42-102632 Due Back

UPL 16695 UPL 16695 Bowers Crew - Due Back
Back Row - (L - R) James P Doster (Co-Pilot)- Leonard J Moore (Bombadier) - Hugh Bowers (Pilot) - George A Pasvanis (Navigator)
Front Row -(L - R) William Purcell - Edward Noga - [Verne Hiskey *] - George Miller - Edward Bennett - Nathan Stark
[ * = B-17 Crews were reduced from 10 to 9 men and S/SGT Hiskey was not on the final mission with this crew]

Name correction. Name was Leonard, not Larry. 

Off

Object Number - UPL 16695 - Bowers Crew - Due Back Back Row - (L - R) James P Doster (Co-Pilot)- Leonard J Moore (Bombadier) - Hugh Bowers (Pilot) - George A Pasvanis...

Delivered Cheyenne 19/3/44; Hunter 1/4/44; Dow Fd 18/4/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG [CQ-B] Rattlesden 22/4/44; Missing in Action Ausum A/Fd, Ger 27/8/44 with Hugh Bowers, Co-pilot: Jim Doster, Navigator: George Pasvanis, Bombardier: Leonard Moore, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: George Miller, Radio Operator: Bill Purcell, Ball turret gunner: Ed Noga, Waist gunner: Nathan Stark, Tail gunner: Ed Bennett (9 KIA -bodies washed up later); flak, crashed off Sylt, Ger.; Missing Air Crew Report 8458. DUE BACK.

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 447th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 447th Bomb Group 708th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 31219826
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 447th Bomb Group 708th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 447th Bomb Group 708th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 447th Bomb Group 708th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 35652655
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
  • Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 447th Bomb Group 708th Bomb Squadron
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot

Places

Missions

  • Date: 27 August 1944
  • Date: 26 August 1944
  • Date: 25 August 1944
  • Date: 24 August 1944
  • Date: 18 August 1944

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Due Back
  • Unit: 447th Bomb Group 708th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Failed to Return (FTR) Over Water (OW)

27 August 1944 Due Back was part of a mission (583) to Attack Berlin but RTB due to WX. On return - Crew attempted to attack Husum Airfield in NW Germany near the coast of the North Sea and Danish Border (Airfield is incorrectly ID'd as Ausum in MACR 8458). Lt. Hugh Bowers' Crew were all lost (KIA). Conflicting reports of loss due to Flak (from MACR) and a Collision from a post mission report which Mentions Lt. Bowers on his 25th mission (Damn it) may have collided with a B-24 and crashed into the Sea. 8 of the 9 bodies were later recovered on the German Island of Sylt on the Danish/German Coast of the North Sea. God rest the souls of these brave men! From AGRS records for seven of the nine crew members, some details emerge regarding B-17G 42-102632. Translated German Documents suggest the B-17 was shot down by German fire and "bursted in the air completely." German military personnel recovered T Sgt Bennet's remains from the water by boat off Sylt Island the same day. Over the next four weeks, the remains of at least five additional crew members were found by German soldiers stationed on and around Sylt Island.

Revisions

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ContributorMaximus.Stark
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Sources

microfilm

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ContributorMaximus.Stark
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ContributorMaximus.Stark
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MACR 8458

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ContributorMaximus.Stark
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MICROFILM

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ContributorMaximus.Stark
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entry update

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ContributorMaximus.Stark
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correction for formatting 

Date
ContributorMaximus.Stark
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"Casualty report by name no. 20," IDPF of William A. Purcell.

Congressman Mike Doyle's correspondence to DPMO included a "Hospital Admission Card" for Nathan M. Stark from the National Personnel Records Center. This card recorded S Sgt Stark as having died in a German prison. Contermporary German information cards and documents from the AGRS investigation found in S Sgt Stark's IDPF confrim that S Sgt Stark was deceased when German Soldiers found him. Thus, the data code designating status as a prisoner in the "Hospital Admission Card" was likely marked in error. 

 

Additional support from Statement of Cpl Charles Baumberger and Translated German statement, IDPF of Nathan M. Stark 16 May 1946

Date
Contributorjmoore43
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Added a space before the words "Tail gunner" in the A/C “Description” to aid readability.

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Contributortimothymotz
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Timothy Motz; from mission list kept by Harold Motz, compared with Doyle Shields, "History of the 447th Bomb Group"

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ContributorPilotson2
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The crew of the Due Back 42-102632 was possibly on their 25th mission (not 35th). The mission target was Berlin.

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ContributorPilotson2
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Son of pilot is source of information.

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Contributornoelark
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noelark

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Contributornoelark
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Contributornoelark
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Contributornoelark
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MACR 8458

Date
Contributornoelark
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ContributorPilotson2
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Source: Picture of aircraft and crew, Christopher Bowers (son of pilot)

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 8458 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

42-102632: Gallery (2 items)