Source:
www.fold3.com
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17G-15-BO: 42-31332 to 42-31431 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 452nd Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 731st Bomb Squadron |
| RCL: | 7D-V |
| MACR: | 2916 |
| German Document: | 1099 |
| Fate: |
, Lost by enemy aircraft (06 March 1944) |
History of
B-17 42-31373 / Flakstop
Delivered Cheyenne 26/10/43; Walla Walla 9/11/43; Assigned 731BS/452BG [7D-V] Deopham Green 3/1/44; Missing in Action Berlin 6/3/44 with Chas Wagner, Radio Operator: Francis Shaffer, Waist gunner: Joe Tracey, Waist gunner: Fred Richmond,Tail gunner: George James (5 Killed in Action); Ball turret gunner: Lloyd Freeman (Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Alan Willis, Navigator: Clyde Martin, Bombardier: Henry Gladys, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Don PorterWounded in Action (4 evaded capture); enemy aircraft, crashed Staphorst-de-Leijen, Hol. Missing Air Crew Report 2916. FLAKSTOP.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
B-17 42-31373 / Flakstop Details
Photo taken on 6 March 1944 during bomb run on Berlin. B-17 #42-31373 Flakstop was shot down later on same day by fighters near the German-Dutch border.
B-17 42-31373 / Flakstop Crew
| Position | Rank | Name (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name) | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Charles F. Wagner | KIA | - |
| CP | 2LT | Alan R. Willis | EVD | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Clyde J. Martin | EVD | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Henry H. Gladys | EVD | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Donald Arthur Porter | EVD | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Francis Shaffer | KIA | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Lloyd J. Freeman | POW | - |
| WG | SGT | Joseph E. Tracy Jr. | KIA | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Frederick V. Richmond | KIA | - |
| TG | T/SGT | George Lou James | KIA | - |
This page was last updated on 25 March 2024
25. December 2021 access_time 17:56
My great uncle Clyde Martin was the Navigator of 42-31373 / Flakstop. He escaped capture after bailing out of Flakstop with the help of the brave people of Belgium, Holland and France who risked their lives and their families lives by smuggling him through German occupied territories. He kept a small windmill in his backyard to remember the wonderful people that helped smuggle him back to allied lines. I know he went back to Europe several times to visit the people that helped him. Our family is forever grateful to those people.
17. July 2023 access_time 6:59
Tracy,
I am a nephew of Flakstop’s pilot, Charles Wagner. My mother later heard from a Dutch boy who with his father found Chuck’s body following the crash near Staphorst.
Jim
14. January 2026 access_time 6:36
Hi Jim,
Ben Wagner here. Hope you are well. Looking into details of Uncle Chuck’s history after watching masters of the air and having them reference the first major raid over Berlin where we always heard Chuck went down. Thanks for the info. Hope you are well if you happen to see this. My email is benwagner9@gmail.com
05. March 2024 access_time 19:11
There is a monument at the site were the plane crashed. Every year on 06 March there is a ceremony to remember the brave men who payed the highest price for our freedom. The monument is adopted by group 8 of the Prince Maurits school from the nearby village Staphorst.
15. June 2026 access_time 23:49
My father was 2nd Lt. Al Willis, the co-pilot of Flakstop, shot down on the first daylight raid on Berlin, 3/6/44. Dad was the last man to jump. 4 crewmen were killed in the plane or on the way down in their chutes..2nd Lt. Wagner was the First Pilot. The fighter attacks disabled both starboard engines and the hydraulics. The auto pilot was inoperative. Charlie and Dad had to hold the burning plane full left rudder together to keep it from going into a spin. As the others made preparations to jump, Wagner asked Martin the navigator, where are we. “Over Holland,” came the reply. Wagner decided he could not jump and allow the plane to crash into an allied Dutch town. He stayed at the controls. My Dad said “I’m not leaving you.” Wagner said, “Al, you have to jump. That’s an order. Don’t worry, I’ll be right behind you.” But Dad knew as soon as Wagner released the controls, the plane would go into a spin. Dad jumped at 3000 feet, barely enough time for the chute to open. He landed unhurt in a freshly plowed field outside Staphorst. The plane crashed into an adjacent field and burned. Wagner was killed in the crash. Wagner unquestionably sacrificed his own life to save his crew and to protect innocent Dutch Townspeople. Wagner I buried in Margratten Cemetary in Holland. He deserves the DFC. His heroism made the lives of the others possible – Willis, Martin, Gladys, Porter and Freeman – all survived. Freeman was severely wounded and was captured. He survived three POW camps and the infamous “Long March” in 1945, on one leg. The other 4 were delivered by the Dutch Citizens to the Comet Line, a secret network that moved downed Allied Flyers to safety. All evaded for 6 months and were liberated by Allied troops as they took Belgium in September of 1944. “Greater love hath no man than to lay down his life for his friends.” God bless Charlie Wagner and the people of Holland and Belgium.