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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42-31565
B-17 Flying Fortress
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B-17G 42-31565 335th BS, 95th BG, 8AF USAAF. After sustaining flak damage and dropping out of formation the crew bailed out over the region of Avesnes, Cambria, Saint Quentin, France and the aircraft crashed at Saint Symphorien in Belgium. 4th March 44.
Delivered Denver 21/11/43; Gr Island 7/12/43; Selfridge 14/12/43; Presque Is 15/12/43; Assigned 335BS/95BG [OE-U] Horham 26/12/43; 13m, Missing in Action Berlin 4/3/44 with Pilot Rodney P. Roehm; Co-pilot: David F. Wolter; Bombardier: Donald R. Egan; Ball turret gunner: Eugene S. Purnell; Left Waist gunner: Floyd C. Noullet; Tail gunner: Emory T. Kesterson (6 Prisoner of War); Right Waist gunner: John P. Wesp (Killed in Action); Navigator: Johnathan Pearson; Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Charles A. Strackbine; Radio Operator: Thomas L. Yankus (3 evaded capture). Hit by Flak in the nose cone after dropping its bombs, one of 42-31565's engines ran out of fuel. It was seen to turn slowly to the left and go into a steep dive, under control. No fire, smoke nor chutes were seen as the formation headed for its base. Missing Air Crew Report MACR 2795. Crew photo at http://95thbg.org/j3migr/crews-p-r/view-image/c8fb258c4811b32bc9de33222e...
42-31565 crashed "on its own" near St Symphorien, three miles SE of Mons, Belgium. The pilot ordered to bail out and put the plane on auto-pilot with the aim of having it crashing in the North Sea. Due probably to tranfers of oil from one wing to the other, the plane banked and slowly lost altitude, nearing the ground and landed in a field in Saint-Symphorien, near Mons, Belgium. The surviving crew members knew nothing about the plane's crash location until 2004 when Belgian researchers found the real story. Missing Air Crew Report 2795. Yankus and Pearson were helped by the Belgian COMET Line in their evasion and were hidden in the secret camp in the Freteval Forest, near Châteaudun, France until Liberation in August 1944. (see www.evasioncomete.org ). Strackbine was hidden elsewhere in France until also liberated.
Service
Units
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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... -
335th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Donald Egan
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by flak immediately after bombs away and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944 in B-17 #42-31565. Prisoner of War (POW). -
Emory Kesterson
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Emory Kesterson was Tail Gunner on B-17 #42-31565, shot down by Flak immediately after bombs away on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944 and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium. Initially evaded, he was arrested on 3 June 1944 in France. Prisoner of War (POW). -
Floyd Noullet
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Floyd Noullet was Left Waist Gunner on B-17 #42-31565, shot down by Flak immediately after bombs away on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944 and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium. Initially evaded he was later made a Prisoner of War (POW). -
Jonathan Pearson III
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down by flak immediately after bombs away and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944 in B-17 #42-31565. Evaded with the help of the Belgian COMET evasion network. Hidden in the secret camp in the Fréteval Forest near... -
Eugene Purnell
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Eugene Purnell was Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 #42-31565. Shot down by flak immediately after bombs away and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944. He landed in parachute near Saint-Quentin, Northern France and was made a... -
Rodney Roehm
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Born in Ontonagon where he spent his youth, Rodney Roehm was raised by his uncle and aunt Clyde and Irene (Roehm) Hayward. He graduated in 1940 from the Ontonagon High School. In the summer of 1942, he was in the US Air Corps Reserve Officer Training... -
Charles Strackbine
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
Charles Strackbine was Top Turret Gunner on B-17 #42-31565, shot down by Flak immediately after bombs away on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944 and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium. Evaded. Escape & Evasion report E&E 1586. ... -
John Wesp
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 95th Bomb Group
John Wesp was Right Waist Gunner on B-17 #42-31565, shot down by Flak immediately after bombs away. The plane crashed SE of Mons, Belgium on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944. Sgt John Wesp was Killed in Action (KIA), when his parachute didn't open. -
David Wolter
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 95th Bomb Group
Shot down 4 March 1944 in B-17 #42-31565. MACR 2795. "Was returning home from aborted daylight raid on Berlin. Bailed out of plane over Northern France/Belgium. One crew member died, John Wesp, but rest of crew survived. I evaded capture from March 4... -
Thomas Yankus
Military | Corporal | Radio Operator | 95th Bomb Group
Thomas Yankus was Radio Operator/Top Turret Gunner on B-17 #42-31565, shot down by Flak immediately after bombs away on a mission to Berlin on 4 March 1944 and crashed SE of Mons, Belgium. ...
