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Military
Pilot, Baer crew, 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed that they were running out of fuel and may not make it back to base. The crew was reported to be in dinghies in the North Sea. His body washed ashore on 4 February 1944 near great Yarmouth. Killed in Action (KIA). Originally buried in the Cambridge AMC.
Glen Ellyn, IL
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Noxon crew. Original member of the Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 1 December 1943 in B-17 #42-31111 'Four Aces-Pat Hand'. Mission #46 to the chemical plant at Leverkusen, Germany. MACR 1659. Killed in Action. The aircraft...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
Tail gunner, Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed they were running out of fuel and may not...
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 381st Bomb Group
Radio operator, Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch returning from mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 January 1944 on B-17 342-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed they were running out of fuel and may not...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 381st Bomb Group
Bombardier, Kemp crew. Original member of the Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Shot down 8 October 1943 in B-17 #42-3123 'Ron Chee'. Mission #36 to the shipyards at Bremen, Germany. MACR 1396. Killed in Action (KIA). Buried in the Ardennes AMC.
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Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 381st Bomb Group
Bombardier, Baer crew. Not an original member of the crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed that they...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
BTG, Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed they were running out of fuel and may not make it...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 381st Bomb Group
Co-pilot, Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed that the aircraft was out of fuel and may not...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
RWG, Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed they were running out of fuel and may not make it...
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 381st Bomb Group
LWG, Baer crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed they were running out of fuel and may not make it...
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 381st Bomb Group
Navigator, Baer crew. Not an original member of the crew. 381st BG, 535th BS, 8th AF. Forced to ditch in the North Sea on mission #62 to Brunswick, Germany on 30 Jan 1944 in B-17F #42-30029 'Chap's Flying Circus'. MACR 2495. Lt Baer radioed that they...
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Group
The 381st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Ridgewell, Essex between June 1943 and April 1945. The Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit Citations, the first for bombing shipyards at Bremen, whilst under heavy attack, on 8 October 1943 and...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 1/4/43; Pueblo 8/4/43; Smoky Hill 11/5/43; Dow Fd 21/5/43; Assigned 535BS/381BG [MS-P] Ridgewell 29/5/43 with Frank Chapman, Dick Robinson, Bill Hodge, Wilson Cupp, Otha Frost, Edwin Myers, Ed Pope, John Wardell, Bill Richardson, Bob...
14 October 1943
This was the 2nd mission flown against the ball bearing industry at Schweinfurt, Germany and was as equally disastrous as that flown on 17-Aug-43. It came to be known as "Black Thursday". While fighter escort was dispatched, bad weather and lack of...
18 October 1943
This was another attempt at launching at attack on the industrial areas of Duren, Germany. Both B-17 Groups and B-24 Groups were scheduled to participate, but the mission was recalled over the North Sea because of weather. One B-24 Failed to Return ...
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);...
3 November 1943
October 1943 turned out to be the worst loss rate for 8th Air Force for the entire war. 2,145 B-17s and 303 B-24s had been dispatched on missions. 163 B-17s had been lost (lost rate 7.5991%) and 9 B-24s were lost (loss rate 2.9703%). These loss rates...
5 November 1943
Having had good success with P-38 escorts and limiting penetration depth into Germany this mission is directed at the railroad marshaling yards and oil refinery at Gelsenkirchen, Germany. In addition the marshaling yards at Munster, Germany are also...
7 November 1943
This mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a force of 59 B-17s of 1st Bomb Division including 91BG (18) 351BG (20); and 381BG (21) despatched to bomb the industrial areas of Wesel, Germany. Failure of the Oboe equipment results in a...
26 November 1943
The industrial areas of Bremen, Germany are the target for this massive mission (largest to date) of 505 B-17s which included 14 B-17 Pathfinders from 482BG spread among the B-17 formations - 13 of these completed the mission and 7 were damaged.
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11 December 1943
This mission is a massive raid of 583 heavy bombers on the industrial areas of Emden, Germany. The first element is a combined force of 242 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (24); 92BG (18); 303BG (20); 305BG (21); 306BG (20); 351BG (40)...
30 December 1943
The port area and oil refineries at Ludwigshaven, Germany are the target for this massive attack of 710 heavy bombers. The despatch includes 12 PFF-equipped B-17s from 482BG, 11 of these are effective on the mission, 3 are damaged, and the bomber...
30 January 1944
This mission has the aviation industry at Brunswick, Germany as the primary target. The mission is composed of a combined force pf 777 heavy bomber aircraft despatched in three elements: 1st Bomb Division; 2nd Bomb Division and 3rd Bomb Division. The...
Military site : airfield
Built during 1941-42 as an RAF bomber station, Ridgewell operated as a satellite to RAF Stradishall until May 1943. It had three concrete runways, initially 36 pan hardstandings, and two dispersed T2 hangars. Taken over by the Eighth Air Force in June...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Glen Ellyn, Illinois, USA | |
| Based | 15 September 1943 – 30 January 1944 | |
| Killed in Action | North Sea | 30 January 1944 |
| Buried |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 19 February 2018 19:12:02 | ARowe95 | Changes to biography, events and place associations |
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ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 February 2018 19:10:14 | ARowe95 | Changes to biography |
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ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 19 February 2018 00:18:54 | ARowe95 | Changes to biography |
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ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 18 February 2018 21:28:13 | ARowe95 | Changes to highest rank, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations and mission associations |
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ARowe95 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:05:09 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
381st Bomb Group Memorial Association, March 1999; MACR 2495, 8th AF Losses, href="www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx">www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx> / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2495 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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