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Military
Hobart J. Beavers Radio Operator 388th BG - 562nd BS
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Assigned to 562BS, 388BG, 8AF USAAF. 13 combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Dessau 28-May-44 in B-17 42-102485 flak set off fire, crash landed Groenekaseweg, Holland. 28-May-44 Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 5316.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Comer's Crew flew 35 missions over France and Germany from Knettishall Air Base without a crew member being injured.
Military | Captain | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Major | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Shot down in a frontal attack by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-31135 'Suzy Sagtitz' crashed near Schoonebekerveld, Holland. Prisoner of War (POW). Held in POW camp Stalag Luft 1, Barth Vogelsang...
Military | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
On the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin on 6 Mar 1944, B-17G #42-37886 'Blitzin' Betsy' was severely damaged by attacks from several FW190s causing it to collide with another 388th B-17, exploding in mid-air and crashing near Emmen,...
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...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 16/2/44; Kearney 24/2/44; Presque Is 10/3/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 13/3/44; Missing in Action Magdeburg 12/9/44 with Gene Creagh (Killed in Action); Co-pilot: Capt Lucian Taylor, Navigator: Don Nicholson, Bombardier: Mitch...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 1/4/43; Pueblo 8/4/43; Smoky Hill 7/5/43; with W. Simpson force landed Selfridge 21/5/43; Assigned 532BS/381BG LUCKY LADY but not to UK; transferred 234 BU Gt Bend 3/6/44; 19BG Gt Bend 9/9/44; 1103 BU Morrison 22/1/45; 243 BU Gt Bend...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 24/4/43; Gore Fd 27/4/43; Cheyenne 2/5/43; Sioux City 13/5/43; Smoky Hill 11/6/43; Dow Fd 16/6/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 23/6/43 as CHARLENE; 15m transferred RCM 803BS Sculthorpe 19/1/44; Oulton 16/5/44; 36BS Cheddington...
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...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 25/9/43; Grand Island 9/10/43; Romulus 12/10/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 26/10/43 BOOMERANG; Missing in Action Frankfurt 20/3/33 with Joe Patterson, Co-pilot: Max Stewart, Navigator: Paul Cheek, Bombardier: Larry Barnett,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 7/10/43; Gr Island 17/10/43; Gt Falls 23/10/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 9/11/43; target Berlin 19/5/44 with Don Salles, Co-pilot: Homer Andrews, Navigator: Jack Barcus, Bombardier: Tom Matthews, Flight engineer/top turret...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 2/10/43; Gr Island 21/10/43; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 25/10/43; Missing in Action Berlin 6/3/44 with Lowell Watts captured by civilians, Co-pilot: Bob Kennedy, Navigator: Emmett Murphy, Bombardier: Ed Kelley, Flight engineer...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Dorval 12/2/44; Assigned RAF [HB-775]; transferred 561BS/388BG Knettishall 18/3/44; battle damaged Frankfurt 5/1/45 with John Edelman, Herb Drumheller, Jim Edens, Bradley Jewett, Nick Peters, Clarry Gieck (6 Returned to Duty); Dan McBride,...
26 November 1943
The industrial areas of Bremen, Germany are the target for this massive mission (largest to date) of 505 B-17s which included 14 B-17 Pathfinders from 482BG spread among the B-17 formations - 13 of these completed the mission and 7 were damaged.
...
29 November 1943
This is another massive raid on Bremen, Germany by a force of 360 B-17s. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 182 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 94BG (40); 95BG (20); 96BG (41); 100BG (20);...
30 November 1943
This mission is directed at a single target - the industrial areas of Solingen, Germany. The mission consists of three elements. The first element is a force of 221 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (24); 92BG (20); 303BG (20); 305BG (16...
11 December 1943
This mission is a massive raid of 583 heavy bombers on the industrial areas of Emden, Germany. The first element is a combined force of 242 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG (24); 92BG (18); 303BG (20); 305BG (21); 306BG (20); 351BG (40)...
22 December 1943
This mission is composed of two forces directed at two separate targets, the communication centers at Osnabruck and Munster, Germany. The force attacking at Osnabruck is composed of two elements. The first element is composed of 227 B-17s (2 are PFF...
24 December 1943
This mission is directed at V-Weapon sites in the Pas-de-Calaise area of France. The attacks are made between 1330-1510hrs. The mission is composed of three elements. The first element is a force of 277 B-17s from 1st Bomb Division that included: 91BG ...
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...
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...
14 January 1944
This mission is a combined effort of 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bomb Divisions to attack V-Weapon sites near the French coast near Pas-de-Calaise. Some targets of opportunity were also bombed. A total of 20 out of 21 V-Weapon sites are hit with varying results.
...
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...
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...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | War, West Virginia | 18 November 1923 |
| Lived in | War, WV | February 1942 |
| Enlisted | Huntington, WV | 2 October 1942 |
| 388th BG Combat Tour | Knettishall Airfield, UK | 26 November 1943 – 30 August 1944 |
| Died | 21 March 1988 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 19 August 2020 00:45:55 | 466thHistorian | Changes to middlename, firstname, nickname, service number, highest rank, awards, events, person associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&dbid=2238&h=13226504... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:13:22 | 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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