Quick Search
 359th Bashor Crew
Oliver Lee Bashor, Pilot
 Home About Us Contact Us Donate Newsletters 8th AFHS Links FAQ Facebook Search
 Personnel Aircraft Nose Art B-17 Thunderbird Ground Support Uniforms Journals More Info
 Mission Reports Combat Crews Individual Photos Photos POW KIA MACR Overseas Graves TAPS


OLIVER LEE BASHOR CREW - 359th BS
(crew assigned 359BS: 28 Feb 1945 - photo: Feb 1945 at Lincoln, NE)

(Back L-R) S/Sgt Norman S. Greene (BT), S/Sgt Paul E. Reed (E), Sgt Robert S. Hansen (WG),
Sgt Robert J. Theisen (TG), Sgt Victor N. Shook (R)

(Front L-R) 1Lt Harry Adams (B), 2Lt Oliver Lee Bashor (P),
2Lt Ira B. Baker (CP), 2Lt Louis Fish (N)



OLIVER LEE BASHOR CREW - 359th BS
(crew assigned 359BS: 28 Feb 1945 - photo: Molesworth, 13 March 1945)

(Back L-R) 2Lt Oliver Lee Bashor (P), 2Lt Ira B. Baker (CP),
1Lt Harry Adams (B), 2Lt Louis Fish (N)

(Front L-R) S/Sgt Paul E. Reed (E), Sgt Robert S. Hansen (WG),
S/Sgt Norman S. Greene (BT), Sgt Robert J. Theisen (TG), Sgt Victor N. Shook (R)



OLIVER LEE BASHOR CREW - 359th BS
B-17G #43-38289 Sweet La Rhonda BN-J
(crew assigned 359BS: 28 Feb 1945)

(Back L-R) Cpl Paul E. Reed (E), Cpl Norman S. Greene (BT),
2Lt Ira B. Baker (CP), 1Lt Harry Adams (B)

(Front L-R) Cpl Robert J. Theisen (TG), Cpl Robert S. Hansen (WG),
2Lt Oliver Lee Bashor (P), Cpl Victor N. Shook (R), 2Lt Louis Fish (N - not pictured)

Twenty-two credited combat missions flown by 2Lt Oliver Lee Bashor:
332 (8 March 1945), 333, 335, 336, 337, 339, 340, 341, 345, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 358, 360, 361, 362, 364 (25 April 1945)
For Mission dates, targets and Mission Reports, see Combat Missions. Crewmen flew with no injuries. B-17's used, except for many flak holes in the aircraft, suffered no major damage.

Crew Notes:

  • 2Lt Oliver Lee Bashor (P) - Flew on first two missions (332 , 333) as CoPilot with combat orientation Pilot 2Lt John A. Olsen. Other 20 missions as First Pilot.

  • 2Lt Ira B. Baker (CP) - Three missions with other Pilots - Lt Beasley (332), Lt Rybaltowski (333) and Lt Aagesen (364). Other missions flown as CoPilot with the Lt Bashor crew. The Lt Bashor Crew flew with a substitute CoPilot on mission 364 - 2Lt Paul A. Pinkert.

  • 2Lt Louis Fish (N) - Flew on 11 missions with the Lt Bashor crew - 332, 333, 335, 336, 337, 339, 340, 341, 345, 348, 349. Three additional missions flown with other Pilots - Lt Tilsen (353), Capt Tulloss - Lead Crew (358) & Capt Eisenhart - Lead crew (362) A substitute Navigator, 2Lt Herbert B. Johnson, was used on eleven missions (347, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 358, 360, 361, 362 & 364)

  • 2Lt Harry Adams (B) - Flew on seven missions. First mission only (332) with the Lt Bashor Crew and six missions with other Pilots - Lt Fravel (336), Lt O'Donnell (340), Lt Bailey (349), Lt Tilsen (341, 353) and Lt Haynes (346). Toggliers used on the other twenty-one Lt Bashor Crew missions - S/Sgt Henry C. Boucher (333, 335, 336, 337), S/Sgt Howard D. Schoonover (340), S/Sgt James B. Roberts (341) and Crew Waist Gunner, Sgt Robert S. Hansen, on fifteen missions

  • Sgt Robert S. Hansen (WG/Togglier) - Waist Gunner missions: Three Lt Bashor Crew missions (332, 340, 341) plus two missions with 2Lt Clyde A. Henning as Pilot (335, 336). Togglier missions (After the Lt Bashor crew flew with 8 crewmen without a Waist Gunner): Fifteen missions (339, 345, 347, 348, 349, 350, 351, 352, 353, 354, 358, 360, 361, 362, 364). Mission 335 was flown with a substitute Waist Gunner - Sgt Louis E. Carl.

  • S/Sgt Victor N. Shook (R) - Flew with the Lt Bashor crew on their first 19 missions plus mission 362 and with 1Lt Holmes (P) on mission 361. Crew used substitute Radio Operators on two missions - S/Sgt Matthew Grden (361) and Sgt Lloyd G. Smith (364)

  • S/Sgt Paul E. Reed (E), S/Sgt Norman S. Greene (BTG) and Sgt Robert J. Theisen (TG) - Flew on all of the twenty-two 2Lt Bashor Crew missions.

  • Voice Translators (VT) - Used on three missions (333, 337, 358)
    Y-Operators (Y) - Used on five missions (341, 349, 350, 351, 354)
Continental Express Missions - Early May 1945:
Participated on two Continental Express Missions. The aerial tours of Continental Europe and major targets bombed by the 303rd BG(H) give the Group non-combat personnel an opportunity to see how their own activities made valuable contributions to the combat activities of the 303rd BG(H) combat crews.

Return to United States:
Lt Bashor flew a B-17 and crew back to the United States and trained West Point Graduates to fly the B-17 until World War II ended.

See: 1Lt Bashor's Mission Log

[photos courtesy of Lee Bashor and the Irue Ferguson Family]
[Researched by Harry D. Gobrecht, 303rdBGA Historian Emeritus]