Missions
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8th Air Force 198
29 January 1944
The primary target for this mission was the railroad marshalling yards and industrial areas of Frankfurt, Germany. A combined force of 863 heavy bombers were despatched in three elements to make the attack. The combined bomber gunner claims on enemy... -
8th Air Force 200
30 January 1944
This mission has the aviation industry at Brunswick, Germany as the primary target. The mission is composed of a combined force pf 777 heavy bomber aircraft despatched in three elements: 1st Bomb Division; 2nd Bomb Division and 3rd Bomb Division. The... -
8th Air Force 206
3 February 1944
The port area and Naval facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Germany was the primary target for this mission. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bomb Divisions all participated. ... -
8th Air Force 208
4 February 1944
The railroad marshalling yards at Frankfurt, Germany were focus of this mission, but other railroad marshalling yards in the area were attacked as well. Weather and navigational errors frustrate target acquisition.748 heavy bombers were despatched in a... -
8th Air Force 226 BIG WEEK - DAY 1
20 February 1944
This mission is the opening salvo of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive known officially as "Operation Argument" but remembered in 8th Air Force History as "BIG WEEK". The immediate strategic objective of this six-day operation is the degradation of... -
8th Air Force 228 BIG WEEK - DAY 2
21 February 1944
Day 2 of BIG WEEK is another maximum effort by 8th Air Force to bomb 6 airfields in Germany as primary targets: Diepholz, Gütersloh, Lippstadt, Werl, Achmer and Handorf. In addition the industrial areas of Brunswick city are included as a primary... -
8th Air Force 230 BIG WEEK - DAY 3
22 February 1944
The German aircraft industry is again targeted in Day 3 of BIG WEEK. A combined total od 789 bombers (maximum effort) are despathed from 1st 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions. Fighter opposition is heavy and bomber losses in 1st Air Division are massive - 39... -
8th Air Force 233 BIG WEEK - DAY 5
24 February 1944
BIG WEEK resumes with full intensity against the German aircraft industry. Bomber tactics are changed slightly in that each Air Division will be directed at more widely dispersed primary targets whoch it is thought will frustrate concentration... -
8th Air Force 235 BIG WEEK - DAY 6
25 February 1944
On this final operation of BIG WEEK, Day 6, a combined force of 754 heavy bombers from 1st, 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions are despatched to bomb the German aircraft industries at Regensburg, Augsburg, Stuttgart and Furth, Germany. Mission Summary follows: ... -
8th Air Force 238
28 February 1944
A combined force of 258 B-17s are despatched from 1st and 3rd Air Divisions to bomb V-Weapon sites around the Pas-de-Calaise area of France. Mission Summary follows> ...
Places
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Horham
Military site : airfield
Horham airfield was planned and built for RAF use, but handed over to the Eighth Air Force and used initially by the 47th Bomb Group. When they joined the Twelfth Air Force in January 1943, it became home to the B-26 Marauders of the 323rd Bomb Group.... -
Presque Isle Army Airfield
Military site : airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Assigned | Horham Airfield, UK | 26 December 1943 |
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95BG |
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| Crashed | Saint-Symphorien, near Mons, Belgium | 4 March 1944 |
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Missing in Action Berlin 4/3/44. Hit by Flak in the nose cone after dropping its bombs, one of 42-31565's engines ran out of fuel. It was seen to turn slowly to the left and go into a steep dive, under control. No fire, smoke nor chutes were seen as the formation headed for its base. Missing Air Crew Report MACR 2795. |
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| Delivered | Denver, CO | 21 November 1944 |
Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
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| 25 September 2020 21:28:55 | 466thHistorian | Changes to events, place associations and mission associations |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 14 January 2017 23:26:58 | timnoullet | Changes to nicknames |
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Aircraft Name from Floyd C. Noullet |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 11 December 2015 13:45:43 | Al_Skiff | Changes to production block number, markings, events and unit associations |
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AAM DB Entry. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 July 2015 14:59:43 | ED-BB | Changes to description |
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added MACR number |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 July 2015 12:40:48 | ED-BB | Changes to description |
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Link to crew photo |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 July 2015 10:26:20 | ED-BB | Changes to place associations and mission associations |
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Added station and mission number |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 July 2015 09:20:49 | ED-BB | Changes to description |
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Added details |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 25 July 2015 11:51:15 | ED-BB | Changes to markings, description and events |
| Sources | ||
MACR 2795 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:40:39 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log / MACR 2795 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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