Arch Witte Jr
Military1-May-42 Assigned as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24619 [GN-S] "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS at Gowen Field, Bosie, Idaho. 12-Oct-42 Re-assigend to B-17F 41-24569 [GN-V], "Memphis Tot" 303BG/427BS at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine. 22-Oct-42 Arrived at Molesworth, UK aboard "Memphis Tot"
Shot down 4 February 1943 in B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS while serving as Ball Turret Gunner. The mission target was Osnabruck, Germany, but crew reported guns didn't work so crew turned back. Fighters attacked and Cpt Cole crash landed in the Waddenzee, Holland. Plane broke in two in contact with the water. Surviving crew were pulled from the water by the enemy and became Prisoner of War (POW)s. He was placed in Stalag 17B.
Participated in 7 Operations (4 were aborted) See Biography events.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-421603
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Memphis Tot
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 4 February 1943
- Date: 2 February 1943
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 13 January 1943
- Date: 12 December 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Boise, ID, USA | 1 May 1942 | Assigned as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24619 "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. |
|
Other Re-Assigned to Aircraft |
Bangor, ME, USA | 12 October 1942 | Re-assigned as Ball Turret Gunner of B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine. |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 22 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, Ball Turret Gunner aboard B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS. |
|
Other Mission #1, SSGT Arch Witte, Jr., w/B-17F 42-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. |
|
Other Mission #2, SSGT Arch Witte, Jr., w/B-17F 42-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works as Lille, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. |
|
Other Mission #3, SSGT Arch Witte, Jr., w/B-17F 42-24569, 303BG/427BS |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Roeun, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #4, SSGT Arch Witte, Jr., w/B-17F 42-24569, 303BG/427BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #5, SSGT Arch Witte, Jr., w/B-17F 42-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. |
|
Other Mission #6, SSGT Arch Witte, Jr., w/B-17F 42-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 2 February 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Hamm, Germany, but severe weather and cold forced Wing Command to recall the formation. RTB OK. |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Krems an der Donau, Austria | 4 February 1943 - 15 April 1945 | Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems), Austria. Liberated by US forces 0n 15-Apr-45. |
|
Other Mission #7, SSGT Arch Witte, Jr., w/B-17F 42-24569, 303BG/427BS - POW |
Osnabrück, Germany | 4 February 1943 | Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17 F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Osnabruck, Germany. Frozen guns forced the pilot to turn around and the aircraft was attacked by German fighters over Holland. The pilot made a crashlanding on the shores of the Waddenzee, Holland. SSGT Witte was rescued from the water by Dutch fishermen who then turned him over to the Germans. He became a POW. |
|
Other Last Report Date (Discharged) |
30 June 1945 | Last Report Date was 30-Jun-1945 when he was discharged in the US. | |
|
Born |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 4-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/014.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 2-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/013.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian; Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Re-Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian; Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian; Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 20-Feb-2016. Added initial assignment and re-assignment and arrival in UK infot to Summary Biography; Made connections to Place, AIrcraft and Missions per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian; Lloyd R. Cole crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-427-cole.html
Lee Cunningham 28-Jan-2015. Added note to Biography indicating fata combined form the Paul Andrews duplicate from Project Bits and Pieces.
Lee Cunningham 28-Jan-2015. Added decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; corrected SN per MACR 15348; made connections to Place, AIrcraft and Mission within existing website data; Added crew position to Biography per 303rd Bomb Group website record, historian, Gary Moncur.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15348, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 73, NARA web site , 303rd web site mission report