8th Air Force
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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42-102444
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 3/3/44; Gr Island 30/3/44; Dow Fd 6/4/44; Assigned 339BS/96BG [QJ-S] Snetterton 7/4/44; Missing in Action Berlin 8/5/44 with Leo Green, Co-pilot: Simon Nesbitt, Navigator: Jim Hesketh, Bombardier: Dan Benia, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jack Pope, Radio Operator: Darwin Marl, Ball turret gunner: Everett Howe, Waist gunner: Claude Meadows, Waist gunner: Chas Moss,Tail gunner: Harry Shirey (10 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft, crashed Doverden, 10 miles W of Rethen, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 4573. SMILIN' THRU.
Service
Units
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96th Bomb Group
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ... -
339th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Daniel Benia
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Leo Green
Military | Flight Officer | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 Downed by enemy fighters. Crashed at Retban, South of Verdan, Germany #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
James Hesketh
Military | Flight Officer | Navigator | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Everett Howe
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Darwin Marl
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). Shot down over Germany near Verdan while on 8th mission after head-on attack by Me109 fighters. B-17 blew up as crew bailed out. All survived, but were later captured and... -
Claude Meadows
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Charles Moss
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Simon Nesbitt
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42-102444 "Smilin' Thru", Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Jack Pope
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 8 May 1944 in B-17 #42102444 'Smilin' Thru. ' Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Harry Shirley
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Places
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Snetterton Heath
Military site : airfield
Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 8 May 1944 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 22 July 2020 23:13:34 | SR Fudge | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
Crashes |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2020 06:53:16 | kstrykerAK | Changes to nicknames and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Snetterton Falcons II: The 96th Bomb Group in World War II by Robert E Doherty & Geoffrey Ward, Second Edition with Errata & Supplemental Information, Taylor Publishing, 1996. page 137, 293 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:09 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 4573 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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