Loran Chas Biddle | American Air Museum in Britain

"Lt. Kruse and crew of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group, beside a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. England, 20 July 1943." Rear L-R: 2Lt Calder L Wise, 1Lt John W Hendry, 1Lt Richard L Kruse, 1Lt Bernard T McNamara, 2Lt Richard E. Webster. Front L-R: S/Sgt John C Arasin, S/Sgt John J Doherty, T/Sgt James J Brown, S/Sgt Olwin L Humphries, S/Sgt Howard L. Abney, T/Sgt Loran C Biddle.

Show caption About this image

Assigned to 358BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 20-Oct-43 in B-17 41-24629. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 1032

Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Service

8th Air Force

Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945. ...
303rd Bomb Group

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...
358th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

41-24416 'Black Diamond Express'

B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 326BS/92BG Bangor 16/7/42; 95BG Horham /43; 359BS/303BG [BN-V] Molesworth, 17/6/43; Returned to the USA Sheppard 5/7/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 26/10/45. BLACK DIAMOND EXPRESS.
41-24629

B-17 Flying Fortress
Assigned 369BS/306BG [WW-O] Cheyenne 13/9/42; Thurleigh 23/1/43; transferred 358BS/303BG Molesworth [VK-G] 25/9/43; 4m Missing in Action Duren 20/10/43 with John Hendry, Navigator: Bernie McNamara, Bombardier: Dick Webster Wounded in Action, Flight...

VIII Bomber Command 85

19 August 1943
The German airfields at Gilze-Rijen, Holland and Woensdrecht, Holland are the targets for this mission. The attacks will be made by two elements. The first element is a combined force of 125 B-17s from: 91BG (8); 92BG (19); 303BG (20); 305BG (19);...
VIII Bomber Command 116

20 October 1943
The primary target for this mission is the industrial areas of Duren, Germany. The mission is composed of three elements. The first element is a combined formation of 103 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that includes: 91BG (3); 92BG (14); 303BG (19);...

Molesworth

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...
Stalag Luft III

Other location
Dulag Luft 12

Other location

Event	Location	Date
Born	Fort Sheridan, IL	17 October 1919
Son of Loran and Maude Biddle.
Enlisted	Fort Sheridan, IL	15 October 1941
Fort Sheridan, IL
Baled out POW	Valenciennes, Belgium	20 October 1943
Shot down 20-Oct-43 in B-17 41-24629. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 1032
Discharged USAAF		3 October 1945
Honourable discharge.
Died	Melrose Park, IL	5 January 1983
Prisoner of War (POW)	Zagan, Poland	20 October 19493 – May 1945
Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft III.

Date	Contributor	Update
22 December 2018 11:52:58	Al_Skiff	Changes to middlename, service number, biography, events, place associations and mission associations
Sources
https://www.fold3.com/image/28604832 https://www.fold3.com/record/40304195-loran-biddle https://www.fold3.com/record/620788566-loran-biddle-1919 https://www.fold3.com/image/98531296?terms=Loran%20Biddle
Date	Contributor	Update
21 December 2018 17:21:31	Al_Skiff	Changes to unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources
Key Image ID.
Date	Contributor	Update
27 September 2014 18:19:03	AAM	AAM ingest
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1032 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database