| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17G-30-BO 42-31732 to 42-31931 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 303rd Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 427th Bomb Squadron |
| RCL | GN-R |
| MACR | 3475 |
| Fate: |
, Lost by flak/aa-fire (26 March 1944) |
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History of
B-17 42-31929 / Tennessee Hillbilly
Delivered Cheyenne 7/1/44; Gr Island 15/1/44; Presque Is 21/2/44; Assigned 427BS/303BG [GN-R] Molesworth 1/3/44; Missing in Action Pas de Calais 26/3/44 with Chas Mars, Co-pilot: Bill Dallas, Navigator: George Arvanites, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ray Foster, Radio Operator: Ed McGinnis, Ball turret gunner: Chas Dunlap, Waist gunner: Alby Senechal, Waist gunner: Dolbert Nivens,Tail gunner: Vince Agione (9 Prisoner of War); Bombardier: Conrad Kersch (EVD-ret UK after D-Day); flak, crashed Cote de l’Haeneberg, Lederzeele, three miles N of Omer, Fr; Missing Air Crew Report 3475. TENNESSEE HILLBILLY.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
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This page was last updated on 04 September 2017
24. December 2022 access_time 5:02
My Father was a new member replacing the bombardier when the Tennessee Hillbilly was shot down. TSGT Conrad John Kersch gave his story & it is posted at the American Air Museum in Britian website. I gave them 10 more photos. My Father wrote 2 books, DeGroote & Java Diary, completed in 1987 but was told to get a ghostwriter to remove repetition, smooth out, and have the action at the beginning move along. Due to the cost of a ghostwriter, he didn’t get in published. I did genealogy getting the Kersch/Kirsch family history back to 1708. Then spent time getting actual documents to clear up my Father’s childhood. Even went to Court East Moline, Clark County, IL to get my Grandfather’s asylum records for having Mad Hatter diseased caused by breathing mercury fumes which lead to alcoholism. He died in the asylum 1932. I got my Father’s 2nd book DeGroote that was in story form to print & the publisher, Red Engine Press, put it on amazon.com. Just finished his 1st book printed by the publisher but after the expense of DeGroote just had Java Diary printed for friends & family and didn’t sell. The back of both books has my Father’s bio and brief on his 3 sons. I think he has memorabilia that he donated to 3 museums: America Air Musuem in Britian; 8th AF Musuem in Florida; & I think one near Albuquerque, NM where the B-17 crews trained for the 19th Bomber Group before being stationed in the Pacific. Only 28 survived WWII. It would be nice to find out what he donated to these museums like gear & photos so I can answer Copyright Office questions for the Java Diary book.