Wayne E Harker

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

SGT Wayne P. Harker was assigned as the Left Waist Gunner with 1LT Lawrence G. Dunnica's crew on B-17F #1-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS sometime after it arrived at Molesworth on 24-Oct-42. Flew 11 Operations - 4 Aborted, one of the operations was as Right Waist Gunner in B-17F #41-24577 "Hell's Angels", 303BG/358BS (See Biography events)



16-Feb-43 - Shot down in B-17F #41-24541 'Spook', 303Bg/358BS while serving as Left Waist Gunner. Aircraft was attacked by ME-109s when it descended to assist another aircraft. Went down in Channel off Brest Peninsula. The target was St. Nazaire. Killed in Action (KIA). 4 crew members survived to become Prisoner of War (POW)s



Air Medal, Purple Heart

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Official emblem of the 303rd Bomb Group approved 7 November 1942.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Spook
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron
A B-17 Flying Fortress (VK-D, serial number 41-24577) nicknamed "Hell's Angel" of the 358th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group in flight. Passed for publication 21 Aug 1943. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Hell's Angel. L1721/29.' Printed caption on reverse of print: 'A Flying Fortress wearing the new recognition symbol of the U.S.A.A.F. and fitted with toughened glass "windows" in the air.' On reverse: The Aeroplane Ltd, US Army Press Censor ETO and US Army General Section Press & Censorship Bureau [Stamps
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Hell's Angels
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 358th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Mission #1 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F #41-24541, 303BG/358BS

Lorient, France 22 November 1942 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F #41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France (RTB OK).

Other

Mission #2 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F #41-24541, 303BG/358BS

Lille, France 6 December 1942 Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F #41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France (RTB OK)

Other

Mission #3 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted

Rouen, France 12 December 1942 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK).

Other

Mission #4 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS

Romilly-sur-Seine, France 20 December 1942 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France (RTB OK)

Other

Mission #5 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted

Lorient, France 30 December 1942 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK)

Other

Mission #6 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted

Saint-Nazaire, France 3 January 1943 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the torpedo storage areas as St. Nazaire, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK)

Other

Mission #7 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS

Lille, France 13 January 1943 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the Five Company Locomotives Works at Lille, France (RTB OK).

Other

Mission #8 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS

Lorient, France 23 January 1943 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the port area of Lorient, France (RTB OK).

Other

Mission #9 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24577, 303BG/358BS

Osnabrück, Germany 4 February 1943 Served as Right Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24577 "Hell's Angels", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas NW of Osnabruck, Germany (RTB OK).

Other

Mission #10 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted

Hamm, Germany 14 February 1943 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Hamm, Germany but weathed forced a recall of the entire despatch from 303BG (RTB OK)

Other

Mission #11 SGT Wayne P. Harker w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS KIA

Saint-Nazaire, France 16 February 1943 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the port area of St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was shot down by German fighters and he was Killed in Action (KIA)

Born

Ohio

Other

Commemorated

Saint-James, France Commemorated on the Wall of the Missing, Brittany American Cemetery.

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

English Channel 16 February 1943 Killed when aircraft was shot down by enemy aircraft and crashed into the English Channel off of the Brest Peninsula, France. His remains have never been recovered.

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Capitalized the words "Waist Gunner" in the "Role/job" field.

 

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Description on assignment details and removed those two event from the Biography events based on 303BG crew page on Dunnica,

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #11 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 16-Feb-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #10 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 4-Feb-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/014.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 23-Jan-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Jan-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 3-Jan-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 30-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 20-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 12-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015 Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 22-Nov-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Operation participation to Summary Biography and Assigned to AIrcraft and Arrived at Station events per Lawrence G. Dunnica crew page, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-358-dunnica.html

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 19-Feb-2015 . Confirmed SN added KIA event per MACR 15476; Added decorations and Commemorated event per American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) record; Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Added crew position and minor edits to Biography based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15476 / MACR 15476, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 77, NARA web site, Might in Flight Daily Diary of Hell's Angels by Harry Gobrect pp. 137-8 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database