Alan Eugene Magee

Military
media-48655.jpeg UPL 48655 Staff Sgt. Alan Magee, of Plainfield New Jersey

Object Number - UPL 48655 - Staff Sgt. Alan Magee, of Plainfield New Jersey

Jun-42 Assigned as a Ball Turret Gunner with the 303BG/360BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. 303BG records to do not indicate that we was permanently assigned to a crew and do not specify when he arrived in the UK.



3-Jan-43 Shot down while serving as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24620 "Snap! Crackle! Pop!", 303BG/360BS while on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. he was wounded in his Ball Turret and discovered that his chest pack had a large hole in the middle. He made his way to the bomb bay waiting for T/Sgt Alfred M. Union (R) to bail out. The B-17 exploded before he could bail out and he was tossed out unconscious from the B-17 without a parachute. He fell over 20,000 feet and crashed onto the glass roof of the St. Nazaire railroad station and tangled in the steel girders. He was badly wounded. His arm was nearly torn off and had badly damaged teeth, legs, knees and ankles. Was cut down from the roof by German soldiers. He was well treated by German doctors in a series of hospitals and at his POW camp. After his rescue in St. Nazaire, and his miraculous survival, he stated: "I don't know how I got there, but here I am, thanks to God. See the Alan Magee Story "20,000 Feet Without a Chute". http://www.303rdbg.com/magee.html



Participated in 7 Operations



Air Medal, Purple Heart, Prisoner of War medal.

Connections

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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: Garbage
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
A B-17F Flying Fortress (serial number 41-24585) formerly of the 303rd Bomb Group, in Luftwaffe markings after being captured by the Germans. Handwritten caption on reverse: '303BG lost 12/12/42.'
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Wulfe Hound
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Snap! Crackle! Pop!
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Shak Hak
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
Two airmen of the 303rd Bomb Group admire the nose art of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Iza Vailable". Printed caption removed from reverse. On reverse: Keystone Press Agency, 'Sacred' and U.S. Official Photograph O.W.I. [Stamps].
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Iza Vailable
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Plainfield, New Jersey 13 January 1919

Other

Mission #1, SSGT Alan E. Magee, w/B-17F 42-2967, 303BG/360BS

Saint-Nazaire, France 17 November 1942 Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #2, SSGT Alan E. Magee, w/B-17F 42-2967, 303BG/360BS

18 November 1942 Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-2967 "Shak Hak", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #3, SSGT Alan E. Magee, w/B-17F 41-24602, 303BG/360BS

22 November 1942 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24602 "Yardbird II", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #4, SSGT Alan E. Magee, w/B-17F 41-24585, 303BG/360BS

Lille, France 6 December 1942 Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24585 "Wulf Hund", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #5, SSGT Alan E. Magee, w/B-17F 41-24602, 303BG/360BS

Romilly-sur-Seine, France 20 December 1942 Served as Left Waist Gunner on B-17F 41-24602 "Yardbird II", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #6, SSGT Alan E. Magee, w/B-17 42-2973, 303BG/360BS

Lorient, France 30 December 1942 Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-2973 "Iza Vailable", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK.

Other

Mission #7, SSGT Alan E. Magee, w/B-17 41-24620, 303BG/360BS WIA/POW

Lorient, France 3 January 1943 Served as Ball Turret Gunner on B-17F 41-24620 "Snap! Crackle! Pop!", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. The aircraft was shot down and crashed but although serious;y wounded he managed to bail out and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW)

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Krems an der Donau, Austria 3 January 1943 - 3 July 1945 Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems), Austria. Recovered from his wounds while interred as a POW. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 3-Jul-45.

Died

San Angelo, Texas, USA 20 December 2003

Other

Assigned to Unit

Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA Assigned as an Aerial Gunner with the 303BG/360BS at Amalogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Buried

Grape Creek, Texas, USA Pioneer Memorial Park

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added his middle name per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 33587420.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added birth, death & burial events per info for Find-a-grave MEMORIAL ID 33587420.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Correctd typos in the event descriptions.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Corrected the mis-spelling of "U-Boat" in the "Summary biography".

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 13-Feb-2016. Added loss details and made a connecting link to his story http://www.303rdbg.com/magee.html

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 27-Jan-2016. Correcting typo in Summary Biography.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Prisoner of War event per National Archives & Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW databse.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 30-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Reoprt of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Reoprt of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Reoprt of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission REoprt of 17-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/001.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added Assigned to Unit event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Paul F. Flickenger crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-flickenger.html

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Jan-2016. Added New Person entry per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Paul F. Flickenger crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-360-flickenger.html

Alan Eugene Magee: Gallery (1 items)