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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41-24487
B-17 Flying Fortress
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An airman of the 306th Bomb Group with the nose art of a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-24487) nicknamed "Eager Beaver". From PCT article: 'It was then-First Lt. Reber who dubbed the B-17 the Eager Beaver. He identified with the term as a description of one who “wants to do everything” and is ready to move front and center when called upon to serve. He recalls that he paid a Sgt. Lee Kessler, of Ohio, $5 to paint a beaver on each side of the plane’s nose before he first flew it across the Atlantic in 1942. '
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A B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Eager Beaver" of the 306th Bomb Group. caption on image: "Eager Beaver, 306th BG."
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B-17F 41-24487 'Eager Beaver', assigned to 368th BS, 306th BG. Relegated to training role in October 1943 and returned to US. July 1944.
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Mission 85 Report, a/c 41-24487
Assigned 368BS/306BG [BO-Q] Westover 25/8/42; Thurleigh 13/10/42; AFSC 1/5/44; was longest serving B-17F in 8th BC; Returned to the USA Tinker 28/7/44; to Williamsport Technical Institute, Patterson Fd, Penn.; 20/6/45 for aeronautical programme, the nose section still on display. EAGER BEAVER.
See article here: http://www.psu.edu/ur/2000/25aug00newswire.html
'PENN COLLEGE DONATES WORLD WAR II AIRCRAFT
Pennsylvania College of Technology has donated the last remnant of a World War II B-17 bomber to a Georgia Museum to honor a request from its pilot, retired Air Force Col. Marlen E. Reber. The "Eager Beaver," a nose cone from the historic aircraft that had been displayed at Penn College's Kathryn Wentzel Lumley Aviation Center since 1992, recently arrived at its new home, the Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum in Savannah.'
'The plane flew more combat missions (45) than any other B-17 in the European Theater of operations. After the war, Penn College's predecessor, Williamsport Technical Institute, bought the aircraft for $350 for instructional purposes. Most of the plane was scrapped in 1952, but the nose cone featuring a cartoon-like figure was retained. For more information on Pennsylvania College of Technology, visit http://www.pct.edu'
Service
Units
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306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Group
Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station 111 Thurleigh. During combat,... -
368th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Charles Bradley
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Flew missions from December 1943 to June 1944 on the 'Eager Beaver'. He flew 30 missions. -
Neil Brennan
Military | Staff Sergeant | Air Gunner, Togglier/Bombardier | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Shot down 26 November 1943 in B-17 #42-30832, Prisoner of War (POW). He was a POW from 26 Nov 1943 to 04 May 1945 at Stalag 17B, Krems, Austria. Prisoner of War (POW) no. 100388. POW -
Eddie Heintz
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
Joined 368th squadron July 7, 1943. Flew on the 1st bombing mission over Berlin. Flew on 35 combat missions. Flew on a raid that lost 60 B17s. Primary ac was 'Eager Beaver'. Another was 'Big Noise from Winnetka'. DFC w/ Oak Leaf Cluster -
George Owen
Military | Master Sergeant | Ground Crew | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
He flew to England in 1942 on the B-17 'Eager Beaver' no. 41-24487. He was Communications Chief, which oversaw the work of all of the radio, teletype and other personnel working on communications equipment, etc. ... -
Marlen Reber
Military | Colonel | Pilot | 306th Bomb Group The Reich Wreckers
He completed 25 missions. He flew the 'Eager Beaver' from Westover AFB to England. He had the 'Eager Beaver' throughout his first 15 missions until 3 March 1943 when it got badly shot up by the ball turret gunner on John Reagan's crew. He was the 19th...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 85
19 August 1943
The German airfields at Gilze-Rijen, Holland and Woensdrecht, Holland are the targets for this mission. The attacks will be made by two elements. The first element is a combined force of 125 B-17s from: 91BG (8); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (19);...
Places
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Thurleigh
Military site : airfield
Built for RAF use in 1941-42, Thurleigh was initially used by RAF Bomber Command before being handed over to the Eighth Air Force. Its runways and hardstandings were improved, and the B-17s of the 306th Bomb Group began using the base. It was their...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Flew to England | Westover Air Force Base, Chicopee, MA 01022, USA | 25 August 1942 |
| First 8th Air Force aircraft to bomb Berlin | 27 January 1943 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 26 November 2015 18:33:31 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, markings and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
B-17 Groups of the Eighth Air Force by Martin Bowman. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 April 2015 16:26:11 | Lucy May | Changes to events and media associations |
| Sources | ||
http://pctoday.pct.edu/relic-of-8th-air-force-plane-leaves-penn-college-... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 April 2015 15:58:21 | Lucy May | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:02 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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