John Abrell
Military | Captain | Pilot | 385th Bomb Group
Shot down 18 April 1944 in B-17 42-97569. Killed in Action (KIA).
Killed instantly when a 20mm shell from an attacking fighter exploded inside the cockpit.
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William McKenney Crabb
Military
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Raymond J. Campbell Crew 388th BG - 560th BS - 8th AF Standing L to R: Ray James Campbell (P), Riggs M. Tucker (CP), William M. Crabb (B), Ray H. Uhlinger (RN) Kneeling L to R: Anthony D. Kawalec (FE), Bernard Brooks (WG), Dale D. McIntyre (RO), Aubrey R. Stanton (BTG), John F. Marr (WG), Myles A. Johns (TG)
Service
People
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Ray Campbell
Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Units served with
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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... -
96th Bomb Group
Group
The 96th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses to targets across occupied Europe from May 1943 to April 1945. ... -
560th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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42-30212 Quarterback
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 14/5/43; Smoky Hill 11/6/43; Dow Fd 16/6/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 17/6/43; transferred Aphrodite project, Missing in Action V-sites, Watten 6/8/44 with Lt Joeseph P Andrecheck & T/Sgt Raymond Healy (2... -
42-37819
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 10/9/43; Scott 7/10/43; Assigned 560BS/388BG Knettishall 25/10/43; Missing in Action Berlin 8/3/44 with Len Tobias, Co-pilot: Walt Yurkurtat, Navigator: Herb Gotha, Bombardier: Alf Hano (4 Killed in Action); Flight engineer/top... -
42-37849 'MISS FORTUNE'
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 20/9/43; Gr Island 30/9/43; Assigned 560BS/388BG Knettishall 11/10/43; damaged in taxi accident with Ken Kuehl 15/2/45; sal 31/5/45. MISS FORTUNE. -
42-37867 'BERLIN AMBASSADOR'
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 24/9/43; Gr Island 7/10/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 15/10/43; Missing in Action Oschersleben 11/1/44 with Gustav Hoehn, Navigator: Don Modarelli, Radio Operator: Byron Wibergwia, but died in hospital four days later, Ball... -
42-39842 Miss Lace
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 17/9/43; Scott 21/10/43; Assigned 388BG Knettishall 26/10/43; sal 9AF Germany 19/9/45. -
42-97569
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 23/12/43; Salt Lake City 27/12/43; 1SAG Langley 12/1/44; Assigned 94BG Rougham 3/2/44; transferred 413BS/96BG [MZ-M] Snetterton 4/2/44; Missing in Action Brandenburg 18/4/44 with John Abrell (Killed in Action) + 385BG crew; Navigator:...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 169
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... -
VIII Bomber Command 171
31 December 1943
This mission is the last heavy bomber operation of 1943. 1943 had been a very "tough" year for the 8th Air Force in the European Theater of Operations (ETO). 23365 B-17s had been despatched on missions and 881 had Failed to Return (FTR) for a loss... -
8th Air Force 174
4 January 1944
The port area of Kiel, Germany and the railroad marshalling yards at Munster, Germany are the Primary targets of this Mission which is organised as two elements: one going to Kiel and the other to Munster. Roger A. Freeman begins to designate aircraft... -
8th Air Force 178
7 January 1944
The industrial areas of Ludwigshaven, Germany are the primary target for this mission. The formation has three elements. The bomber gunners of the entire force claim 30-6-17 of attacking German aircraft. ... -
8th Air Force 182
11 January 1944
Three aviation industry targets in Germany are bombed. The bomber force consists of 291 B-17s despatched from 1st Bomb Division in two elements, one element of 177 B-17s is despatched to Oschersleben, Germany as the primary target, the other 1BD... -
8th Air Force 187
21 January 1944
This mission is directed at 36 V-Weapon sites (34 in the Pas-de-Calaise area and 2 in the Chrebourg area of France) 24 of these are bombed successfully. All three Bomb Divisions participate in the attacks and the bomber gunners claimed 5-1-2 of... -
VIII Bomber Command 191
24 January 1944
The primary target of this mission was the Zukunft power station at Eschweilier, Germany. The mision was composed of 563 bombers three elements from 1BD, 2BD and 3BD. The despatch from 2BD was recalled doe to weather before it could take off. Mission... -
8th Air Force 198
29 January 1944
The primary target for this mission was the railroad marshalling yards and industrial areas of Frankfurt, Germany. A combined force of 863 heavy bombers were despatched in three elements to make the attack. The combined bomber gunner claims on enemy... -
8th Air Force 200
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... -
8th Air Force 206
3 February 1944
The port area and Naval facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Germany was the primary target for this mission. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bomb Divisions all participated. ...
Associated Place
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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... -
Snetterton Heath
Military site : airfield
Intended to be an RAF bomber base, construction of Snetterton Heath started in Autumn 1942 but continued until mid-1943, because it was extended after allocation as an Eighth Air Force bomber base. It had eventually three concrete runways, 50...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Louisville, Kentucky | 24 December 1921 |
| Lived in | Coral Ridge, KY | 16 February 1942 |
| Enlisted | Louisville, KY | 10 April 1942 |
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Bowman AAF |
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| 388th BG Combat Tour | Knettishall Airfield, UK | 30 December 1943 – 10 February 1944 |
| Shot Down/Captured | Rathenow, Germany | 18 April 1944 |
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Shot down on a 96th BG a/c with what was apparently a 385th BG Crew with a 96th BG lead pilot. His POW record lists Crabb as being part of the 388th BG even though he had apparently flown his last mission with the 388th in February 1944 |
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| POW | Zagan, Poland | 25 April 1944 – May 1945 |
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Stalag Luft III (dates are approximate) |
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| Died | Louisville, KY | 30 July 2000 |
| Buried | Louisville, KY | 2 August 2000 |
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Calvary Cemetery |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 10 November 2020 02:29:41 | 466thHistorian | Changes to middlename, service number, highest rank, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.388bg.com/servlet/Controller?pageType=detail&id=388-I-CRA01-0... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:28:30 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / www.388bg.info/Personnel.html |
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