Source:
388bg.com
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-125-BO: 42-30832 to 42-30931 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 388th Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 561st Bomb Squadron |
| MACR | 5022/7325 |
| Fate: |
, Lost by flak/aa-fire (05 December 1943) |
| Missions: | 18 |
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History of
B-17 42-30837 / Ole Bassar
Delivered Cheyenne 5/8/43; Gr Isle 14/8/43; Assigned: 561BS/388BG Knettishall 5/9/43; MIA Bordeaux 5/12/43 Pilot: Paul Todd, Engineer / Top Turret Gunner: Chas Simco (2POW); Navigator: Roland Bowman, Bombardier: Ray Lull, Radio Operator: Art Stiles, Waist Gunner: Herb Schuman, Waist Gunner: Art Matheiu, Ball Turret Gunner: Bill Morris, Tail Gunner: Jim Douglas, foto-Bill Davis (8KIA); Co-Pilot: Clarry Willingham (EVD); flak, crashed Cognac, Fr; MACR 5022 & 7325. OLE BASSAR.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
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B-17 42-30837 / Ole Bassar Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Paul Albert Todd | POW | - |
| CP | 2LT | Clarance Drew Willingham | EVD | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Roland Dare Bowman | KIA | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Raymond A. Lull | KIA | - |
| ENG/TT | S/SGT | Charles J. Simco | POW | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Arthur K. Stiles | KIA | - |
| BT | S/SGT | William Lewis Morris | KIA | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Herbert M. Schuman | KIA | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Arthur Elbridge Mathieu | KIA | - |
| TG | S/SGT | James R. Douglas | KIA | - |
This page was last updated on 03 February 2022
27. July 2021 access_time 0:51
My great uncle was the radio operator on this fortress. I have an entire 3 ring binder full of his last letters and postcards he sent home during his journey. He was stationed at RAF Knettishall. RIP Uncle Art. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten on my watch. 28 year old from his home town. I’ll never forget the WWII vets that strolled around town when I was a child. Can’t believe how many didn’t come home.
02. February 2022 access_time 12:59
Is there any kind of log on his missions and flights with “Ole Bassar” or any mention on the Nose Art? I am trying to figure out if the Aircraft in this photo shown as “Ole Bassar” is really the correct one. This photo was taken at Kimbolton and those airmen are 379th BG Ground Crewmen. Trying to figure out how this photo got associated with this aircraft. Is this photo or any photos of “Ole Bassar” in your collection? I’d like to compare them please.
21. February 2022 access_time 5:30
Here’s the link to the crew photo. I only know because my cousin Jimmy Douglas is the fourth from left, kneeling. https://th.bing.com/th/id/R.02cc50d701ff657078e94ef412b265e9?rik=b4LEos0Xyok1eg&riu=http%3a%2f%2fwww.database-memoire.eu%2fprive%2fimages%2fcoll%2fB%2fbowman_roland_d_crew.jpg&ehk=CF8xrZzTuIBjeh3s6KCpKUJP0uA2ThqLbn6RKSLgh9E%3d&risl=&pid=ImgRaw&r=0
25. May 2022 access_time 3:08
Hi Brian,
I own William J Morris’s watch. He was the waist gunner on Old Basser and was Killed in action. The watch is engraved with his name on it and the year 1938 which made him 18 having been born in 1920. He enlisted 1 month before Pearl Harbor. This watch came from a very high end jewelry store in downtown Detroit. He was from Wayne county Mich. I found the watch at an estate sale in Barrington Illinois last month. It was in a tray of broken watches from a retired jeweler in his safe. Morris worked in a steel Mill in Chicagoland and lived in Lincoln Park on the north side with his then wife of only a year or so. The watch would have been way tonice to take overseas and I suspect he left it with her. As I write this, I am having it restored and fixed. The winder and crown were gone and the crystal was cracked in the middle. His remains were returned in 1948 and he was laid to rest in Kentucky no far from where his mother was born, I will remember him this memorial day. I will post a pic when it’s done.
25. January 2024 access_time 22:38
I bought the watch for my husband, a retired Marine combat officer, private pilot, and someone who enjoys memorabilia of WW2. He will wear it with pride and remembrance. It’s too pretty to stay lost to time.
20. February 2022 access_time 22:32
I am a cousin of James (Jim, Jimmy) Douglas, I received a copy of a letter that Paul Todd wrote after he returned detailing the mission and crash. If anyone has information on the crew that they’d like to share my family would be appreciative. We too strive to keep Jimmy’s memory alive as he was an only child from our Great Aunt and Uncle who passed many years ago while I and 9 other of our cousins were in the service. my e-mail is irrasodd@yahoo.com Thank-You
29. January 2024 access_time 14:19
hello, I live a few kilometers from the crash site near Bayeux Normandy.
23. March 2026 access_time 17:07
My grandfather was Roland Bowman, the navigator. My father was only 3 mos old when Roland was killed. Roland remains an important person in my family and we hope to find more information about him as we continue to research what happened to them. Also hoping to go to France to visit his grave and possible crash site.