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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42-102586
B-17 Flying Fortress
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A B-17 Flying Fortress (OJ-Z, serial number 42-102586) nicknamed "Little Joe" of the 96th Bomb Group prepares for take off, guided by a flight control vehicle. Image via Mark Brown, AFA. Written on slide casing: 'OJ-Z, 2102586 Little Joe FC Van.'
Delivered Cheyenne 16/3/44; Hunter 14/4/44; Dow Fd 26/4/44; Assigned 339BS/96BG [QJ-Z] Snetterton 1/5/44; Salvaged 31/5/45. LITTLE JOE.
Little Joe was one of the few aircraft attached to the 96 Bomb Group to survive 100 missions. It flew from May 1944 to May 1945. It was sent on many sorties, most of them from Snetterton Heath airfield.
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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Allen McMurran
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner B-17 | 96th Bomb Group
Born Carthage Missouri Jan 2, 1916 Assigned Aug 1944 with Crew #4247 to 339th Bomb Squadron / 96th Bomb Group as ball turret gunner on B-17. Completed 35 missions and returned to the states in Jan 1945. Died Corona, California Feb 14, 2000
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... -
United Airlines Modification Center
Other location
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Delivered | Cheyenne, WY, USA | 16 March 1944 |
| Assigned | Snetterton, Norwich, Norfolk NR16, UK | 1 May 1944 |
| Salvaged | 31 May 1945 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 29 May 2020 08:44:07 | kstrykerAK | Changes to 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. pages 293, 301 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 July 2015 12:28:56 | jrugman | Changes to manufacturer, nicknames, description, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.boeing.com/history/products/b-17-flying-fortress.page |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:10 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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