B-17 Flying Fortress B-17 42-30257 / Lady Susie II

Geschichte der
B-17 42-30257 / Lady Susie II

Delivered Cheyenne 4/5/43; Smoky Hill 14/5/43; Gt Falls 24/5/43; Kearney 29/5/43; Tinker 13/6/43; Dow Fd 16/6/43; Assigned 100BG Thorpe Abbotts 16/6/43; transferred 550BS/385BG [SG-J] Gt Ashfield 17/6/43; Missing in Action Oschersleben 28/7/43 with Bill Robbins, Co-pilot: Floyd Hicks, Navigator: Bill Brick, Bombardier: Irvin Rodemeyer, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Joe McGarry, Radio Operator: Hervin Charest, Ball turret gunner: Bob Daleus, Waist gunner: Walt Edelmann (8KIA-all washed up on German coast over next few weeks); Waist gunner: Leon Ochs,Tail gunner: Lloyd Atkins (2 Prisoner of War); flak, then mid-air coll with 42-3308 (385BG) ditched Nth Sea; Missing Air Crew Report 189C. LADY SUSIE II.

Zuletzt aktualisiert: 5. Mai 2017

B-17 42-30257 / Lady Susie II Details

On July 28th, 1943 the “Lady Susie II” was one of 120 B-17’s assigned to target the Fieseler Works and AGO factory in Oschersleben producing Fw190 components and airframes. Also of note this was the deepest USAAF bombers had ever flown into Germany since the start of the war. Only 37 B-17’s recorded a bomb strike on the primary targets, yet the mission was rated as a good result. After the mission at 0910 hrs the outbound formation of bombers was intercepted by Fw190 fighters of II./JG 11 near the North Sea coast and after a 20 minute engagement claimed 12 B-17s. Luftwaffe pilot Unteroffizier Wilhelm Fest’s rocket struck the the “Lady Susie II”, and the aircraft lost control and collided with “Betty Boom” (#42-3316) piloted by 2Lt. Wiliam Storr, and subsequently into the flight path of “Roundtrip Ticket” (#42-30285). All three aircraft went down into the North Sea west of Sylt, near the island of Helgoland (54°30’0″N / 7°45’0″E). The bodies of the deceased crewmen from all three aircraft washed ashore along the coastline during into weeks of late August.

Allied records attributed the loss of “Lady Susie II” to flak damage inflicted by the anti aircraft batteries configured at Helgoland. Direct hit on navigator’s compartment. Whilst other historical research credit the “Lady Susie II” being damaged by the newly introduced under wing rockets of Erprobungskommando 25 attached to I./JG 1. At the time. Luftwaffe fighter units III./JG 11, II./JG 1, and Jasta Helgoland also claim additional victories on this day. For the mission VIII Bomber Command listed a total of 134 crewmen missing in action, 11 wounded in action, 22 B-17s lost, and 64 damaged.

via: https://www.flickr.com/photos/68560956@N06/11791391466

B-17 42-30257 / Lady Susie II Crew