Source:
www.fold3.com
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-55-BO: 42-29467 to 42-29531 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 305th Bomb Group, 381st Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 365th Bomb Squadron, 532nd Bomb Squadron |
| RCL | XK-V, VE-A |
| MACR | 1578 |
| KSU/ME/KU: | 475 |
| Fate: |
, Lost by enemy aircraft (01 December 1943) |
History of
B-17 42-29506 / Full Boost! aka White Swan
Delivered Cheyenne 28/12/42; Salina 9/1/43; Morrison 12/2/43; Homestead 18/2/43; Assigned 365BS/305BG [XK-V] Chelveston 2/3/43 YE WHITE SWAN; transferred 532BS/381BG [VE-A] Ridgewell 22/8/43; Missing in Action Leverkusen 1/12/43 with Jason Duncan, Waist gunner: Harry Starkey, Waist gunner: Morris Wall,Tail gunner: Roy Mattson (4 Prisoner of War), Co-pilot: Harry Allchin, Navigator: Mac Huffman, Bombardier: Bob Kesslar, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Vinal Wade, Radio Operator: Ed Doherty, Ball turret gunner: Leon Jeffers (6 Killed in Action); enemy aircraft started fire in #1, but ship exploded in air, crashed Steenvoorde, five miles E of Cassel, Fr. Missing Air Crew Report 1578. FULL BOOST.
B-17 42-29506 / Full Boost! aka White Swan Details
Report to the loss of B-17 #42-29506
Lt. Duncan had been flying rather erratically throughout most of the mission after we went Into the enemy coast. The tail gunner of Lt. Clore’s ship said that Lt. Duncan would bank sharply one way and then the other and was not in formation (position) over one minute at a time. Later on after the bombs were dropped, Lt. Duncan had a fire in No. 1 engine. This was extinguished in a short time. We are still in Germany. About one minute after the fire was put out, Lt. Duncan dropped out of formation still being on course but losing altitude. He was seen to stay on course until he reached the enemy coast, where he was last seen to turn about and head back toward Germany.
Lt. Duncan was flying No 2 position in the second element of the squadron that our crew was leading.
2Lt. Marvin E. Dille
Bombardier
(Lt. Clore’s Ship)
Source: MACR 1578
B-17 42-29506 / Full Boost! aka White Swan Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Jason Duncan | POW | - |
| CP | 2LT | Harry Allchin, Jr. | KIA | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Mac W. Huffman | KIA | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Robert G. Kesslar | KIA | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Vinal L. Wade | KIA | - |
| RO | S/SGT | Edward V. Doherty, Jr. | KIA | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Leon D. Jeffers | KIA | - |
| WG | SGT | Harold Starkey | POW | - |
| WG | SGT | Morris A. Wall | POW | - |
| TG | S/SGT | Roy F. Mattson | POW | - |
This page was last updated on 30 January 2022
16. January 2026 access_time 3:46
Thank you for this information. My grandfather was Robert G Kesslar