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15th Bomb Squadron

Squadron

  • A bomber crew of the 15th Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Group with an RAF Douglas Boston of No 226 Squadron, after being awarded medals, 4 July 1942. From left to right, they are Sergeant Bennie B Cunningham, Sergeant Robert L Golay, Second Lieutenant Randall Dorton and Major Charles C Kegelman. Image stamped on reverse: 'Passed for Publication 11 Jul 1942.' [stamp], 'Not to be published until 12/7/42.' [stamp], 'Keystone Press.' [stamp], 'USA (NIR)CCC.' [written annotation] and '209807.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'Members of the crew of the Boston Bomber, photographed after they they had been decorated, in front of a Boston Bomber. (L to R) Sgt B B Cunningham of Tupelo, Miss; Sgt R L Golay of Fredonia ,Kansas; Second-Lieut M Dorton of Long Beach and Major Charles C Kegelman, U.S. Air Chief decorates first American airmen to operate in Europe. 11.7.42. Major General Spaatz, chief of American Air Forces in this country, today decorated a crew of a Boston bomber which took part in the 4th of July (American independence day) daylight raid on Holland.'

    A bomber crew of the 15th Bomb Squadron, 301st Bomb Group with an RAF Douglas Boston of No 226 Squadron, after being awarded medals, 4 July 1942. From left to right, they are Sergeant Bennie B Cunningham, Sergeant Robert L Golay, Second Lieutenant Randall Dorton and Major Charles C Kegelman. Image stamped on reverse: 'Passed for Publication 11 Jul 1942.' [stamp], 'Not to be published until 12/7/42.' [stamp], 'Keystone Press.' [stamp], 'USA (NIR)CCC.' [written annotation] and '209807.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'Members of the crew of the Boston Bomber, photographed after they they had been decorated, in front of a Boston Bomber. (L to R) Sgt B B Cunningham of Tupelo, Miss; Sgt R L Golay of Fredonia ,Kansas; Second-Lieut M Dorton of Long Beach and Major Charles C Kegelman, U.S. Air Chief decorates first American airmen to operate in Europe. 11.7.42. Major General Spaatz, chief of American Air Forces in this country, today decorated a crew of a Boston bomber which took part in the 4th of July (American independence day) daylight raid on Holland.'

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  • Capt John C Fitch, 15BS, 12AF walking away from the belly landing he made in an Me110E Oct-43 Italy. Fitch had been flying the captured fighter to train US air gunners, when he was hit and had to belly in. Fitch later flew P-51D's for 4th Fighter Group.

    Capt John C Fitch, 15BS, 12AF walking away from the belly landing he made in an Me110E Oct-43 Italy. Fitch had been flying the captured fighter to train US air gunners, when he was hit and had to belly in. Fitch later flew P-51D's for 4th Fighter Group.

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The 15th Bomb Squadron was the first US bomb unit sent to UK. Flying personnel arrived at Newport without aircraft on 13 May 1942.

The 15th Bomb Squadron flew five light bombing missions in DB-7 A-20 Bostons from the UK before being reassigned to the Twelfth Air Force at Mediouna, Algeria from 15-Oct-1942 to 1-Oct-1943. They were later absorbed by the 47th Bomb Group.

Structure

Part of
Not yet known
Encompassing
Not yet known
Previously was
Not yet known
Became
Not yet known

Missions

  • RAF Bomber Command

    29 June 1942
    Bomber Command War Diaries: ...

  • RAF Bomber Command

    12 July 1942
    Bomber Command War Diaries: ...

  • VIII Bomber Command 9

    5 September 1942
    15BS despatches 12 DB-7 A-20 bombers to attack the port area of Le Harve, France. 1st mission for 15BS under 8th AF control; 97BG & 301BG attack the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen/ Sotteville, France.

  • VIII Bomber Command 10

    6 September 1942
    15BS despatches 12 DB-7 A-20 Boston IIIs to attack the German airfield of Drucat at Abbeville, France; 92BG & 97BG together despatach 51 B-17s to bomb the Avion Portez aircraft factory ar Meaulte, France; 301BG despatches 13 B-17s to attack German...

  • VIII Bomber Command 13

    2 October 1942
    97BG and 301BG together despatch 43 B-17s to bomb the Avion Portez aircraft factory ar Meaulte, France; 97BG also despatches 6 B-17s to attack the German airfield Longuenesse at St. Omer, France which is intended as a diversion to the main attack at...

