41-24443 Johnny Reb II, Johnny Reb Jr

media-30635.png UPL 30635 The B-17F JOHNNY REB JR. or II (41-24443) crew on the October 21, 1942 97th BG Mission #16.
Back row, from left to right :
1st Lt. Milton Marion “Milt” Stenstrom (Pilot), 1st Lt. Robert L. "Rob" Carlberg (Copilot), 1st Lt. Ewart Theodore "Sconnie" Sconiers (Bombardier), 1st Lt. Harold "Harry" "Shorty" Spire (Navigator).
Bottom Row, from left to right:
Sgt. James C. "Jim" Simmons (Tail Gunner), Sgt. Thomas C. "Tom" Calhoun (Waist Gunner), Staff Sgt. William A. "Bill" Adams (Radio Operator), Sgt. William E. "Bill" Schimke (Ball Turret Gunner), Sgt. John M. Hughes (Waist Gunner), Staff Sgt. Roy T. Nalley (Engineer / Top Turret Gunner).
(Photo courtesy of Fredrick Richard "Rick" Flack)

Updated by Fredrick Richard "Rick" Flack on July 29, 2020.

Object Number - UPL 30635 - The B-17F JOHNNY REB JR. or II (41-24443) crew on the October 21, 1942 97th BG Mission #16. Back row, from left to right : 1st Lt. Milton Marion...

Assigned 326BS/92BG Bangor 1-August-1942; transferred to 414BS/97BG Polebrook 24-August-1942; Missing in Action 21-October-1942 on mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient/Keroman, France. The Navigator, 1Lt Harold Spire provided the following details of the loss in his Escape & Evasion account (EE #2846). "Over the Brest peninsula just under the 13,000 foot ceiling, FW-190's and flak wounded Lt. Spire and shot away one engine, the ball turret, the top turret, the intercom system and the elevator controls. The bombardier, Lt Ewart Sconiers salvoed his bombs and bailed out over land. At 13:00 the plane landed 10 miles from shore in the Bay of Biscay and remained afloat for 30 seconds, giving the crew time to ditch. No swimmer, Lt. Spire inflated his Mae West and paddled to the half-inflated large dingy which supported all of the crew except the engineer who sat in his own small dingy." All were picked up by a French fishing boat and turned over to the Germans at Quimper, France. 8 POW, 1 DIC, & 1 EVD. No Missing Air Crew Report (MACR).



Pilot 1Lt Milton Stenstrom (POW); Co-Pilot 1Lt Robert L. Carlberg (POW);

Navigator 1Lt Harold Spire (POW-ESC); Bombardier Ewart T. Sconiers (POW-DIC 24-Jan-44)

Engineer/Top Turret Gunner SSgt Roy T. Nalley (POW); Radio Operator SSgt William A. Adams (POW); Ball Turret Gunner Sgt William E. Schimke (POW); Left Waist Gunner Sgt Thomas C. Calhoun (POW); Right Waist Gunner Sgt John M. Hughes (POW); Tail Gunner Sgt. James C. Simmons (POW).

Connections

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Units served with

Ground personnel of the 97th Bomb Group reservice a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9023) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle", following the raid on Rouen. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 18 Aug 1942.' [stamp], 'Air=SER (Boeing).' [written annotation] and '216112.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S FLYING FORTRESSES RAID ROUEN IN DAYLIGHT. Associated Press Photo Shows: No sooner had one of the huge Fortresses landed after the raid than ground crew im
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 14030942
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34199059
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-442752
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12036569
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 97th Bomb Group 414th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 15067557
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner

Places

Missions

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Failed to Return

56100 Lorient, France 21 October 1942

Revisions

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

Corrected DIC date for Ewart Sconiers : 24 January 1944 instead of 21.

Source IPDF file, via the Sconiers family.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added punctuation to the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

NARA archives
Crew list
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 2846 of Lt Harold Spire
"17 août 1942 - Objectif Rouen" by Frenchman Paul Le Trevier ( http://www.comever.com/ )

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 21-Nov-2014. Description details of loss: National Archives Records Administration (NARA) Escape & Evasion Report #2846 which may be viewed at http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-2846.pdf. Formatted crew entries, rank and proper names extracted from NARA WWII POW database, confirmed in "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 28-Oct-2014. Edit to Description, "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Oct-2014, "Losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A Hey MBE; National Archives Records Administration (NARA) POW records.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log

41-24443: Gallery (5 items)