Horace D Bowman
MilitaryThis is information and pictures my mother had on her brother Frank W Greene.
10-Sep-42 Assigned as Co-Pilot of B-17F #41-24603 [BN-Y] "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS at Biggs Field, El Paso Texas and arrived at Molesworth, UK aboard that aircraft on 22-Oct-42.
Shot down 23 January 1943 in B-17F #41-24603 'Green Hornet' while serving as Co-Pilot. Flak knocked out 3 engines and aircraft was attacked by FW 190s. Except for 1Lt Sanderson and copilot Bowman, all crew bailed out. The pilots decided to stay in the plane as only 1 parachute was available. Crash landed near Motreff, France and he became a Prisoner of War (POW).
Participated in 8 Operations (3 were aborted) See Biography events.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-435855
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: The Green Hornet
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 359th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 13 January 1943
- Date: 3 January 1943
- Date: 30 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 20 December 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Biggs Field, TX 79918, USA | 10 September 1942 | Assigned as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas. |
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 22 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS |
Other Mission #1, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #2, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #3, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failures forced him to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #4, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #5, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #6, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #7, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Zagan, Poland | 23 January 1943 - 23 May 1945 | Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland) moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 23-May-45. |
Other Mission #8, 2LT Horace D. Bowman, w/B-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - POW |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. The aircraft was heavily damage by flak, but the pilot, 1LT Sanderson along with CP 2LT Bowman crashlanded the aircraft. 1LT Sanderson was WIA and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW) and 2LT Bowman was also captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). |
Revisions
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Jan-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/009.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 30-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 17-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/001.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Arrived in UK event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Ellis J. Sanderson crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-sanderson.html
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Ellis J. Sanderson crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-sanderson.html
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added initial assignment to aircraft and arrival in UK to Summary Biography; made connections to all mission participations per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Ellis J. Sanderson crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-sanderson.html
Lee Cunningham 23-Jan-2015. Added SN, decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Made connections to PLace, Aircraft and Mission within website data; Edited biography and added crew position per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE. No MACR for this loss.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 66, 303rd BG web site