| General | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer: | Boeing |
| Production-Block: | , B-17F-30-BO: 42-5050 to 42-5078 |
| Delievered: | Cheyenne |
| Operational History | |
|---|---|
| Bomb Group: | , 301st Bomb Group, 99th Bomb Group |
| Bomb Squadron: | , 346th Bomb Squadron, 353rd Bomb Squadron |
| MACR: | 1129 |
| Fate: |
, Failed to return (10 November 1943) |
| Missions: | 71 |
History of
B-17 42-5061
Delivered Cheyenne 13/9/42; New Castle 12/10/42; Assigned 353BS/301BG Chelveston 1/11/42; Tarafaoui 26/11/42; Maison Blanche 5/12/42; Biskra 16/12/42; {71m} transferred 346BS/99BG Navarin 8/1/43; Gen Doolittle aboard mission to Kiarouan Afd 9/2/43; Oudna 4/8/43; Missing in Action Bolzano 10/11/43, with Jerry Wickliffe, Arlinghaus, Chestnut (3 KIA) DeWitt, Ellsworth, Isert, Hogan, Auzniarek, Pinkard; Prochaska (7 POW); crashed 7 km south of Pavia, Italy; Missing Air Crew Report 1129.
Information may include corrections and additions based on Jing’s research.
B-17 42-5061 Crew
| Position | Rank | Name (First Name, Middle Initial, Last Name) | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 2LT | Jerry M. Wickliffe | KIA | - |
| CP | 2LT | Clifford R. DeWitt | POW | - |
| NAV | 2LT | Reid F. Ellsworth | POW | - |
| BOMB | 2LT | Fred J. Isert | POW | - |
| ENG/TT | S/SGT | Joseph T. Arlinghaus | KIA | - |
| RO | T/SGT | Stanly J. Prochaska | POW | - |
| BT | SGT | John A. Chestnut | KIA | - |
| WG | SGT | Charles F. Pinkard | POW | - |
| WG | SGT | Robert J. Hogan | POW | - |
| TG | SGT | Raymond S. Kusniarek | POW | - |
This page was last updated on 11 July 2026
Write comment
Help preserve the archive: I invest a lot of time into these research results. If my work helps you, I would appreciate a small tip!
19. April 2024 access_time 17:50
Hit and shot down in the province of Brescia in the mountains above Villa Carcina, the B-17 crashed in three “sections” in the Brione mountains, research carried out by AircrashPO, an aeronautical research group in northern Italy
20. April 2024 access_time 12:04
Hello Luca, thank you for the information. I have updated my map of crash site and this database entry.
I have put the marker north of Villa Carcina.
Cheers
Jing
11. August 2025 access_time 5:24
This appears to have been my grandfather’s plane – Reid F Ellsworth. Do you have links to any other information?
30. June 2026 access_time 16:37
Hi Steven, while doing some research I discovered that the plane your grandfather was flying in was shot down near Pavia (Italy) along the Po River, and not near Brescia. I sent all the information I found to this website, and I hope it will be published. In addition to your grandfather, DeWitt, Hogan, Isert, Auzniarek, Pinkard, Prochaska also survived. I read the story of your grandfather, who was helped in Italy by the Cenciotti family. Then your grandfather and your grandmother Lela returned to Italy to meet them.