42-97491 / Ronnie R | B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress

B-17 Bomber Flying Fortress – The Queen Of The Skies 42-97491 / Ronnie R

Production-block:
B-17G-15-VE: 42-97436 to 42-97535

Manufacturer:
Lockheed/Vega

Bomb Group:
100th Bomb Group

Bomb Squadron:
418th Bomb Squadron

RCL: LD-B

Fate:

MACR: 3043 / KSU/ME/KU: 652A

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History of
B-17 42-97491 / Ronnie R

Delivered Cheyenne 30/11/43; Kearney 16/12/43; Romulus 31/12/43; Assigned 418BS/100BG [LD-B] Thorpe Abbotts 6/1/44; Missing in Action Berlin 6/3/44 with Dean Radtke, Co-pilot: Gordon Devault, Navigator: Bob Reilly, Bombardier: Bill Agnetti, Flight engineer/top turret gunner: Van Pinner{Wounded in Action}, Radio Operator: Bob Ray, Waist gunner: Chas Allen, Waist gunner: Dick Kerwin,Tail gunner: Theo Mangum {Wounded in Action} (9 Prisoner of War); Ball turret gunner: Joe Kroczynski (Killed in Action); enemy aircraft, crashed Twirstringen (Telbrkae?), two miles E of Vechta, Ger. Missing Air Crew Report 3043. RONNIE R.

Source: Dave Osborne, B-17 Fortress Master Log*

Last updated: 1. April 2021

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B-17 42-97491 / Ronnie R Crew

Position	Rank	Name	Status	Note
P	1LT	Dean M. Radtke	POW	-
CP	2LT	Gordon E. DeVault	POW	-
NAV	2LT	Robert M. Reilly	POW	-
BOMB	2LT	William B. Agnetti	POW	-
ENG/TT	T/SGT	Van D. Pinner	POW	-
RO	T/SGT	Robert Ray	POW	-
BT	S/SGT	Joseph C. Kroczynski	KIA	-
WG	S/SGT	Charles F. Allen	POW	-
WG	S/SGT	Richard K. Kerwin	POW	-
TG	S/SGT	Theodore E. Mangum	POW	-

Ted Whalen
03. September 2020 16:00

My grandfather was waist gunner Dick Kerwin. He parachuted out of Ronnie R as it was going down. Was captured and was POW to the end of the war. He lived to the late 1990s.

ashley
19. October 2021 1:10

My grandfather was the co-pilot. Gordon DeVault. He rarely talked about his time in the war, which is completely understandable. I have been gathering information about his time, if you have any information or stories. Please let me know. Thank you.