| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-110-BO: 42-30532 to 42-30616 |
| Delievered: | Cheyenne |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 100th Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 350th Bomb Squadron |
| RCL: | LN-T |
| MACR: | 843 |
| German Document: | KU-208 |
| Fate: |
, Lost by flak/aa-fire (04 October 1943) |
History of
B-17 42-30604 / Badger’s Beauty V
Delivered Cheyenne 25/6/43; Gore 29/6/43; Gr Isle 22/6/43; Walla Walla 1/8/43; Scott 9/8/43; Presque Is 17/8/43; Assigned 306BG Thurleigh 10/8/43; transferred 350BS/100BG [LN-T] Thorpe Abbotts 20/8/43; Missing in Action Frankfurt/Hanau, Germany 4/10/43 with Capt Harry Helstrom, Co-pilot: Hubert Trent, Navigator: Harry Curtice, Bombardier: Hilbert Phillippe {evaded capture for weeks}, Ball turret gunner: Bill Edwards, weg-Chas Crippen (6 Prisoner of War); Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Bob Giles, Radio Operator: Carroll Haarup, Waist gunner: Joe Shandor,Tail gunner: Tom Mezynski (4 evaded capture); flak KO’d #3 and damaged another, crash landed Caen, Fr; Missing Air Crew Report 843. BADGER’S BEAUTY V.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
B-17 42-30604 / Badger’s Beauty V Details
Capt. Helstrom’s ship was last seen as the Group formation dispersed to go down through the undercast just off the coast of England south-west of London on the route back. The ship peeled off in a normal manner and seemed under perfect control.
Lt. William G. Lakin
Source: MACR 843
T/Sgt. Carroll F. Haarup’s Account
With heavy flak being poured up at us we made three runs on the target. Two fighters were seen and called out but they did not attack our element. As far as we know there was no damage to the aircraft when we left Frankfurt to return to Base.
We were back in France when the Navigator said that we were off course to the extent that his maps did not cover the area over which we were flying. Our fuel tanks were reading zero so we had to let down. Other ships were leaving formation as we dropped through clouds to find that we were over water.
There was land ahead of us. The navigator asked for a ‘QDM’ but every station tried was busy. The pilot said it didn’t matter because we were going to crashland. We thought we were coming down in England until tracers from machine gun fire were seen off the wing.
After the crew had taken crashland positions in the radio room, the pilot made a beautiful belly landing. Previous to this all extra weight had been thrown out of the ship, but the secret equipment had not been destroyed. Within a few seconds Frenchmen appeared from all directions. The order was given immediately for all equipment to be destroyed.
During the next fifteen minutes each man was busy with his own job. The Bombardier could speak some French and it was he who learned that we were a few kilometers south of Caen.
There were no Germans in the immediate vicinity but they would be there before long, the French said. When we offered our heavy flying equipment to the Frenchmen they wouldn’t take it. The Bombardier opened several chutes and draped them over the engine nacelles, but the plane would not catch fire. The French were motioning us all this time to leave quickly and let them to destroy the plane. […]
Source: Escape and Evasion Report 333, T/Sgt. Carroll F. Haarup (Radio Operator)
airfield between Versailles and Chateaufort, in France.
B-17 42-30604 / Badger’s Beauty V Crew
| Position | Rank | Name (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name) | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | CPT | Harold B. Helstrom | POW | - |
| CP | F/O | Hubert E. Trent | POW | - |
| NAV | 1LT | Harold H. Curtice | POW | - |
| BOMB | 1LT | Hilbert W. Phillippe | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Robert C. Giles | EVD | E & E 334 |
| RO | T/SGT | Carroll F. Haarup | EVD | E & E 333 |
| BT | S/SGT | Thomas F. Mezynski | EVD | E & E 374 |
| WG | S/SGT | William D. Edwards | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Joseph Shandor | EVD | E & E 373 |
| TG | S/SGT | Charles E. Crippen | POW | - |
This page was last updated on 09 May 2026
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