| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-90-BO: 42-30132 to 42-30231 |
| Delievered: | Cheyenne |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 388th Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 563rd Bomb Squadron |
| MACR | 3125 |
| Fate: |
, Lost by flak/aa-fire (30 July 1943) |
| Missions: | 5 |
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History of
B-17 42-30202
Delivered Cheyenne 29/4/43; Sioux City 11/5/43; Dow Fd 18/6/43; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall; Missing in Action Kassel 30/7/43 with Earl Pickard, Bob Hoke, Wallace Soderberg, Orville Lewis, Walt Togel, Sam Tucker, Ralph May, Don Boyd, Harlan Oakberg (9 Prisoner of War); Billy Hooker (evaded capture); flak, crashed Liege, Bel; Missing Air Crew Report 3125.
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B-17 42-30202 Details
Lewis – May – Tucker – Togel, sitting Oakberg (via Nick (see comments below))
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B-17 42-30202 Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | F/O | Earl Eugene Pickard | POW | - |
| CP | F/O | William S. Hooker | EVD | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Robert James Hoke | POW | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Wallace Niel Soderberg | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Orville Winford Lewis | POW | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Walter Englebert Togel | POW | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Sam H. Tucker Jr. | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Ralph Thadus May | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Harlan Charles Oakberg | POW | - |
| TG | S/SGT | Donald Morris Boyd | POW | - |
This page was last updated on 03 June 2025
10. November 2022 access_time 0:48
Mr. Osborne, my Dad was the tail gunner on A/C 42-30202 during Mission #7 to Kassel…Dad was fuzzy on some of the details of his recollection of that mission…referring to the plane as “Classy Chassis”…some accounts of Mission #7 had the plane as 42-30208…Dad was adamant about the crew though…your narrative matches his recollection exactly …thanks for preserving for future generations (my grandchildren especially) what those guys did for us.
Respectfully.
Dr. Ronald J. Boyd
30. December 2023 access_time 14:49
Ronald, I was in contact with Linda and Joy for a while. I live in Berlaar, the town where the plane came down. I am doing research for over 10years right now and got most of the details of this crash and to this day, we are excavating the remains of what is left of that crash. Please contact me so we can discuss some more about this matter. Thanks, Nick
09. January 2024 access_time 21:30
Greetings Nick, Appreciate your effort to learn about and honor what those young men of the 8th Air Force did…one question I’ve never gotten a clear answer to was A/C 42-30202 shot down on the way to Kassel during Mission #7 or on their way back to Knetishall? Best regards, Dr. Ronald Boyd
11. January 2024 access_time 8:57
hello Ronald, that is a question which I am also trying to find the answer on. because in the Missing Aircraft Report it is stated by the pilot Eugene Pickard that it came back from Kassel and then was hit. but after the war Sam Tucker, another crewmember said that once they entered Belgium over the coast, they came into Flak fire. so I am still investigating. can you send me your email address so we can stay in contact please? i would like to build a monument in the next years and it would be nice to have the Boyd family in Berlaar-Belgium. thank you, Nick
11. January 2024 access_time 14:39
Dear Nick, You can reach me at docrb78@mail.com
18. January 2024 access_time 17:12
thank you, you will have mail in the coming days.
see you
nick
18. January 2024 access_time 17:32
your email address is not working Ronald. i get a message which say that it is not possible to deliver it.
