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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42-102612
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 18/3/44; Hunter 11/4/44; Grenier 18/5/44; Assigned 339BS/96BG [QJ-U] Snetterton 21/5/44; Missing in Action Magdeburg 20/6/44 with Dick DeBrandes, Co-pilot: Glen Harrison, Navigator: Bill Northington, Bombardier: Joe Armstrong, Radio Operator: Ken GarwoodWounded in Action, Ball turret gunner: Gene Stauffer, Waist gunner: Glen Smith, Waist gunner: Bill Blow, Tail gunner: Tom Rogers (8 Prisoner of War); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Alex Lambrecht (Killed in Action); enemy aircraft damaged then it exploded, crashed nt Erxlebnen, 18 miles NW of Magdeburg, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 5897.
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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Joseph Armstrong
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Magdeburg on 6/20/44 in B-17 #42102612 Prisoner of War (POW) POW -
William Blow
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 23 May 1944 in B-17 #4231657 'Wildfire II. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base. Also shot down on 6/20/44 in B-17 #42102612 Prisoner of War (POW) POW -
Richard Brandes
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
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Kenneth Garwood
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 23 May 1944 in B-17 #4231657 'Wildfire II. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base. Also shot down on 6/20/44 in B-17 #42102612 near Magdeburg Prisoner of War (POW) POW -
Glen Harrison
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
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Alexander Lambrecht
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator, Top Turret Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down 23 May 1944 in B-17 #4231657 'Wildfire II. ' Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base. -
William Northington
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Magdeburg on 6/20/44 in B-17 #42-102612, Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Thomas Rogers
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters near Magdeburg on 6/20/44 in B-17 #42102612 Prisoner of War (POW) POW -
Glen Smith
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 96th Bomb Group
Missions
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425
20 June 1944
Bombed an airfield. We were hit by flak; a piece hit Palmer's armor plate and another hit a gas tank. Probriefed in the evening for a big secret mission.
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 |
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| Failed to Return (FTR) | Germany | 20 June 1944 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 June 2020 20:42:32 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 May 2020 18:47:31 | kstrykerAK | Changes to unit associations and mission 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 157, 167, 293 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:10 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 5897 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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