| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Douglas |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-20-DL: 42-3039 to 42-3073 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 100th Bomb Group, 301st Bomb Group, 303rd Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 353rd Bomb Squadron, 358th Bomb Squadron |
| RCL | VK-I |
| Fate: |
, Battle damaged (26 November 1943) |
History of
B-17 42-3064 / Stardust
Delivered Cheyenne 5/2/43; Assigned 353BS/301BG Morrison 25/3/43; transferred 100BG Thorpe Abbotts /43; 358BS/303BG [VK-I] Molesworth 13/7/43; battle damaged Bremen 26/11/43 with Bill Fort {wia-frostbite}, Co-pilot: McDonald Riddick, Bombardier: Chas Spencer {wia-frostbite}, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Grover Mullins, Radio Operator: Jim Supple, Ball turret gunner: Howard Zeitner, Waist gunner: Jim Pleasant, Waist gunner: John Viszneki,Tail gunner: Bernie Sutton (9 Returned to Duty); Navigator: Harry Roketto (Killed in Action); Returned to the USA Scott 15/4/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Albuquerque 27/7/45. STARDUST.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
This page was last updated on 13 April 2019
13. April 2019 access_time 6:16
Sad to say, my Dad, Grover C. Mullins died in April of 2016. He was mighty proud of the crew and had some scary experiences. After the “Stardust” was damaged and most of the officers wounded, dad and the rest of the crew went down Jan. 11, 1945 on the “Skywolf.” After making sure his crew parachuted, Grover then spent the rest of the war in Stalag 17b. He enjoyed Sgt. Shultz on Hogan’s Heroes because he was the epitome of most of the guards who were older men who really just wanted to go home to their families. He used his Red Cross packages to buy a scissors and a comb and cut hair to make it through being a prisoner. He was there when Harry Roketto was killed and pulled Chas Spencer from the nose after it was shot away. I think he was the last of the crew.
13. April 2019 access_time 12:25
Thank you for sharing the story.
I updated the squadron marking.
13. April 2019 access_time 6:17
Actually, it’s squadron marking were VK-I.