zoom_in
Source:
www.fold3.com
Production-block:
B-17F-90-BO: 42-30132 to 42-30231
Manufacturer:
Boeing
- Bomb Group:
- 379th Bomb Group
- Bomb Squadron:
- 525th Bomb Squadron
- RCL: FR-C
MACR: 1765
History of
B-17 42-30191 / The Bolevich
Delivered Cheyenne 24/4/43; Smoky Hill 14/5/43; Tinker 24/5/43; Smoky Hill 29/5/43; Dow Fd 1/6/43; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-C] Kimbolton 6/6/43; Missing in Action Schweinfurt 17/8/43; flak, crash landed wheels up on road between Elfershausen & Trimburg, 13 miles NW of Schweinfurt, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 1765. THE BOLEVICH.
Last updated: 12. April 2018
B-17 42-30191 / The Bolevich Details
B-17 42-30191 / The Bolevich Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Donald W. Merchant | POW | - |
| CP | 2LT | James E Sullivan | POW | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Ernest K Keith | POW | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Leonard J. Roman | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Gene R Hecht | KIA | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Johannes H. Johnson | POW | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Robert T. Tonge | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Edgar Van Valkenberg | POW | - |
| WG | T/SGT | Harold B. Ridgely | POW | - |
| TG | S/SGT | John L. Wierzbanowski | POW | - |
21. July 2017 access_time 9:25
My dad was Leonard Roman. I am grateful to have this historic photo access.
16. November 2017 access_time 5:28
My dad was Edgar Van Valkenburg. I agree with the comment above. Thank you for maintaining this web site.
10. April 2018 access_time 15:10
Your Edgar Van Valkenberg son? He was married to Doris? I am her grand son and Edgar was my grandfather. I so loved him as di my whole family.
10. April 2018 access_time 15:08
OMG thank you so much for this. My grandfather was Edgar Van Valkenberg
12. April 2018 access_time 2:14
Edgar Van Valkenberg kept a diary during his time in POW camp. It has been donated to Andersonville in GA.
20. April 2018 access_time 20:11
Hallo,
my father was 1943 by the plane and saw the pilot Merchant and heard also the conversation with the pilot.
Edgar Van Valkenberg bailed out and came down in Poppenhausen, near Schweinfurt. Another Crewmember came down in Wirmsthal. I read parts of the diary of E. V. Valkenberg.
The 42-30191 was hit by flak over schweinfurt, but was further hit by a Messerschmitt 110E over Aura a. d. Saale. In many publications the pilot is named with Christof Nagel but this is not correct.
Correct is Helmut Nagel was the pilot from 10.NJG 101 and his radio operator was Paul Christofzik. I’ve been exploring this crash for many years and spoke a lot of eyewitness.
Very interesting is that inside the cockpit was a ball-bearing from Schweinfurt.
Presumably this had been delivered to the United States via Switzerland. Switerland was neutral. With german ball-bearing the ball bearing industry schweinfurt was bombed.
I have much more informations and pictures.
Mfg
Holger Wörner
Germany
03. February 2020 access_time 16:36
Very interested in any photographs of the 42-30191 that you can share. These should go to the 8th Air Force museum in Georgia USA