Production-block:
B-17F-10-BO: 41-24440 to 41-24489
Manufacturer:
Boeing
- Bomb Group:
- 91st Bomb Group
- Bomb Squadron:
- 401st Bomb Squadron
MACR: 16243
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History of
B-17 41-24452
Assigned to 91BG/401BS at Bangor 29-Aug-42; Bassingbourn 1-Oct-42. Despatched on 20-Dec-42 to bomb the German air depot at Romilly, France. Enemy aircraft KO’d tailplane and the aircraft crashed near Rouen, France. 3KIA 7POW MACR 16243.
Last updated: 12. April 2018
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B-17 41-24452 Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1LT | Robert S. English | KIA | - |
| CP | 2LT | Charles E Mendel | POW | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Robert R. Brunn | POW | - |
| BOMB | 1LT | Sparling B. Anderson, Jr. | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Allen W. Haynes | KIA | - |
| RO | T/SGT | James C. Tyler | POW | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Raymond E. Slominski | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Ralph J. Tomek | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Vince Jacoby | POW | - |
| TG | SGT | Steve Stefula | KIA | - |
09. November 2024 access_time 18:06
My father was Staff Sgt. James E. Tyler, member of this crew. On December 20, 1942, 22-year-old Staff Sergeant James C. Tyler’s B-17E Flying Fortress was shot down approximately 35 miles west of Paris, France. Tyler, serving as the radio gunner, was on his fourth mission when his aircraft came under attack. After being shot down, he was captured by German forces, making him the first Army Air Force crew member from Mississippi to become a prisoner of war during World War II.
Tyler sustained injuries both from the fierce encounter with a German Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter plane and from his parachute descent from the damaged plane. Following his capture, he underwent surgery by German doctors and recovered in Paris before being transferred to Frankfurt, Germany. He was eventually sent to Stalag 17-B, a POW camp near Krems, Austria, where he endured 21 months of captivity.
In a prisoner exchange with the Germans, Tyler was finally released. He returned home and lived a full life, passing away in 2002 at the age of 82. By the grace of God, James’s legacy lives on through his four children, eight grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren.