 |
Lead Crew - Mission #298A 06 Jan 1945 Cologne, Germany |
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
B-17G Sparky #44-8125 (360BS) PFF PU-Y
41st CBW-B Lead (360BS) - Pilot Capt B.C. Fontana / CoPilot 1Lt R.B. Duffield
(Back L-R) S/Sgt Thomas L. Weems (WG), 1Lt Richard B. Duffield (CP),
1Lt Brook H. Lovell (TG/O), 1Lt Gene K. Shipp (N),
1Lt Harold A. Orenstein (GH/N), Capt Bernard C. Fontana (P)
(Front L-R)
Sgt Robert A. Peterson (WG),
1Lt James C. Flemmons (B),
T/Sgt Robert N. Perry (E),
1Lt Rufus S. Charlton (M/N),
T/Sgt Raymond C. King (R)
Crewmen Comments:
- Richard B. Duffield (CP) and Gene K. Shipp (N) were original members of the 360th BS Nelson B. O'Beirne Crew. Lt Duffield was upgraded from CoPilot to Pilot on 16 June 1944.
- Richard B. Duffield (CP) and Gene K. Shipp (N) were KIA & James C. Flemmons (B) became a POW - on mission #305, 21 January 1945 to Aschaffenburg, Germany in PFF B-17G #8137 (no name) (360BS) PU-Z. Lead crew, 1Lt R.B. Duffield, Pilot. The left wing of the lead B-17 caught the right wing of B-17G #42-97058. Both aircraft lost their wings and went down. #44-8137 (9 KIA 1 POW), #42-97058 (8 KIA 1 POW)
Thirty-nine B-17s were dispatched to bomb a railroad bridge in Cologne, Germany. Bombing by thirty-eight aircraft was by PFF through solid undercast. The G-H equipment went out on the bomb run. Bombing results were unobserved. There was no enemy aircraft opposition. Flak was meager and inaccurate. There were no causalities and no battle damage. Friendly fighter support was good.