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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42-30227
B-17 Flying Fortress
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A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30227) nicknamed "Wabbit Twacks II" of the 96th Bomb Group in flight. Handwritten caption on reverse of print: 'Wabbit Twacks II - A/C interned in 7/43 flight.'
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The bomber crew lead by Captain Walter E. Flagg of the 96th Bomb Group by the tail of their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30227) nicknamed "Wabbit Twacks III" at Snetterton Heath. Official caption printed on image: '(GPR-14-3-96)(11-7-43) Capt. Flagg's Crew.' Handwritten annotation at top of image (cropped): 'Wabbit Twacks.'
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The bomber crew led by Captain Walter E. Flagg of the 96th Bomb Group inspect flak damage on a B-17 Flying Fortress. One of the airmen has an injured eye. Official caption printed on image: '(GPR-14-4-96)(11-7-43) Capt. Flagg's Crew.'
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A bomber crew of the 96th Bomb Group led by Captain Flagg, inspect the battle damaged tail of their B-17 Flying Fortress. Official caption on image: "(GPR-14-2-96) (11-7-43) Capt. Flagg's Crew." Handwritten caption on reverse of print: '96BG.'
Delivered Cheyenne 1/5/43; Smoky Hill 17/5/43; Dow Fd 30/5/43; Assigned 413BS/96BG [MZ-R] Snetterton 12/6/43 WABBIT TWACKS III; transferred 612BS/401BG [SC-X] Deenethorpe 13/12/43; 1 Base Air Depot, Burtonwood 17/3/44; Returned to the USA Tinker 3/6/44; Gore Air Trans Com 7/6/44; Kirtland 21/1/45; Long Beach 18/5/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Ontario 4/6/45. BOOTS III.
Service
Units
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401st Bomb Group
Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following... -
96th Bomb Group
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ... -
413th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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612th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
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Base Air Depot 1
Headquarters
People
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Walter Flagg
Military | Captain | Pilot | 96th Bomb Group
Places
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Burtonwood
Military site : airfield
Built for the RAF in 1939-40, the RAF's No. 37 Maintenance Unit used the base from 1940 to 1942, before it became a joint Anglo-American maintenance and servicing airfield - a Base Air Depot. After the war it continued to be used as a maintenance and... -
Deenethorpe
Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local... -
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... -
United Airlines Modification Center
Other location
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Manufactured | Seattle, WA, USA | 1943 |
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Built at Boeing. |
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| Delivered | 722, 6207 Missile Dr, Cheyenne, WY 82005, USA | 1 May 1943 |
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Delivered Cheyenne AAF 1-May-43. |
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| Assigned | Norwich NR16 2JU, UK | 12 June 1943 |
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Assigned 413BS, 96BG 8AF 12-Jun-43. |
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| Assigned | Deenethorpe Airfield, Deenethorpe NN17 3AN, UK | 13 December 1943 |
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Transferred 612BS, 401BG, 8AF 13-Dec-43. |
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| Assigned | Burtonwood, UK | 17 March 1944 |
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Ferried to 1 Base Air Depot, 17-Mar-44. |
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| Returned USA | 3001 S Douglas Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73130, USA | 3 June 1944 |
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Returned Zone of the Interior [USA]. Tinker AAF. 3-Jun-44. |
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| Sold for scrap | Ontario, CA, USA | 4 June 1945 |
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Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Ontario 4-Jun-45. |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 September 2017 18:36:36 | Al_Skiff | Changes to media associations |
| Sources | ||
Roger Freeman Photo. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 September 2017 13:03:53 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, manufacturer, nicknames, markings, events, unit associations, person associations, place associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:27 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log |
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