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A Bomber crew of the 466th Bomb Group with their B-24 Liberator.
Handwritten on image: 'RG Gordon 279-55.'
The crew went down over Belgium on 20 February 1945. The control cable on B-24H-20-FO #42-50336 "Pale Ale" had snapped. "Pale Ale" was one of the oldest a/c flying with the 466th BG at that time having served for 9 months exactly at the time of her loss
Top Row Left to Right:
2nd Lt Henry Wynia, Bombardier
2nd Lt Jack D Campbell, Co-pilot
2nd Lt Robert G Gordon, Pilot
2nd Lt Ferdinand M Kjar, Navigator
Bottom row, left to right
Richard R Przybylski, Engineer
Harvey H Stamper Jr, Upper Turret Gunner
Harold H Hendrickson, Nose Gunner
Aloysius W McCloskey, Gunner
Sam Kessler, Radio Operator
Barney B Fisher, Tail Gunner
Gordon had left his seat to bail out, then noticed that Kjar and Hendrickson were still in the nose of the plane. He returned to the pilot's controls to try to gain control of the a/c for those two men to bail out. It was to no avail as the men were trapped by centrifugal forces. All three (Gordon, Kjar and Hendrickson were tragically KIA.
Group
The 466th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Attlebridge, Norfolk, during the last year of the war in Europe. The Group flew 232 missions in the course of the year and celebrated the 100th one by inviting local people onto the base to mark the...
Squadron
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot
RTD. B-24J A/C 42-50336 'Pale Ale' crashed when control cables snapped and crew lost control.
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot
Killed in Action (KIA). B-24J A/C 42-50336 'Pale Ale' crashed when control cables snapped and crew lost control.
Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Nose Gunner
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator/Gunner
Flew 14 missions. Shot down, bailed out, landed on a church steeple, ended up in the hospital
AM
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator
Killed in Action (KIA). B-24J A/C 42-50336 'Pale Ale' crashed when control cables snapped and crew lost control.
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Waist Gunner
Waist gunner on B-24 Liberator, bailed out 20 February 1945 after the control cables on his a/c snapped over Belgium.
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Flight Engineer
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Tail Gunner
On February 20th 1945 our target was Nuremberg, Germany, though we never made it. Shortly after making the Belgian coast we hit heavy clouds. A recall message was sent but before we could decode the message our aileron controls went out. The waist...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier
20 February 1945
"Continuing their offensive against the Nazi communications, 900 Fortresses of the 8th Air Force, attacking in two giant waves, thundered over Nuremberg yesterday to shower the cities huge railway yards and locomotive repair shops with more than 11,000...
Military site : airfield
Attlebridge was constructed for RAF use and completed to that standard in 1942. However, with news that it was to be assigned to the American Air Force, the runways were extended and additional hardstandings and outbuildings constructed for the heavy...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 11 April 2015 04:50:42 | 466thHistorian | Changes to caption |
| Sources | ||
466th BG Historian |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 11 April 2015 04:00:23 | 466thHistorian | Changes to caption |
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466th BG Historian |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 11 April 2015 03:32:15 | 466thHistorian | Changes to caption |
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466th BG Historian |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 April 2015 16:29:19 | 466thHistorian | Changes to caption |
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466th BG Historian |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 April 2015 16:20:47 | 466thHistorian | Changes to caption |
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466th BG Historian |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 November 2014 16:33:14 | 466thHistorian | Changes to person associations |
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Attlebridge Arsenal - Brassfield & Wassom |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 28 November 2014 16:25:04 | 466thHistorian | Changes to caption, unit associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
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Attlebridge Arsenal - Brassfield & Wassom |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 10 October 2014 09:19:29 | Emily | Created entry with caption, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
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Uploaded |
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