P), Joseph Goldman (CP), Ned Whitman (B), Donald J. Doll (N) Kneeling Left to Right: Norman Bastoky (G), Chester Havrick (R/O), Vohn D. Schmidt (G), Phillip J. Krystyniak (FE), Merrill Lee (G), Carl D. Peterson (G) Ned Whitman left the crew before they joined the 466th BG. This crew flew eight missions with the786th BS and then 12 missions as a lead crew with the 784th BS before hostilities ended.

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  • B-24H-20-CF #42-50336

    B-24H-20-CF #42-50336 "Pale Ale" Codes: T9-L & U8-L 466th BG 784th BS & 786th BS

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  • B-24H-15-FO #42-52570

    B-24H-15-FO #42-52570 "Sack Happy" 466th BG 786th BS Code: U8-A

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  • Earl

    Earl "Pete" Grimm

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Commanding officers

  • Edward Anastasio

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Squadron Commander - Command Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    786th Bomb Squadron Commander Retired from the USAF with the rank of Lt. Colonel

  • Herman Laubrich

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Commander - 785th Bomb Squadron & 784th Bomb Squadron | 466th Bomb Group
    Commander of the 785th Bomb Squadron and the 784th Bomb Squadron of the 466th Bomb Group

  • John Jacobowitz

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Squadron Commander | 466th Bomb Group

Structure

Part of
  • 466th Bomb Group

    466th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 466th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Attlebridge, Norfolk, during the last year of the war in Europe. The Group flew 232 missions in the course of the year and celebrated the 100th one by inviting local people onto the base to mark the...

Encompassing
Not yet known
Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Attlebridge

Connections

People

  • Curtis Adamy

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 466th Bomb Group

  • Kenneth Addison

    Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 466th Bomb Group

  • Ernest Akens

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner | 466th Bomb Group
    Shot down 11 May 1944 in B-24 #4128664 'Merchant Of Venice'. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Joseph Albertini

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Power Turret & Gunsight Mechanic | 466th Bomb Group

  • Richard Albrecht

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 466th Bomb Group

  • Glen Alexander

    Military | Captain | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    Lead Crew Squadron Operations Officer AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ DFC

  • Warren Allen

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 466th Bomb Group

  • Gerald Alport

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Waist Gunner | 466th Bomb Group

  • Edward Anastasio

    Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Squadron Commander - Command Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    786th Bomb Squadron Commander Retired from the USAF with the rank of Lt. Colonel

  • William Anciaux

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 466th Bomb Group
    William L Anciaux flew as a navigator with the 466th Bomb Group. He was interned after his B-24 (serial number 44-10521), nicknamed 'Laden Maid', crashed in Sweden on 2 April 1945. (466th BG flew B-24s, not B-17s).

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Aircraft

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Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Bombardment
Nicknames
Not yet known
Motto
Not yet known
Insignia
Not yet known
Aircraft used
  • B-24 Liberator

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
13 March 2015 16:51:57 rossingtonj Changes to type
Sources

Type added.
Date Contributor Update
02 January 2015 02:57:08 466thHistorian Changes to commanding officers associations
Sources

466th BG Historian
Date Contributor Update
02 January 2015 02:55:38 466thHistorian Changes to commanding officers associations
Sources

466th BG Historian
Date Contributor Update
02 January 2015 02:33:55 466thHistorian Changes to commanding officers associations
Sources

466th BG Historian
Date Contributor Update
27 November 2014 01:21:59 466thHistorian Changes to aircraft types
Sources

466th BG Historian
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:51 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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