Samuel O Snipes
MilitarySSGT Samuel O. Snipes was assigned as the Engineer/Top Turret Gunner with the crew of 1LT Charles N. Austin of 92BG (aircraft assignment not determined). He arrived with the crew aboard a B-17 at Bovington, UK on 18-Aug-42. He served with the 92BG and the Austin crew at Bovington until the Group was moved to Alconbury, UK on 11-Jan-43. He served there until the crew was transferred to the 303BG/358BS as a replacement crew on 10-Feb-43 and was assigned to B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". He participated in 9 Operations - 2 Aborted with 303BG. (See Biography events)
18-Mar-43 - Shot down by flak and fighters in B-17F 41-24558 [VK:F] 'Hunga Dunga', 303BG 358BS while serving as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner. Target was submarine yards at Vegesack, Germany. Prisoner of War (POW) in Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf, Austria. NARA Prisoner of War (POW) records show him as 92nd BG, Losses and 303rd web site have mentions of 92nd with recent transfer for this crew specifically mentioned on 303rd web site.
POW
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 18 March 1943
- Date: 13 March 1943
- Date: 8 March 1943
- Date: 6 March 1943
- Date: 4 March 1943
Places
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Station |
Bovington, Dorset, UK | 18 August 1942 - 11 January 1943 | Assigned with 92BG at Bovington, UK with 1LT Charles N. Austin crew. |
|
Other Transferred with Group |
Alconbury, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 11 January 1943 - 10 February 1943 | Transferred with aircraft, crew and Group to the Station at Alconbury, UK. |
|
Other Transferred |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 10 February 1943 | Transferred with Austin crew to the 303BG/358BS at Molesworth and assigned as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". |
|
Other Mission #1 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas NW of Hamm, Germany, but weather forced the recall of the 303BG aircraft despatched (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #2 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
16 February 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the port area of St. Nazaire, France (RTB OK). | |
|
Other Mission #3 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany (secondary target), but the Bombardier, 1LT Coltrane, was stricken with altitude sickness (faulty oxygen mask) and the Pilot was forced to abort the mission (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #4 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Brest, France | 27 February 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Brest, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #5 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland (RTB OK). |
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Other Mission #6 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 42-5432, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 6 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5432 "The Hunting Club", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the power station and adjacent bridge at Lorient, France (RTB OK). |
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Other Mission #7 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rennes, France | 8 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #8 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Amiens, France | 13 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Amiens/Longeau, Fracne (RTB OK). |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Krems an der Donau, Austria | 18 March 1943 - 3 May 1945 | Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems), Austria. |
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Other Mission #9 SSGT Samuel O. Snipes w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS POW |
Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the submarine construction yards at Vegesack/Bremen, Germany. The aircraft was shot down by fighters and flak but he baled out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW) |
|
Other Last Report Date - Discharged |
4 July 1945 | Evacuated to the United States after his liberation from Stalag 17B and discharged from the USAAF. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Added Last Report Date event per NARA WWII POW database record.
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Corrected dates on POW event per Stalag 17B history: http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag17.htm
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 18-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 18-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/023.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 8-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/021.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/020.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 4-Mar-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/019.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 27-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/018.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 26-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2event per 303BG website Mission Report of 16-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Mission #1event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added Operation participation to Summary Biography; made connections to Places and All Missions; Added Assigned to Station, Transferred with Group and Transferred event per 303BG website Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, HIstorian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Aug-2015. Added 92BG assignment information to Description based on the 92BG station dispostions ffrom "USAAF Combat Chronology", Jack McKillop and the crew page of 1LT Charles N Austin, 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/358austin.html
Lee Cunningham 4-Aug-2015. Added Decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Made connection to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; Edited Summary Biography with A/C model letter, Radio Call Letters, Unit association and crew position per MACR 15149. Added loss details to Summary Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey, p. 91, 303rd web site