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Produktionsblock:
B-17F-65-BO: 42-29632 bis 42-29731
Hersteller:
Boeing
- Bomber-Gruppe:
- 2nd Bomb Group
- Bomber-Staffel:
- 49th Bomb Squadron
Einsätze: 83
Geschichte der
B-17 42-29645 / Wiley Witch
Delivered Denver 23/1/43; Salina 29/1/43; Morrison 8/3/43; Assigned 49BS/2BG Navarin, Alg 17/4/43; Chateau-du-Rhumel, Alg 27/4/43; Ain M’Lila, Alg 17/6/43; Massicault, Tun 31/7/43; Bizerte, Tun 2/12/43; Amendola, It 9/12/43; Missing in Action Sofia 24/1/44 with Chas McCrary, Co-pilot: Gene Lucas, Navigator: John Bascu, Bombardier: Chas Olsen, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: John Donnelly, Radio Operator: Bob Washman, Ball turret gunner: Howard Christensen, Waist gunner: Carlo Veneziano, Waist gunner: Chas Allee,Tail gunner: De Los Johnson (10 Returned to Duty); ditched off Civitanova, 15 miles east of Bari; crew rescued. WILEY WITCH.
Zuletzt aktualisiert: 13. Juni 2020
B-17 42-29645 / Wiley Witch Details
B-17 42-29645 / Wiley Witch Crew
| Position | Rang | Name | Status | Bemerkung |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | --- | Charles McCrary | RTD | - |
| CP | --- | Eugene B. Lucas | RTD | - |
| NAV | --- | John Bacsu | RTD | - |
| BOMB | --- | Charles P. Olsen | RTD | - |
| ENG/TT | --- | John J. Donnelly | RTD | - |
| RO | --- | Robert L. Washmon | RTD | - |
| BT | --- | Howard T. Christensen | RTD | - |
| WG | --- | Charles E. Allee | RTD | - |
| WG | --- | Carlo Veneziano | RTD | - |
| TG | --- | DeLos E. Johnson | RTD | - |
31. Oktober 2019 access_time 17:58
My wife’s father was a navigator / bombardier on the Wiley Witch crew. His crew was finally relieved after mission 56 or there abouts.
His name was William W Holland who suffered a fatal heart attack in 1980.
„Dub“ as he was called -short for William Walter – never really talked about his experience accept to say the post – bombing photos were haunting.
24. April 2020 access_time 21:15
I believe, he flew 51 missions. First on 28 April 1943. Last on 16 September 1943.
01. August 2020 access_time 15:19
My father was Lt. Charles P. Olsen, the Bombardier on the Wiley Witch. The brief history that was written above, states that after ditching, all 10 crew members were „rescued.“ They were not rescued! After they ditched off the Italian Coast, they lashed two life rafts together, one of which was leaking badly, and paddled to shore over the next day and a half. Several times they were waved to, but passed over, by rescue craft and fishing boats, probably because they were thought to be safe in those rafts. There were several other B17 crews in the area, who were also forced to ditch, who were not in rafts, but in life jackets. Once the rescue crafts had picked up all of the other downed crews, my father and his men, in the confusion, became forgotten and left on their own to fend for themselves. With one of their crew members seriously injured when they ditched, they had a very tough time of it in those rafts. When they finally reached the Italian Shore, they walked into an Allied Camp, where they were taken to, and admitted into a nearby Army Field Hospital and treated for exposure. Eventually, they all recovered, but without an Aircraft of their own, they were broken up, and reassigned into different Aircrews and Aircraft. My father, along with his new crew, flew several more bombing missions, until they were shot down 30 days later, on Feb 24th, as part of the „Big Week“ bombing campaign. The crew, after completing their mission over Styer, Austria, all bailed out safely, coming down on a Austrian mountain side, where they were later captured by Nazi troops. The crew was then split up, and sent to different POW camps. My Father, and the other officers, spent the duration of the war (14 months) as POW’s in Stalag Luft 1, in Barth, Germany! That camp, along with many others, were eventually liberated by Russian Troops, on their march west to Berlin. However, not trusting their Russian liberators, the US POW’s then refused to leave with the Russians and remained in camp for the next 2 weeks, until General Jimmy Doolittle organized an airlift, consisting of Cargo Planes and Bombers, to take them all to Camp „Lucky Strike,“ and eventually home.
01. August 2020 access_time 20:23
Hello Philip, thank you for sharing the truth behind the „rescued“ status. I appreciate it very much!
21. Oktober 2020 access_time 18:42
Good morning, we are a Divers wrecks discovery team in lower adriatic, could be possible having the Macr of this plane?