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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42-29943
B-17 Flying Fortress
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B-17F 42-29943 'Situation Normal' 334th BS, 95th BG, 8AF USAAF.
Delivered Cheyenne 15/3/43; Smoky Hill 26/3/43; Dow Fd 31/5/43; Assigned 305BG Chelveston 15/6/43; transferred 334BS/95BG [BG-K] Alconbury 16/6/43; Framlingham 12/5/43; 335BS [OE-K] Horham 15/6/43; 12/9/43 with A.R. Witt f/d RAF Morton Calence (?); 20/12/43 with A.R. Witt force landed Bungay afd; 31/12/43 with F.G. Vansant force landed RAF Eastchurch; 44m, Missing in Action Oldenburg 6/3/44 with Albert Mailman, Co-pilot: John Cassidy, Navigator: Dave Hazlett, Bombardier: Marion Beal, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Chas Frantz (5 Killed in Action); Radio Operator: Ray McDowell, Ball turret gunner: Jim Wint, Waist gunner: Wilbur Cooper, Waist gunner: Henry Baswell, Tail gunner: Bill Henderson (5 Prisoner of War); enemy aircraft attack near Haseluenne, ship exploded, crashed Ellinghausen, near Barnsdorf, 15 miles NE of Diepholz, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 2890. SITUATION NORMAL.
Service
Units
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305th Bomb Group Can Do
Group
The 305th Bombardment Group (Heavy), nicknamed "Can Do" was activated 1-March-1942 at Salt Lake City Air Base, Utah which was their primary training base until 11-Jun-1942 when they relocated to Geiger Field, Washington until 29-Jun-1942, then on to... -
95th Bomb Group
Group
The 95th Bomb Group was the only Eighth Air Force Group to be awarded three Distinguished Unit Citations. The first, shared by all four Bomb Wing Groups, was for the bombing of an aircraft factory under intense enemy fire at Regensburg on 17 August... -
334th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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335th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Russell Allman
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 95th Bomb Group
Damaged by fighter attacks on the return from a mission to Klein Machow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31299 'Junior' maintained formation until finally crashing NW of Beilen, Holland after the crew baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Henry Baswell
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed NE of Diepholz, GR on a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-29943 'Situation Normal'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Marion Beal
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed NE of Diepholz, GR on a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-29943 'Situation Normal'. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Joseph Bogan
Military | Staff Sergeant | Aerial Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
On 18 June 1942, Joseph Bogan was one of the Enlisted Men assigned to the 1141st Quartermaster Company at Mac Dill Field, Tampa, Florida from the 171st Quartermaster Platoon Service Center (Aviation), the 784th Quartermaster Company (Truck) and the... -
John Cassidy
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed NE of Diepholz, GR on a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-29943 'Situation Normal'. Killed in Action (KIA). -
Wilbur Cooper
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed NE of Diepholz, GR on a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-29943 'Situation Normal'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Charles Frantz
Military | Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed NE of Diepholz, GR on a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-29943 'Situation Normal'. Killed in Action (KIA). -
David Hazlett
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed NE of Diepholz, GR on a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-29943 'Situation Normal'. Killed in Action (KIA). -
William Henderson
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by fighters and crashed NE of Diepholz, GR on a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17F #42-29943 'Situation Normal'. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
John Janssen
Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Radio Operator | 95th Bomb Group
Damaged by fighter attacks on the return from a mission to Klein Machow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31299 'Junior' maintained formation until finally crashing NW of Beilen, Holland after the crew baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). POW
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 114
10 October 1943
This mission was intended to be a massive attack of 307 B-17s on the railroad facilities and waterway (canals) at Munster, Germany. This attack was to be supported by a diversion 39 B-24s. The formation was attacked by hundreds of German fighters which... -
8th Air Force 250
6 March 1944
The industrial areas of Berlin and Genshagen, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. A combined force of 730 heavy bombers are despatched from 1st, 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions. The despatch from 3rd Air Division bombs Targets of Opportunity in...
Places
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Alconbury
Military site : airfield
Alconbury had been constructed as a satellite airfield for RAF Upwood and Wyton and was used by RAF Squadrons: Nos. 15, 40 and 156. In preparation for the arrival of American heavy bombers, the base was developed in 1942 with the runways extended. When... -
Chelveston
Military site : airfield
Chelveston was adapted and expanded in preparation for the arrival of American forces. Rather than heavy bombers, the first aircraft to fly from its runways were C-47 Skytrains that were flown by the 60th Troop Carrier Group in July 1942. The first... -
Framlingham
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force from 1942 to 43, Framlingham was home first to the 95th Bomb Group, before that unit moved to RAF Alconbury. From 1943 to 1945, it was operated by the 390th Bomb Group. The airfield was handed back to the RAF in 1945, and...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Combat damaged | 15 June 1943 | |
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Starboard horizontal stabiliser and elevator damaged by gunfire, 20mm cannon shell damaged #1 engine prop blade. |
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| Crashed | Moreton Valence rhyne, Gloucestershire, UK | 12 September 1943 |
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F/d RAF Morton Valence. Pilot Lt Alden R Witt. 12/9/43. |
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| Crashed | Bungay, Suffolk, UK | 20 December 1943 |
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Force landed Bungay afd. Pilot Lt Alden R Witt. 20/12/43. |
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| Crashed | Eastchurch, Kent, UK | 31 December 1943 |
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Force landed RAF Eastchurch. Pilot Lt Franklin G Vansant. 31/12/43. |
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| Crashed | Bärnsdorf, Germany | 6 March 1944 – 6 March 1944 |
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Missing in Action Oldenburg 6/3/44. Cause - enemy aircraft attack near Haseluenne, ship exploded, crashed Ellinghausen, near Barnsdorf, 15 miles NE of Diepholz, Germany. (5 x POW, 5 x KIA) Missing Air Crew Report MACR 2890. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 11 June 2020 17:11:21 | 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 |
| 14 December 2015 14:15:59 | Al_Skiff | Changes to unit associations |
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AAM DB Entry Correction. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 03 December 2015 23:56:33 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, nicknames, markings, events, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
AAM DB Entry. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 April 2015 20:59:30 | simaguire | Changes to nicknames |
| Sources | ||
A Fort Called Situation Normal - The Final Chapter |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:25 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2980 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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