Quelle:
Jordan Schreppel
| Allgemein | |
|---|---|
| Hersteller: | Boeing |
| Produktionsblock: | , B-17F-110-BO: 42-30532 bis 42-30616 |
| Einsatzgeschichte | |
|---|---|
| Bomber-Gruppe: | , 96th Bomb Group |
| Bomber-Staffel: | , 338th Bomb Squadron |
| RCL | BX-X |
| MACR | 1654 |
| Schicksal: |
, Abschuss durch Flak (13 Dezember 1943) |
Geschichte der
B-17 42-30602 / Dry Run IV
Delivered Cheyenne 26/6/43; Kearney 12/7/43; Dow Field 16/7/43; Assigned 338BS/96BG [BX-X] Snetterton 16/7/43; Missing in Action Hamburg 13/12/43 with Emery Chesmore, Co-pilot: John Chestnut, Navigator: Art Leedy, Bombardier: John Mathews, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Vince Vicalli, Radio Operator: George Frosdick, Ball turret gunner: Jim Simpson, Waist gunner: Jim Collins, Waist gunner: Corney Lett, Tail gunner: Earl Fahl (10 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed on the Molenrij, near Kloosterburen, Groningen, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 1654. DRY RUN IV.
Informationen können Korrekturen und Ergänzungen auf Grundlage von Jings Recherchen enthalten.
B-17 42-30602 / Dry Run IV Details
Über das Foto der Besatzung:
Das wurde mir von Jordan Schreppel zur Verfügung gestellt. Sein Großvater Robert Schreppel ist stehend der dritte von links.
Letzter Einsatz:
B-17F #42-30602 / Dry Run IV wurde von der Flak auf Friesland getroffen und anschließend von zwei Ju-88 C-6 Nachtjägern:
- D5+FX, geflogen von Leutnant Hermann Stock von 12./NJG 3
- D5+EV, geflogen von Leutnant Walter Briegleb von 10./NJG 3
Der Abschuss wurde Lt. Stock zugeschrieben.
B-17 42-30602 / Dry Run IV Crew
| Position | Rang | Name | Status | Bemerkung |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Emery R. Chesmore | POW | - |
| CP | 2LT | John J. Chesnut, Jr | POW | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Arthur J. Leedy | POW | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | John V. Mathews | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Vincenzo Vicalli | POW | - |
| RO | S/SGT | George L. Frosdick | POW | - |
| BT | S/SGT | James F. Simpson | POW | - |
| WG | SGT | James E. F. Collins | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Corney Lett | POW | See comment by Erna Lett below |
| TG | S/SGT | Earl C. Fahl | POW | - |
Diese Seite wurde zuletzt am 03. Januar 2020 aktualisiert
09. Dezember 2019 access_time 18:39
My late husband was the Radio Operator on this B-17 on December 13, 1943. His name is Corney LETT, not Leyy. George Frosdick was the waste gunner on this mission.
I have my husbands diary and his memories of that mission. The crew all were captured and held as POW’s at Stalag 17B & Stalag Luft 1.
Erna LETT, Mrs. Corney LETT
09. Dezember 2019 access_time 18:46
Thank you Erna, Sometime to old documents are difficult to read. And names was incorrect.
I corrected the name to Lett.
Do you have information to share with me and my web site about the last mission?
Or can you sent me the memories?
22. August 2023 access_time 19:46
I’m a disabled combat veteran/VN..comms challenged. One of the German fighter-pilots tried to contact me.. had/has anyone had comms with the pilot or any of his family or friends? Thank you. I’m looking forward to comms with someone on this topic. Thank you
28. Dezember 2019 access_time 3:28
I have a picture of my grandfather Robert schreppel in front of the dry run IV. Looking to find more of the history of this airplane. I can submit the photo if you have a place to send it.
28. Dezember 2019 access_time 12:41
Hello Jordan,
thank you for your help.
I sent you an email.
Cheers
Jing
24. April 2020 access_time 22:21
The following website contains a story from a man ( aged 6 at the time of the crash) who saw it happen) It also shows a photo of the crash site. The story is written in dutch, but you can use google to translate it.
Kind regards ,
Frank
28. Oktober 2022 access_time 14:38
Hai Frank,ik ben Pieter Rijskamp, degene die de B17f heeft zien neerstorten. Door emigratie naar Indonesie ben ik de informatie over deze B17 kwijtgeraakt. Ik kan het niet downloaden. Kunt u mij de info op mijn email mij toezenden?
Als het kan graag!
Met vriendelijke groet,
Pieter Rijskamp, nu 85 jaar oud, wordt op 3 april 86.
