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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41-24483
B-17 Flying Fortress
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Spirit of Alcohol. LG-U 91st BG, 322 Squadron
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William A. Rathgeber KIA 19 May 1943
Assigned 322BS/91BG [LG-U] Bangor 2/9/42; Bassingbourn 29/9/42; Missing in Action Kiel 19/5/43 with Edwin Baxley, Co-pilot: Jim Breeden, Navigator: Jim Fulmer, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Jarvis Hall (4 Prisoner of War); Bombardier: Arthur L Poston, Radio Operator: Bill Peeler, Ball turret gunner: Gene Trimble, Waist gunner: Bill Rathgeber (body never found), Waist gunner: Art Berkovitz, Tail gunner: Harrell Thompson (6 KIA, plus unknown British news man); shot down with engine out and crashed Kiel Bay and exploded. Missing Air Crew Report 15632. SPIRIT OF ALCOHOL.
Service
Units
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91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla... -
322nd Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Edwin Baxley
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Arthur Berkovitz
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Killed in Action (KIA). -
James Breeden
Military | Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
James Fulmer
Military | Lieutenant | Navigator | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Jarvis Hall
Military | Technical Sergeant | Bombardier, Bombardier; Togglier | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
William Peeler
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator, Radio Operator Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Arthur Poston
Military | Technical Sergeant | Bombardier | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Killed in Action (KIA) 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. He went to Bassingbourn from MacDill Field about November/December 1942. He was on his 17th mission. The pilot (Lt. Baxley) told his parents in a letter that they were... -
William Rathgeber
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Killed in Action (KIA), (MIA)body never found. -
Harrell Thompson
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Eugene Trimble
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Shot down 19 May 1943 in B-17 #41-24483 'Spirit of Alcohol'. Killed in Action (KIA).
Places
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Bassingbourn
Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Failed to Return (FTR) | Belgium | 19 May 1943 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 02 February 2020 20:29:59 | jmoore43 | Changes to unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Added a unit connection to the 8th AF. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 October 2018 00:44:18 | BPoston | Changes to media associations |
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Bobby Poston |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 May 2018 15:22:32 | BPoston | Changes to markings |
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Nephew, Bobby Poston |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 15 May 2018 15:21:00 | BPoston | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Nephew, Bobby Poston |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:02 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 15632 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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