Eugene A Lanning

Military

Prisoner of War (POW). 17 April 1943 on a mission to Bremen when ac # B17 41-24467 'The Grim Reaper' was damaged by flak before reaching the target. After dropping bombs, 5 fighters attacked the plane. With the plane on fire, Pilot Lally ordered a bail out and the crew made a heroic effort detailed by Strong on pp. 88-89. On the WWII Memorial site has an entry fromhis wife that cites that he filled in for an ill radio operator on the mission and knew no one on the plane. Her entry also states that after bailout, he was shot in the thigh. NARA Prisoner of War (POW) records that he was a prisoner in Stalag 17B.



POW

Connections

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Units served with

Official insignia of the 306th Bomb Group, approved 6 January 1943, and updated 2 October 1951.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: The Grim Reaper
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Beloit, Wisconsin

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Germany 17 April 1943

Revisions

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

306th BG Association Directory, 1 September 1999 Edition; MACR 15525, Losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces Vol. 1 p. 105 by Bishop and Hey, First Over Germany pp. 85-92 by R. Strong. , WWII Memorial web site, NARA POW web site / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15525 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database