24. April 2020 access_time 22:22
The link to the website :
http://www.kleine-huisjes.nl/molenrij,-b-17-neergestort.html
24. April 2020 access_time 22:27
Thank you very much for sharing!
14. April 2021 access_time 16:22
The Photo of the crew is not of the ones listed ..No the last crew that was shot down. My father was Arthur J. Leedy the Navigator.
05. August 2025 access_time 22:32
I’m the son of ERChesmore and the following information is accurate..Pilot 2nd Lt. E.R. Chesmore O-740745 USAAF Survived POW
Co-Pilot 2nd Lt. J.J. Chesnut jr. O-745622 USAAF Survived POW
Navigator 2nd Lt. A.J. Leedy O-803146 USAAF Survived POW
Bombardier 2nd Lt. J.V. Matthews jr. O-676232 USAAF Survived POW
Engineer T/Sgt. V. Vicalvi 31080536 USAAF Survived POW
Radio Operator S/Sgt. G.L. Frosdick 11091537 USAAF Survived POW
LW Gunner Sgt. J.E.F. Collins 34447999 USAAF Survived POW
RW Gunner S/Sgt. C. Lett 15117280 USAAF Survived POW
BT Gunner S/Sgt. J.F. Simpson 31161290 USAAF Survived POW
T Gunner S/Sgt. E.C. Fahl 11085418 USAAF Survived POW
Sources:
28. Oktober 2022 access_time 14:16
ik ben degene die de b17f heb zien neerstorten . Mijn informatie omtrent deze B17 is door emigratie naar Indonesie verliren gemaakt. graag zou ik van dit door mij geschreven vertaal terug willen hebben, eventueel
op mijn emailadres. ik kan het niet downloaded omdat het beschermd is. graag een positieve reactie,
met groet, Pieter Rijskamp
12. April 2023 access_time 20:55
Greetings, thanks so much for compiling and sharing all this information! My father was John J. Chesnut, Jr., the co-pilot. I concur with the earlier comment that the photo displayed doesn’t show the final crew of this aircraft, as my father isn’t in it. I have a photo dated 10/16/43 that’s labeled „Lt. Chesmore’s Crew“ that does have my father in it, but I’m not sure if the photo is of the Dry Run IV crew. I’d be happy to email a digital copy for use if you like — and I do have my father’s official Air Force photo and a lot of my father’s POW correspondence, but I haven’t scanned all of that yet. Thanks again! — Mark Chesnut
05. April 2024 access_time 9:59
Re this A/c I have this for pilot was 1st William A Burdick chesmore flew 42-3347
05. August 2025 access_time 22:39
Chestnut, Chesmore here..just tripping on the net, had to send a “hi”…
06. August 2025 access_time 0:19
Hi Mike, thanks for the hello — I’ve heard about your father from my mother (my father, John . Chesnut, died when I was 4 so unfortunately I didn’t get to talk much with him about his experiences). I think my mother contacted your father years ago when she was writing a paper/report for college about my father’s World War II experiences — and I just went to the 80th anniversary commemorarion of the liberation in Barth this year!
26. Januar 2025 access_time 18:49
Earl C Fahl
Sonny, my fondly-remembered uncle, was born in 1924 (supposedly) and passed away too young in 1981. He lied about his age to enlist early and served as a B-17 tail gunner, arriving in England during the summer of 1943. These early days of the war were deadly for the heavy bombers. Usually without fighter escort, they were exposed to the full strength of the Luftwaffe in broad daylight. If I recall correctly, his ship was shot up once so badly of France that they had to bail out shortly after returning across the Channel, probably in one of Dry Run I, II, or III. The others, probably made it back, but were too damaged to fly again. Later in 1943, on December 13th (my mother’s, his sister’s birthday), he was shot down and bailed out a second time while on a mission to Kiel, Germany. Enroute to the target their plane (a B-17F SN: 42-30602, named „Dry Run IV“) was damaged by flak. On the return, a Ju-88 finished the job. The crash site was near Groningen, Netherlands. Unusually, the entire crew successfully bailed out. Sonny spent the remainder of the war as a POW in Stalag Luft XVII-B. Having lied about his age, he “celebrated” his 18th birthday there. While treated relatively well, near the war’s end, both prisoners and guards were near starvation which resulted in his losing most of his teeth.
After the war, he returned to live in St. Albans, Vermont working for a very ground-based railroad. I’m told that he was able to meet with several of his former crew mates before dying. Like most of his generation who experienced serious combat, he talked very little about his wartime experience.