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Military
2LT John W. Plummer was orginally assigned as the Bombardier on B-17F, #41-24603 "Green Hornet" [BN-Y], 303BG/359BS on 10-Sep-42 at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas and arrived with the aircraft at Molesworth, UK on 22-Oct-42. Shot down 23 November 1942 in B-17 #41-24568 "Lady Fairweather" while serving as bombardier. Plane crashed in to Bay of Biscay. Killed in Action (KIA). Participated in 3 operations (1 abort).
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F 41-24568 "Lady Fairweather', assigned 359BS/303BG [BN-U] Bangor 9-October-42; Molesworth 25-October-42. The original crew flew to Molesworth 24/25-Oct-42 except for Borysiewicz. The aircraft also carried as a passenger Captain Abraham Black who...
B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17F #41-24603 "Green Hornet" [BN-Y], 303BG/359BS was assigned with a combat crew on 10-Sep-42 at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas then moved to Dow Field, Bangor, Maine 9-Oct-42; Arrived at Molesworth, UK on 22-Oct-42.
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18 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at Lorient and La Pallice, France are the Primary (P) targets for this mission. However, those at St. Nazaire, France are attacked by 21 B-17s of 303BG when they are mistaken for those of Lorient. The force attacking Lorient is composed...
22 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at Lorient, France are the Primary (P) target of this mission. A combined force of 68 B-17s despatched from 91BG (18), 303BG (18) 305BG (23) and 306BG (9) against the target but a 10/10 could cover prevents all but 11 from 303BG from...
23 November 1942
The U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France are the Primary (P) for this mission. A combined force of 50 B-17s despatched from 91BG (10), 303BG (12), 305BG (20) and 306BG (8) to attack this target. 91BG is not able to put any of their group on the target,...
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Assigned to Aircraft | Biggs Field, TX 79918, USA | 10 September 1942 |
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Assigned as Bombardier of B-17F 41-24603, "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas. |
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| Arrived at Station | Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 22 October 1942 |
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Arrived at Molesworth, UK with B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS. |
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| Mission #1 2LT John W. Plummer, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted | Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 |
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Assigned as Bombardier on B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet" on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France but the mission was aborted, no reason given in mission report. RTB OK. |
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| Mission #2 2LT John W. Plummer, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS | 18 November 1942 | |
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Served as Bombardier on B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
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| Killed in Action (KIA) | Belle Île, France | 23 November 1942 |
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Killed when the aircraft was shot down by German aircraft and crashed into the se near Belle-Ile en Mer, France. |
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| Mission #3 2LT John W. Plummer, w/B-17F 41-24568, 303BG/359BS | Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 |
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Served as Bombardier on B-17F 41-24568 "Lady Fairweather", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was shot down into the sea by German fighters and he was KIA. |
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| Commemorated | Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial, Madingley Road, Coton, Cambridgeshire CB23 7PH, UK | 1945 |
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Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 February 2020 19:35:58 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 17 February 2020 19:34:04 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2015 21:55:59 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 5-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-42. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2015 21:52:08 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 5-Dec-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2015 21:48:35 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 5-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Reoprt of 17-Nov-42. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2015 21:41:53 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 5-Dec-2015. Added Arrived at Station event per "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story", Roger A. Freeman with David Osborne, historical summary of B-17F 41-24603. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2015 21:38:40 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 5-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303Bg website, Gary Moncur, Historian, per Ellis J. Sanderson crew page. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2015 21:34:52 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 5-Dec-2015. Added assigment with 41-24603 and mission participation to Summary biography per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Ellis G. Sanderson crew page. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 December 2015 21:26:00 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 5-Dec-2015. Made connections to 41-24602 and all mission participations per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Reprots and crew pages of Ellis J. Sanderson and Arthur E. Reddig. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 December 2014 19:13:03 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 1-Dec-2014. Edited biography for crash location, added KI A event per MACR 15075; added Commemoration event per American Battle Monument Commission (ABMC) record. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 November 2014 22:38:40 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Nov-2014. Correction to loss date in description. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 06 November 2014 21:29:40 | Lee8thbuff | Changes to service number, biography, awards, events, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
Lee Cunningham 6-Nov-2014. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 15075; American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:16:50 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, MACR 15075 , Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. One by Bishop and Hey, p. 48 |
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