Source:
www.fold3.com
| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Lockheed/Vega |
| Production-Block: | , B-17G-10-VE: 42-39958 to 42-40057 |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 452nd Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 730th Bomb Squadron |
| RCL | 6K-Z |
| MACR | 4958 |
| KSU/ME/KU: | 1900 |
| Fate: |
, Lost by flak/aa-fire (19 May 1944) |
History of
B-17 42-39990 / Junior
Delivered Long Beach 27/10/43; Walla Walla 10/11/43; Assigned 730BS/452BG [6K-Z] Deopham Green 3/1/44; Missing in Action Berlin 19/5/44 with Steve Gaal, Co-pilot: Don Blust, Navigator: Les Roewar, Bombardier: Bob Stewart, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Don Ledwick, Radio Operator: Les Hardie, Ball turret gunner: Ralph Pharris, Waist gunner: Burrell Shaw, Waist gunner: John Wrona,Tail gunner: Angelo Bellissimo (10 Prisoner of War); flak, crashed Althuttendorf, 34 miles N of Berlin, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 4958. JUNIOR.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
B-17 42-39990 / Junior Details
Following statement made by 1Lt. Frank L. Houston, Jr.:
We were on the bomb run. The ship below and to our left, believed to have been A/C 42-39990, went into a steep dive. The pilot apparently was struggling to pull the plane out of dive. After falling approximately 10000 feet the plane almost reached a horizontal attitude at which point the tail disintegrated.
1Lt. Frank L. Houston, Jr.
Source: MACR 4958
B-17 42-39990 / Junior Crew
| Position | Rank | Name | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Stephen A. Gaal | POW | - |
| CP | 2LT | Donald A. Blust | POW | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Lesli C. Roewar | POW | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Robert A. Stewart | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | S/SGT | Donald L. Ledwick | POW | - |
| RO | S/SGT | Leslie P. Hardie | POW | - |
| BT | SGT | Ralph A. Pharris | POW | - |
| WG | SGT | John J. Wrona | POW | - |
| WG | CPL | Burrell L. Shaw | POW | - |
| TG | SGT | Angelo A. Bellissimo | POW | - |
This page was last updated on 19 September 2020
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