Stations

Station Location Date
Arrived in UK Newport 13 May 1942
Based Grafton Underwood 14 May 1942 – 9 June 1942
Based Molesworth 9 June 1942 – 13 September 1942
Based Podington 13 September 1942 – 15 October 42

Connections

People

  • John Fitch

    Military | Captain | Fighter pilot
    Assigned to 15BS, 12AF flying A-20 Havoc's flying more than 50 bombing missions. Transferred to 335FS, 4FG, 8AF USAAF. Credited 1/2 kill (Me262). Whilst carrying out a third strafing pass on a train, shot down 4 miles SW Neumarkt, Germany in P-51D 44...

  • Boyd Grant

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 97th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA)/On 4 July 1942 t/o from Swanton Morley at 0714 hrs. Shot down by flak and broke up in air north of Bergen-aan-Zee, Holland. Lt. Grant was on special assignment from the 97th BG/414th BS. Two crew, the pilot and the doral gunner...

  • Charles Kegelman

    Military | Major | Pilot | 301st Bomb Group
    Kegelman received the Distinguished Flying Cross for the 8th Air Force's first bombing action over Europe on 4 July 1942. The right propeller of his Douglas Boston was shot away by flak while over the target at De Koog. Further ground fire caused...

  • Charles Kramarewicz

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Dorsal Gunner
    Assigned to the 15th Bombardment Squadron (Light) attached to 226th Squadron RAF and was Killed in Action (KIA) on 4-Jul-1942 while serving as a Dorsal Gunner in the crew of 2Lt. William G. Lynn, Jr. on a Boston III (A-20), tail number AL741, which was...

  • Frederick Loehrl

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot
    Boston III AL677 MQ-P (a RAF training plane borrowed for the unit until US planes arrived) was shot down by flak and crashed on sandbar opposite DeKooij af, Island of Texel, Holland. 15th BG was a liaison squadron.

  • William Lynn

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot
    First American airman of the Eighth Air Force who went down while flying in RAF Boston over occupied territory. Mission was to Holland and was first mission from England for the 8th AAF. This happened on 4 July 1942 and we have no record of his MACR...

  • Charles Mente

    Military | Second Lieutenant
    On 1 July 42 crashed 200 yards west of Molesworth airfield on approach, killing the crew of 2. A/c was on loan from 107th Squadron RAF, while the 15th BS was attached to 226 Squadron RAF, Swanton Morley. Originally buried in adjoing plots at Brookwood,...

  • William Murphy

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Gunner
    Killed in Action (KIA)/On 4 July 1942. Take off from Swanton Morley at 0714 hrs. Shot down by flak and broke up in air north of Bergen-aan-Zee, Holland.

  • Jerome Notowitz

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 27th Fighter Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) in Boston III AL 381 which hit high tension wires near Thrapston.

  • Harold Radetsky

    Military | Colonel | Pilot, Squadron Commander, 15th bomb squadron
    Col. Harold A. Radetsky, USAAF. Most of his World War II years were spent overseas, initially participating as an "A-20" bomber pilot with the first U.S. military unit, 15th Bomb Squadron, to attack occupied Europe from England on July 4, 1942. The...

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Aircraft

  • AL677

    A-20 Havoc
    Aircraft was originally part of the complement of 226 Squadron RAF but given over to 15th Bombardment Squadron to be flown by an American crew. The aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and crashed on Texel Island, Holland while on a mission to...

  • AL741

    A-20 Havoc

Citations

None

Air Force
8th
Type
Combat
Type category
Bombardment
Nicknames
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Motto
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Insignia
Not yet known
Aircraft used
  • A-20 Havoc

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
14 August 2019 10:11:09 Emily Changes to description and stations
Sources

USAAF Combat Chronology
Date Contributor Update
13 March 2015 16:10:22 rossingtonj Changes to type and mission associations
Sources

Type added.
Date Contributor Update
07 November 2014 17:44:44 Lee8thbuff Changes to description, mission associations and stations
Sources

Lee Cunningham 7-Nov-2014. Added station info. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/15th_Bombardment_Squadron
Date Contributor Update
26 October 2014 18:14:44 Lee8thbuff Changes to description, air forces, aircraft types and mission associations
Sources

Lee Cunningham 26-Oct-2014. "USAAF Combat Chronology" Jack McKillop, "Mighty Eighth War Diary" Roger A. Freeman.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:42:47 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / The Mighty Eighth. A History of the Units, Men and Machines of the US 8th Air Force.' by Roger A. Freeman (1989). 'Air Force Combat Units of World War II' compiled by the Department of the US Air Force, edited by Maurice Maurer (1983).

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