16. February 2024 access_time 19:05
hey Ron, can you email me because your email address is not working. i always have errors when I try to send something. nick.de.cuyper@hotmail.com
06. February 2024 access_time 23:07
I am Sam Tucker’s nephew, John Tucker. Over the years I collected quite a bit of information on the 42-30202, including some of the Comet work and some of the German accounts. As best I could determine, they lost #2 over or near the target to flack, were still in formation when an F-190 got them,
https://www.luchtvaartgeschiedenis.be/content/b-17-te-berlaar
Type Locatie:
Incident
Bronnen:
De Decker Cynrik & Roba Jean-Louis: Duel boven België, De Krijger, Erpe, 1999
B-17 in Berlaar
At 9.30 Flieger knocked down Hans-Walter Sander of the 8./JG 26 a B-17, it was his first and only victory. The young pilot positioned this at Sint-Truiden. This could be the B-17 mentioned in a report from the 4th Bomb Wing, “which fell apart in the air south of Antwerp. Eight to nine parachutes were observed” . It was the 42-30202, a B-17F of the 563 BS / 388 BG that crashed near Berlaar (Lier), and was deployed during the bombing of Kassel. The Germans could still see the 388 BG distinctive sign on the tail: a letter “H” on a yellow background. This victory was also claimed by the Flakabteilung 295. The bell-headed shooter, Sam H. Tucker, later recalled:”That morning we had received a briefing at around 3 o’clock. The day before our crew had to abort the mission because of technical problems. Our co-pilot said:” This time we are heading for the target, even if it was by bike. ” were over the Belgian coast, Flak grenades began to explode everywhere. We got one in the right wing, which was filled with fuel. The wing broke off. Bail out! “. I crawled out of the dome, girdled my parachute, went to the side of the plane, which was on fire. One of the crew members lay on the floor and I pushed it out while pulling on its parachute I followed him. I held on to the side window until the wind sucked me out. one hand and chin. I pulled the cord late, I didn’t know if the Jerries (Germans, nvds) would shoot at me. I saw two German hunters fly towards me. When they were near me, they withdrew, doing the Salvation sign. I descended and landed in a garden about 30 meters from a farm. ”
The ten airmen could jump. Four of them were taken prisoner quickly. The meccano, T / Sgt Orville Lewis, was caught at Duffel, as well as the right-hand side-shooter, S / Sgt Ralph May. The radio telegrapher, S / Sgt Walter Togel was found in Lint and the left-hand side sniper, S / Sgt Harlan Oakberg, in Kontich. They also left for Germany on 2 August.
It took a little longer before the occupiers could understand another five members of this crew. The pilot, F / O Earl Eugene Pickard, would remain free for one month but was arrested in France. The bomb fighter, 2nd Lt Wallace N. Soderberg, suffered the same fate; the bell-headed shooter, S / Sgt Sam H. Tucker; the navigator, 2nd Lt. Robert J. Hoke and the tail gunner, S / Sgt Donald M.
16. February 2024 access_time 19:04
hey John, can you send me an email please, I would like to be in touch with you about this crash. I live in Berlaar and doing research for over 10 year right now about this crash. i have discovered the place were the bomber came down and started searching with metal detectors, we found already a bunch of aluminum. my email address: nick.de.cuyper@hotmail.com
01. April 2024 access_time 3:01
Hello. My name is Ellen and I am the great niece of Walter Togel. Unfortunately he passed in ‘68 and I never had the pleasure of meeting him. From my dad’s account he spoke very little of the war after he returned home so all we know is from his military documents. According to his account they were “crossing the coast near Antwerp on way to Kassel when hit by flank….”. We have a photo of him with other soldiers that we would love to see if are the same gentleman on his plane.
05. April 2024 access_time 10:45
Hello Ellen,
can you send me a copy of the image?
my email: info@b17flyingfortress.de
I would upload it to my page and may someone can identify the other men.
07. April 2024 access_time 18:38
I’m sending the image now, sorry for the delay
28. May 2025 access_time 10:23
Did Ellen K contacted you already? Would love to be in contact with here. I have the most information on this crash, because I live in the town of Berlaar, where the plane came down. Kind regards, Nick
28. May 2025 access_time 11:10
Yes, I have got the email. But I missed to read it somehow. My fault. I am very sorry. I have uploaded the crew picture I received from Ellen.
28. May 2025 access_time 15:52
the picture shows half of the crew which are mentioned above. i have got the names who they are in my archive somewhere.
28. May 2025 access_time 15:55
from left to right: Lewis – May – Tucker – Togel, sitting Oakberg
03. June 2025 access_time 21:35
Thank you for the names! 🙂
I have no other information about the picture.
31. October 2025 access_time 11:44
did you get the email address of Ellen? because I want to contact her regarding this crash. i have I think a lot of info for her. thank you, Nick
28. May 2025 access_time 10:09
Hello Ellen, can you send me an email please? I have done research for over 10 years to this crash. I have most of the information on them. thanks, Nick
nick.de.cuyper@hotmail.com
05. December 2025 access_time 15:43
Hello
I’m sorry I missed this! I’m going to email you now.