Claude F Taylor
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
(Back L-R)
1st Lt Lawrence G Dunnica (Pilot), 2nd Lt Orson E Pacey (CoPilot), 1st Lt Leonard E Thornton (Nav), 2nd Lt James H Montgomery (Bomb
(Front L-R)
T/Sgt Harry W Tucker (Eng), S/Sgt Philip T Cascio (Ball), T/Sgt Bertis W Holland (Radio), S/Sgt Robert L Dew (R Waist), S/Sgt Claude F Taylor (Tail).
Object Number - UPL 19175 - B-17F 41-24541 'Spook' Lawrence G Dunnica crew 358th BS, 303rd BG, 8th AF USAAF. (Back L-R) 1st Lt Lawrence G Dunnica (Pilot), 2nd Lt Orson E Pacey...
SSGT Claude F. Taylor was assigned as the Tail Gunner with 1LT Lawrence G. Dunnica's crew on B-17F #41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS. He arrived aboard the aircraft at Molesworth on 24-Oct-42. He participated in 12 Operations - 5 Aborted. He flew one of those operations as the Tail Gunner on B-17F #41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS. (See Biography events)
Killed in Action (KIA). Shot down 16-February 1943 in B-17F #41-24541 'Spook' while serving as Tail 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 Prisoners of War (POW).
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
Missions
![B-24 Liberators of the 44th Bomb Group fly over countryside. Image stamped on reverse: 'Planet News.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 16 Feb 1943.' [stamp] Printed caption on reverse: '7-12 Liberator planes of U.S. Bomber Command in flight at the start of an operational patrol from their base "somewhere in England". And February 17th 1943 PN'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379113.jpg.webp?itok=PMFn3r3H)
- Date: 16 February 1943
- Date: 14 February 1943
- Date: 4 February 1943
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 3 January 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Battle Creek, MI, USA | 3 September 1942 | Assigned as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS at Kellog Field, Battle Creek, Michigan. |
|
Other Arrived at Station |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 24 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on 24-Oct-42 |
|
Other Mission #1 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Loreint, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #2 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 | Served as Right Waist Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #3 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Right Waist Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #4 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Left Waist Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "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 #5 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #6 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures casued the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #7 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the torpedo storage areas at St. Nazaire, France, but mechanical failures casued the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #8 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the Fives Company Locomotive Works at Lille, France (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #9 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the port area of Lorient, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #10 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Osnabrück, Germany | 4 February 1943 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas NW of Osnabruck, Germany, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission. (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #11 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Hamm, Germany but weather forced the recall of all 303BG aircraft despatched. |
|
Other Mission #12 SSGT Claude F. Taylor w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS KIA |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 | Served as Tail Gunner in B-17F 42-24541 "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 |
Montana | ||
|
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 fighters and crashed into the English Channel off of the Brest Peninsula, France. His remains have never been recovered. |
Revisions
Corrected a typo in the "Summary biography" - "flew" was misspelled.
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #12 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 16-Feb-43; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/016.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #11 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #10 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 4-Feb-43; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/014.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 23-Jan-43; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Jan-43; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 3-Jan-43; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 30-Dec-42; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 20-Dec-42; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 23-Nov-42; Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf
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
Lee Cunningham 18-Aug-2015. Added Operation participation to Summary Biography; Made connections to ALL Mission participation; Added Assigned to Aircraft and Arrived at Station events per 303BG website 1LT Lawrence G. Dunnica crew page, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-358-dunnica.html
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.
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, WWII memorial web site, Might in Flight Daily Diary of Hell's Angels by Harry Gobrect pp. 137-8,
href="http://303rdbg.com/rost-tuv.html#T">http://303rdbg.com/rost-tuv.html#T> / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database