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.
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Donald James Wellings
Military
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1st Lt Donald James Wellings, 323BS, 91BG
Navigator Donald Wellings flew 30 missions with the 323rd Sqdn at Bassingbourn.
On 22nd March 1945 he married Lt. Martha Anne Viola a surgical nurse with the 163rd General Hospital, their honeymoon in Devon being enabled by a flight on B-17 43-38939 and - when he returned to the USA - re-trained as a pilot flying P-51's and P80's with the 56th Fighter Group. He did tours in Hawaii, Alaska and England and two postings with the Pentagon during his time in the service.
Service
Units served with
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91st Bomb Group The Ragged Irregulars
Group
The 91st Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated at Harding Field, Louisiana on 15-April-1942 and went to MacDill Field, Florida for the first phase of training from 16-May-1942 to 25-June-1942. The Group was then assigned to 2nd Air Force at Walla... -
323rd Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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43-38083 HAPPY VALLEY EXPRESS
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 24/6/44; Hunter 14/7/44; Dow Fd 23/7/44; Assigned 323BS/91BG [OR-V] Bassingbourn 11/8/44; 48m battle damaged Aschaffenburg 22/1/45 with Nelson Van Blarcom, ; flak KO’d two engines and cut out electrics, equipment was dumped to enable... -
43-38939 Peace or Bust
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Hunter 19/10/44; Dow Fd 27/10/44; Assigned 323BS/91BG [OR-A] Bassingbourn 2/12/44; (took nav Capt Wellings on honeymoon trip to Devon 22/3/44!); 37m severe battle damaged Coesfeld 11/4/45 with Lt Dean; force landed continent; Salvaged 9AF...
Associated Place
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Bassingbourn
Military site : airfield
Now home to a museum all about the aifield and its USAAF residents (http://www.towermuseumbassingbourn.co.uk/) , Bassingbourn opened in 1938 as part of the RAF's pre-war expansion programme. The RAF continued to use it until late in 1942 when its long...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Tacoma, WA | 26 July 1923 |
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Son of Donald and Martha Wellings. |
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| Based | Bassingbourn | 1944 – 1945 |
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Assigned to 323BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | Friday Harbor, WA | 23 October 2002 |
| Buried | Tahoma National Cemetery Kent, King County, WA | 27 October 2002 |
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Tahoma National Cemetery |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 20 December 2020 22:00:58 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, service number, highest rank, biography, awards, events, unit associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/312127450 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 February 2020 11:00:13 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.91stbombgroup.com/crewphotos/happy_valley_express.html |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 February 2020 10:59:20 | general ira snapsorter | Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nationality, highest rank, role, biography and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Biography completed by historian Helen Millgate. Information sourced from newsletters of the 91st Bomb Group related to the service of Donald Wellings. |
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