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Kenneth L Eccleston

Military

  • 563rd Bomb Squadron crew in front of B-17 42-30193

    563rd Bomb Squadron crew in front of B-17 42-30193 "Hardluck".

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  • A bomber crew of the 388th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30193) nicknamed

    A bomber crew of the 388th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30193) nicknamed "Hard Luck". Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Eceleston crew.' Kenneth L. Eccleston Crew 388th BG - 561st BS Standing Left to Right: Kenneth L. Eccleston (P), Riley F. Bisonette (CP), John K. Dorsett (N), Milton Fletcher (B) Kneeling Left to Right: David L. Ceely (TG), Norman D. Gallagher (FE), Joseph J. Molinari (BTG), David F. Holliman (WG/FE), George B. Doyle (R/O), Ivan Clark (WG) Gallagher left the crew after 5 missions. He was later KIA flying with the Sundstrom Crew on 9 April 1944. Hollman took over as flight engineer. Bisonette flew six additional mission as pilot of his own crew.

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  • 563rd Bomb Squadron crew in front of B-17 42-30193

    563rd Bomb Squadron crew in front of B-17 42-30193 "Hardluck". See Media entry UPL 20795 for listed crew members' entries.

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Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #42-31084. Killed in Action (KIA).

AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster

Service

People

  • Charles Bein

    Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #42-31084, Killed in Action (KIA). AM w/ 2 Oak Leaf Cluster

  • Riley Bissonette

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot/Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
    Crash landed while on a cross-country training flight in B17#42-37844. RTD

  • David Ceely

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084. Killed in Action (KIA). DFC/ AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ PH

  • Ivan Clark

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Left Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 42-31084. Killed in Action (KIA). DFC/ AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ PH

  • George Doyle

    Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Radio Operator | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084. Killed in Action (KIA). PH

  • David Holliman

    Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Right Waist Gunner/Flight Engineer - Top Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084. Killed in Action (KIA). AM w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster Flew his first 3 missions (plus 3 aborts) as a waist gunner. Flew the remainder of his tour as Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner

  • Joseph Molinari

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084. Killed in Action (KIA). Earlier 10/14/43 on takeoff for Schweinfurt in B17#42-30193 'Hard Luck', no. 3 engine caught fire during take off with 10 bombs aboard. Lt. Swith retracted landing gear to avoid trees...

  • Thomas Toolin

    Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
    Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-17 #4231084 on mission to Bremen. Killed in Action (KIA). Earlier 24 November 1943 crash landed while on a cross-country training flight in B17#42-37844. RTD

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Units served with

  • 388th Bomb Group

    388th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...

  • 561st Bomb Squadron

    561st Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

  • 42-31084

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 16/9/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 9/10/43; Missing in Action Bremen 20/12/43 with Ken Eccleston, Co-pilot: Pete Schou, Navigator: John Dorsett, Bombardier: Tom Tollin, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Joe Molinari, Radio...

Associated Place

  • Knettishall

    Military site : airfield
    Knettishall was built to Class A standard for an American Bomb Group that would be bringing up to forty heavy bombers with them in three or four Squadrons. The 388th Bomb Group, which stayed at Knettishall for their entire service in the ETO, flew B-17...

Events

Event Location Date
Born Raymond, New Hampshire, USA 29 January 1923
Lived in Rockingham County, NH, USA 1942
Enlisted Manchester, NH, USA 21 January 1942
Killed in Action (KIA) Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany 20 December 1943

Flak at the Target area was very intense and every plane suffered battle damage. Lt. Eccleston, in a/c 42-31084, was lost due to this flak; and, when last seen at 1212 hours, he was going down with his bomb bay doors open and on fire.
Buried 1945

Tablets of The Missing
Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial • Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
O-794648
Highest rank
Lieutenant
Role/job
Pilot
Awards
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
01 April 2020 02:21:37 jmoore43 Changes to biography
Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Date Contributor Update
17 December 2017 01:21:40 466thHistorian Changes to events
Sources

http://www.388bg.info/servlet/Controller?pageType=detail&id=388-I-ECC01-...
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56289427/kenneth-l-eccleston
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:17:56 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

ABMC; MACR 3154 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3154 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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