John W Spence
Military
This is information and pictures my mother had on her brother Frank W Greene.
Object Number - UPL 49566 - 359th Original Crew. Pilot: Ellis J Sanderson. Sanderson crew - 359th BS B-17F Green Hornet aka Yahoodi #41-24603 (BN-Y) Original crew assigned...
10-Sep-42 Assigned as Navigator on B-17F #41-24603 [BN-Y] "Green Hornet" at Alamogordo Field, New Mexico 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 Navigator. 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. He managed to evade capture (EVD). 303rd web site also lists him as flying on Quillen's and Roning's crews. No MACR was issued for this loss. Participated in 10 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
Aircraft
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 Asssigned to Aircraft |
Alamogordo, NM 88310, USA | 10 September 1942 | Assigned as Navigator on B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet" at Alamogordo Field, Alamgordo, New Mexico. |
|
Other Arrived in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 22 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth, UK as Navigator on B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS. |
|
Other Mission #1, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 42-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France, but mechanical failure forced the Pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #2, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 42-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #3, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24581, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24581 "The '8' Ball", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #4, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 42-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #5, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 42-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failure forced the Pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #6, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - Aborted |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 42-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France,but mechanical failure forced the Pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #7, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Tail Gunner on B-17F 41-24581 "The '8' Ball", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #8, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 3 January 1943 | Served as Navigator on 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 #9, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Evaded Capture |
Motreff, France | 23 January 1943 - 3 April 1943 | Baled out and managed to evade capture returning to England on 3-Apr-43. His evasion experience is documented on Escape & Evasion Report #16 which may be viewed at: http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-16.pdf |
|
Other Mission #10, 2LT John W. Spence, WB-17F 41-24603, 303BG/359BS - EVD |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Navigator on B-17F 41-24603 "Green Hornet", 303BG/359BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. He managed to bale out of the stricken aircraft and evaded capture. This was his last mission. |
Revisions
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #10 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 16-Dec-2015. Edited Summary Biography with mission participation statement; made connection to 41-24581; made connections to all mission participations per my research of 303BG Mission Reports, 303BG webiste, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 3-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 30-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 6-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/004.pdf
Lee Cunningham 15-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 15-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 15-Dec-2015. Added initial assignments and arrival to Summary Biography per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Elliis J. Sanderson crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-sanderson.html
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added initial assignments and arrival to Summary Biography per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Elliis J. Sanderson crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-sanderson.html
Lee Cunningham 15-Dec-2015. Added initial assignments and arrival to Summary Biography per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Elliis J. Sanderson crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-359-sanderson.html
Lee Cunningham 23-Jan-2015. Added SN, and Evasion event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) Escape and Evasion Report # 16: http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-16.pdf; 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 web site
