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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42-29981
B-17 Flying Fortress
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B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-29981) of the 92nd Bomb Group and its crew in a life raft after ditching in the North Sea on 26 July 1943, Reconnaissance aircraft from Coastal Command, RAF Bircham Newton.
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B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-29981) of the 92nd Bomb Group and its crew in a life raft after ditching in the North Sea on 26 July 1943, Reconnaissance aircraft from Coastal Command, RAF Bircham Newton.
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B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-29981) of the 92nd Bomb Group and its crew in a life raft after ditching in the North Sea on 26 July 1943, Reconnaissance aircraft from Coastal Command, RAF Bircham Newton.
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The crew of B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-29981) of the 92nd Bomb Group in a life raft after ditching in the North Sea on 26 July 1943, Reconnaissance aircraft from Coastal Command, RAF Bircham Newton.
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The crew of B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-29981) of the 92nd Bomb Groupbeing rescued by Walrus after ditching in the North Sea on 26 July 1943, Reconnaissance aircraft from Coastal Command, RAF Bircham Newton.
Delivered Cheyenne 20/3/43; Gore 31/3/43; Presque Is 8/4/43; Dow Fd 11/4/43; Assigned 338BS/96BG Grafton Underwood 27/4/43 HELL-LENA; Andrews Fd 13/5/43; Snetterton 12/6/43; transferred 326BS/92BG Alconbury 23/7/43; Missing in Action Hanover 26/7/43 with Bob Campbell (Killed in Action), Paul Casey (POW); John Morgan, Keith Koskel, Asa Irwin, Tyre Weaver, John McClure, Jim Ford, John Foley, Reece Walton, Gene Ponte (8 Returned to Duty); enemy aircraft, ditched North Sea.
Service
Units
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92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Group
The 92nd Group sometime after arrivial in the UK converted to the role of in-theater combat crew indocrination and training. For this role, the Group traded its B-17F complement and obtained the B-17E, mostly from the 97th BG which was departing for... -
96th Bomb Group
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ... -
326th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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338th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Robert Campbell
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Killed in Action (KIA). He was hit in the back of the head and killed. The co-pilot had to hold him off the controls before someone from the crew could get to the front to check on them. They were under heavy attack. A shell had entered from the right... -
Paul Casey
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down in B-17 42-29981 Plane ditched in North Sea. All crew rescued. 26-Jul-43. RTD Pilot of B-17 42-5801, lost on the Bochum mission, 12-Aug-43. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 656. Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME. -
Asa Irwin
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Shot down 12 August 1943 in B-17 #42-29945. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Eugene Ponte
Military | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
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Reece Walton
Military | Private | Right Waist Gunner, Waist Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
Damaged by flak and crashed near Ruurlo, Holland after the crew baled out on a mission to Berlin on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17G #42-40052. Prisoner of War (POW). POW -
Tyre Weaver
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 92nd Bomb Group Fame's Favoured Few
On 26 July 43 Sergeant Weaver's plane, B-17 42-29802, was hit by German Fighters, there was a loud explosion on top of the plane and Weaver dropped near the navigator Keith Koske, with his arm blown off at the shoulder. ...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 77
26 July 1943
The German rubber industry at Hannover, Germany and the U-Boat shipyards at Hamburg, Germany are the primary focus of this mission. In addition, a German ship convoy and targets of opportunity at Wilhelmshaven and Wesermunde are bombed. The first...
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... -
Andrews Field
Military site : airfield
The base was known as Great Saling when construction – by US Army engineers – began in 1942 but was renamed Andrews Field in honour of the memory of Gen. Frank M. Andrews, who was killed when the B-24 he was travelling in crash-landed in Iceland on 3... -
Grafton Underwood
Military site : airfield
Grafton Underwood was built in 1941 by George Wimpey and Co. Ltd. It was the first airfield in England to receive an Eighth Air Force flying unit, when in May 1942 personnel of the 15th Bomb Squadron took up residence. As a satellite airfield for... -
Snetterton Heath
Military site : airfield
Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50... -
Presque Isle Army Airfield
Military site : airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Long Beach, CA, USA | 1943 |
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Built at Boeing. |
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| Delivered | Francis E. Warren AFB, WY, USA | 20 March 1943 |
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Delivered Cheyenne AAF 20-Mar-43. |
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| Assigned | Grafton Underwood, Kettering NN14 3AA, UK | 27 April 1943 |
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Assigned 338BS, 96BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Assigned | Alconbury, Huntingdon PE28, UK | 23 July 1943 |
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Transferred 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Crashed | North Sea | 26 July 1943 |
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Missing in Action Hanover 26-Jul-43 enemy aircraft, ditched Nth Sea. 1 x KIA, 1 x POW, 8 x RTD. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 27 April 2020 18:55:11 | jmoore43 | Changes to description |
| Sources | ||
Added punctuation to the A/C "Description" to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 September 2018 13:10:33 | Al_Skiff | Changes to manufacturer, nicknames, markings, description, events, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/b17/42-29981-hell-lena/ |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:25 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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