| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17G-35-BO: 42-31932 to 42-32116 |
| Delievered: | Cheyenne |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 2nd Bomb Group, 483rd Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 96th Bomb Squadron |
| MACR | 4793 |
| KSU/ME/KU: | ME 1136 |
| Fate: |
, Failed to return (06 Mai 1944) |
History of
B-17 42-32022 / Lonesome Polecat
Delivered Cheyenne 15/1/44; MacDill 30/1/44; Morrison 5/3/44; Assigned 483BG Tortorella 15/3/44; transferred 96BS/2BG Amendola 31/3/44; Missing in Action {10m} Brasov 6/5/44 with Bob Weiss, Bombardier: George Thomas, Radio Operator: Julius Entrekin, Ball turret gunner: Wilbur Earl, Waist gunner: Willard Curtiss, Waist gunner: Leslie Wolfe,Tail gunner: Ivan Foster (7 evaded capture); Co-pilot: Neil Coady, Navigator: Edwin Bentley, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Ray Ford (3POW-actually captured by Chetnick partisans and sold to Germans for $30 each!); #3 & #4 engines out and 10 chutes seen; crashed ?; Missing Air Crew Report 4793. LONESOME POLECAT.
B-17 42-32022 / Lonesome Polecat Details
Eyewitness Statement
After making the bomb run, the engines were hit by flak; three and four wrestlers dead, three windmilling and could not be feathered and the number two engine was tearing itself off of the wing. The order to bail out was given and I bailed out at 1500 feet. I counted nine other chutes beside my own in the air, thus accounting for all crew members.
S/Sgt. Ivan H. Foster
Radio Operator, B-17G 42-32022
Source: MACR 4793
B-17 42-32022 / Lonesome Polecat Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Robert E. Weiss | POW | - |
| CP | 2LT | Neil J. Coady | POW | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Edwin R. Bentley | POW | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | George J. Thomas | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | T/SGT | Roy E. Ford | POW | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Ivan H. Foster | POW | - |
| BT | S/SGT | Wilbur E. Earl | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Julian H. Entrekin | POW | - |
| WG | S/SGT | Willard Curtiss, Jr. | POW | - |
| TG | S/SGT | Leslie H. Wolfe, Jr. | POW | - |
This page was last updated on 31 January 2026
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