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850th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

  • Technical Sergeant Paul Broome of the 490th Bomb Group Handwritten caption on reverse: ''In flight B-17 over England Early 1945

    Technical Sergeant Paul Broome of the 490th Bomb Group Handwritten caption on reverse: ''In flight B-17 over England Early 1945

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  • St Mary, Brome, Eye, Suffolk

    St Mary, Brome, Eye, Suffolk

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  • Charles Kline Crew 801st BG - 850th BS Standing Left to Right: Gerald H. Ransom (G), Jesse H. Snider (B), Richard J. Brace (N), Clyde H. Schultz (CP), Charles R. Kline (P), Floyd A Lauletta (G) Kneeling Left to Right: Dana R. Wemette (G), Arthur G. Abate (G), George W. Odom (G), Warren L. Rock (G) This crew (minus Odom and Ransom) were shot down on the night of July 4/5 1944. All aboard were KIA

    Charles Kline Crew 801st BG - 850th BS Standing Left to Right: Gerald H. Ransom (G), Jesse H. Snider (B), Richard J. Brace (N), Clyde H. Schultz (CP), Charles R. Kline (P), Floyd A Lauletta (G) Kneeling Left to Right: Dana R. Wemette (G), Arthur G. Abate (G), George W. Odom (G), Warren L. Rock (G) This crew (minus Odom and Ransom) were shot down on the night of July 4/5 1944. All aboard were KIA

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  • 2LT Clyde H. Schultz Co-Pilot Charles R. Kline Clew 801st BG - 850th BS KIA 5 July 1944 on a carpetbagger mission to drop supplies to French Resistance

    2LT Clyde H. Schultz Co-Pilot Charles R. Kline Clew 801st BG - 850th BS KIA 5 July 1944 on a carpetbagger mission to drop supplies to French Resistance

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  • Cpl. John W. Tucker Jr.

    Cpl. John W. Tucker Jr.

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  • Nose art of #43-38100

    Nose art of #43-38100 "Elegant El" of the 490th BG, 850th BS.

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  • The B-24H Liberator - 42-94812 - LITTLE WARRIOR, shown with Pilot John Jay Oling - standing third from right - at Mountain Home, Idaho, before flying 42-94812 to the UK. Lt. John Jay Oling from the 490th Bomb Group, the 850th Bomb Squadron confirms that he flew this plane to England. This photo was made before Lt. Oling and the crew decided on and painted the name they wanted on 42-94812. At no time was 42-94812 ever called, LITTLE LAKASSAKY. The crew did want to put on a somewhat risqué name, but their concept was squashed as being too bold. The crew then came up with the LITTLE WARRIOR design which was quickly approved. The crew hired a sergeant to paint the design on the nose. It turned out so poorly that Lt. Oling removed it and repainted the nose art himself. It remained unchanged until the day that Lt. Hansen's crew went down with the plane. The Crew are Back Row L-R Ralph D. Sanderson - Gunner, John V. Hook - Navigator, Fred I. Griffith - Copilot, John Jay Oling - Pilot, Richard H. Tausch - Bombardier, John J. Hettrich - R.O. Front Row, L-R: Stanley Novak - Engineer, Carl W. Johnson - Gunner, Harold A. Hutt - Gunner, Jose Molinar - Gunner

    The B-24H Liberator - 42-94812 - LITTLE WARRIOR, shown with Pilot John Jay Oling - standing third from right - at Mountain Home, Idaho, before flying 42-94812 to the UK. Lt. John Jay Oling from the 490th Bomb Group, the 850th Bomb Squadron confirms that he flew this plane to England. This photo was made before Lt. Oling and the crew decided on and painted the name they wanted on 42-94812. At no time was 42-94812 ever called, LITTLE LAKASSAKY. The crew did want to put on a somewhat risqué name, but their concept was squashed as being too bold. The crew then came up with the LITTLE WARRIOR design which was quickly approved. The crew hired a sergeant to paint the design on the nose. It turned out so poorly that Lt. Oling removed it and repainted the nose art himself. It remained unchanged until the day that Lt. Hansen's crew went down with the plane. The Crew are Back Row L-R Ralph D. Sanderson - Gunner, John V. Hook - Navigator, Fred I. Griffith - Copilot, John Jay Oling - Pilot, Richard H. Tausch - Bombardier, John J. Hettrich - R.O. Front Row, L-R: Stanley Novak - Engineer, Carl W. Johnson - Gunner, Harold A. Hutt - Gunner, Jose Molinar - Gunner

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Structure

Part of
  • VIII Air Force Composite Command

    VIII Air Force Composite Command

    Command

  • 490th Bomb Group

    490th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 490th Bomb Group, like the 486th and 487th Bomb Groups transitioned from flying B-24 Liberators to B-17 Flying Fortresses, which were used in combat missions from late August 1944. Based at Eye, Suffolk, the Group were focused in the early months...

