William M Eason
MilitaryL-R: S/Sgt Edwards, Swanson, Capt Griffin, 1Lt Effinger, Lt Taylor.
L-R: T/Sgt Eason, S/Sgt Henderson, T/Sgt Schwartz, S/Sgt Wiegand, S/Sgt Plummer.
13-Jun-42 Assigned as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner of B-17F 42-5434 [PU-J] "Lady Luck" 303BG/360BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. The date of his arrival at Molesworth, UK nor the aircraft on which he arrived there could not be determined from 303BG records. His first comat mission was as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner of B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS on 26-Feb-43 mechanical failures force the pilot to abort the sortie.
18-Mar-43 despatched on mission to Vegesack, Germany, a strongly fortified shipbuilding region. B-17 42-5723 piloted by L. Griffin returned from mission with an excellent wheels up landing in a field about 4 miles from Molesworth. Crew suffered no injuries. Later crew flew B-17 42-5434 "Lady Luck, 303BG/360BS
Mission Participations (UNDER CONSTRUCTION) 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
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 31 March 1943
- Date: 28 March 1943
- Date: 22 March 1943
- Date: 18 March 1943
- Date: 13 March 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 13 June 1942 | Assigned as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner of B-17F 42-5432 "Lady Luck", 303BG/360BS at Alamogordo Field, Alamogordo, New Mexico. |
Other Mission #1, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS - Aborted |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the naval facilities and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie, RTB OK. |
Other Mission #2, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5262, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #3, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS |
Rennes, France | 8 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #4, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS |
Amiens, France | 13 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Amiens, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #5, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS - RTD |
Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5723, 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat construction yards at Vegesack, Gremany. The aircraft sustained battle damage but the pilot managed to fly the aircraft back to England and made a wheels-up crash landing in a filed. He was not injured and Returned to Duty. RTD |
Other Mission #6, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5434, 303BG/360BS |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 22 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5434 "Lady Luck", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the naval facilities and U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #7, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5434, 303BG/360BS |
Rouen, France | 28 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5434 "Lady Luck", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #8, TSGT William M. Eason, w/B-17F 42-5434, 303BG/360BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 31 March 1943 | Served as Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17F 42-5434 "Lady Luck", 303BG/360BS on a mission to bomb the shipyards at Rotterdam, Holland. RTB OK. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 9-Mar-2016. Made connections to Aircraft 42-5434 and Missionf of 13-Mar-43, 18-Mar-43, 22-Mar-43, 28-Mar-43 and 31-Mar-43 per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Reports of dates stated; http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 9-Mar-2016. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 31-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/027.pdf
Lee Cunningham 9-Mar-2016. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 28-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/026.pdf
Lee Cunningham 9-Mar-2016. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/025.pdf
Lee Cunningham 9-Mar-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/024.pdf
Lee Cunningham 9-Mar-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/023.pdf
Lee Cunningham 28-Feb-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 8-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/021.pdf
Lee Cunningham 28-Feb-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 4-Mar-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/019.pdf
Lee Cunningham 28-Feb-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 26-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/017.pdf
Lee Cunningham 28-Feb-2016. Added Assigned to Aircraft event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Loyd D. Griffin crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/360griffin.html
Lee Cunningham 28-Feb-2016. Added inital assignment info to Summary Biography; Added nickname; Made connections to Place, Aircraft (through 12-Mar-43) and Missions (through 12-Mar-43) per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Loyd D. Griffin crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/360griffin.html
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Hell's Angels Newsletter May 2001, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey, p. 91, 303rd web site