  • 801st Bomb Group

    801st Bomb Group

    Group
    The 801st Bomb Group was established as part of the Eighth Air Force in late March 1944 to carry out 'Carpetbagger' missions. These were night missions over France and other parts of occupied Europes to support resistance forces by dropping in agents,...

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

Stations

Station Location Date
Based Cheddington

Connections

People

  • Arthur Abale

    Military | 490th Bomb Group

  • Arthur Abate

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA). Member of Kline crew in B-24H Carpetbagger, #42-50386, which was shot down by ME 110 south of Paris at 0200hrs. T/O from Harrington, site of crash Les Trois Mares, Oise. MACR 6991.

  • Douglas Abbey

    Military | Clerk, General | 490th Bomb Group

  • Carl Adams

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Pilot | 490th Bomb Group
    Carl R Adams was killed on a training mission. His aircraft crashed near Eaton Socon in England. All 3 crewmen were killed.

  • Robert Adams

    Military | Munitions Worker | 490th Bomb Group

  • Larry Adlon

    Military | Private First Class | Basic Soldier, Duty Soldier III | 490th Bomb Group

  • Frank Alexander

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
    Prisoner of War (POW) crashed on 9 Apr 45 in B-17 'Lucky Strike' 44-6303

  • Robert Aley

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 490th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 850BS, 490BG, 8AF USAAF. Davis crew. Local flights 18-Aug-44 in 43-38072; port U/C collapsed on third landing, RTD Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.

  • Ralph Amen

    Military | Airplane Armorer | 490th Bomb Group

  • Charles Andrews

    Military | Cook | 490th Bomb Group

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Aircraft

  • 42-50386

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-51124

    B-24 Liberator
    Shot down at Pressoir, France on 19 June 1944. All eight crewmen were Killed in Action (KIA).

  • 42-51187

    B-24 Liberator
    Crashed in a mid-air collision with Halifax V LL364 on 18 July 1944 near Marigny-l'Eglise. Both crews were killed in action.

  • 42-94812 LITTLE WARRIOR

    B-24 Liberator
    The B-24H, 42-94812, named, LITTLE WARRIOR, was assigned to the 850th Bomb Squadron, the 490th Bomb Group, and the 8th Air Force USAAF. It was transferred to the 862nd Bomb Squadron, the 493rd Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force USAAF in Britain. It...

  • 42-95170

    B-24 Liberator

  • 42-95317

    B-24 Liberator

  • 43-38002 Our Baby

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 14/6/44; Kearney 25/6/44; Dow Fd 9/7/44; Assigned 838BS/487BG Lavenham 11/7/44; Missing in Action Derben, Ger 14/1/45 with Jim Moser, Conrad Summerlin, Paul Kenney, Mayo Larkin, Coy Flanery, Orlando Leo, Bob Ketcham, Kenneth Weisman,...

  • 43-38009

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 3/7/44; Kearney 12/7/44; Dow Fd 20/7/44; Assigned 850BS/490BG Eye 21/7/44; Missing in Action Stuttgart 13/9/44 with Albt Davis, Bombardier: Dick Wessel (2 Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Fred Ostler, Navigator: Jenner De Santis, Flight...

  • 43-38068

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 21/6/44; Kearney 5/7/44; Grenier 19/7/44; Assigned 850BS/490BG Eye 22/7/44; Missing in Action Frankfurt 9/3/45 with Carl Faust, Oliver Hirist, Harry Perdue, Leroy Pierstos, Bob Greene, Paul Winkle, Lloyd Wells (7 Prisoner of War);...

  • 43-38072

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 22/6/44; Hunter 13/7/44; Grenier 24/7/44; Assigned 848BS/490BG Eye 27/7/44; 850BS; on local flights 18/8/44 with Albert Davis, Co-pilot: Fred Ostler, Navigator: Jenner DeSantis, Bombardier: Rich Wessel, Flight engineer/top turret...

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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

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
19 March 2015 10:50:58 rossingtonj Changes to type
Sources

Type added
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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