Thank you.
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Thank you.Best greetings from Poland.
I salute you sir!
I am glad to be hereI did some snooping around and found these.
Reading about a man in history is 1. Reading about a man that made history and is here is something else.
I did some snooping around and found these.
Reading about a man in history is 1. Reading about a man that made history and is here is something else.
Hi Chris........Welcome to this terrific website. You will enjoy it a lot as I have. Great to meet an alumni from RAF Molesworth. I have many memories of my time there years ago. I also dip back into the 303rd website from time to time. When were you at Molesworth?Hi Bill! My last place of work was RAF Molesworth, AKA Pneumonia on the Hill! I'm also signed up for the 303rd website.
I also have a copy of Keith Ferris's painting of "Thunder Bird" above my fireplace.
Sounds like an interesting assignment. Gary Moncur sure has done a great job with the 303rd website. I was in the 360th squadron, were there any landmarks remaining of that area while you were there? Also, was the YMCA still in Bedford. It was a great place to spend a night in the swimming pool.Hi Bill, I was there from 2009 until I retired in 2014. I was a British civil servant working with a NATO unit on the Base. I got to meet Gary Moncur when he visited the Base a while back. I also used to help the Base Historian, Mr Peter Park, when he hosted visits.
Not so sure about the Bedford YMCA Bill, but on the Base, the three hangars were still there! Most of the wartime infrastructure was grubbed up when the Base was turned into a cruise missile base in the 1980s! In the main (J?) hangar, the splash marks from the RAF practice bomb dropped on July 4 1944 are still to be seen!
Thanks for the up date. I am surprised to learn the hangars are standing. I passed through Valley both arriving and departing after the war. How many miles is it from Valley to Molesworth? Our crew made that trip by vehicle following arrival.Not so sure about the Bedford YMCA Bill, but on the Base, the three hangars were still there! Most of the wartime infrastructure was grubbed up when the Base was turned into a cruise missile base in the 1980s! In the main (J?) hangar, the splash marks from the RAF practice bomb dropped on July 4 1944 are still to be seen!
Thank you. I really enjoy being a part of this site.I'm always late to the party. Glad to have you aboard, sir, and thank you for your service and the contributions to this forum!
Jim.....Welcome to the website Thank you for the detailed information. I found it most interesting. I notice you pilot the Boeing 757/767. I spent 32 years in Commercial Aviation Marketing and Sales. In my opinion you are flying the best looking and quietest aircraft in the air today.Njaco, I'm later than you! This is such a great website and simply awesome thread. Bill, thank you for sharing your experiences. Your memories give real texture to simple dates in history. I'm a bit of a B-17 nerd so I consolidated the aircraft listed in your mission notes:
Ship SQDN NAME GAINED FATE / PILOT / NOTES /COMBAT MISSIONS
42-97860 360-L (No name) 04 Jun 44 Scrapped Kingman, AZ 28 Nov 45 / 67
43-38842 360-N (No name) 28 Oct 44 Scrapped Kingman, AZ 17 Nov 45/ ?
42-97281 427-Q Queenie (Queen Jeanie)12 Apr 44, 28 Mar 45 w/ Miller (WU lndg near Sandwich, UK.) Salvaged/78
44-6523 360-A (No name) 29 Sep 44 Scrapped Kingman, AZ 17 Nov 45/ ?
44-6516 360-Q My Darling 29 Sep 44 Scrapped Kingman, AZ 08 Dec 44 / 71
44-6517 360-F Old Cock 03 Oct 44 Scrapped Kingman, AZ 28 Nov 45 / 82
42-97546 360-E Idaliza 12 Mar 44 Scrapped Kingman, AZ 01 Dec 45 /105
42-97860 360-L (No name) 04 Jun 44 Scrapped 28 Nov 45 Kingman, AZ /67
44-8647 360-M (No name) 17 Dec 44 MIA 06 Apr 45 w/ Lacker (midair col over Germany, 9 KIA, with 43-38958)/34
43-38672 360-I (No name) 28 Sep 44 Scrapped Kingman, AZ 26 Nov 45 /52
Scrolling through the 303rdBG combat mission page, I was drawn to 28 SEP 44: 11 of 28 aircraft lost or salvaged. It was the second high loss mission the group experienced, the first being in January 44. It made me wonder what went on that day. From the 8thAFHS web page:
THURSDAY, 28 SEPTEMBER 1944
STRATEGIC OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force): Mission 652: 1,049 bombers and 724 fighters are dispatched to hit oil and military vehicle factories in C Germany using PFF means; they claim 37-8-18 Luftwaffe aircraft; 34 bombers and 7 fighters are lost:
1. 445 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Magdeburg/Rothensee oil refinery (23); 359 hit the secondary at Magdeburg and 35 hit targets of opportunity; they claim 10-7-5 aircraft; 23 B-17s are lost, 2 damaged beyond repair and 126 damaged; 8 airmen are WIA and 208 MIA. Escort is provided by 263 P-38s and P-51s; they claim 24-0-13 aircraft in the air and 1-0-0 on the ground; 5 P-51s are lost, 1 damaged beyond repair and 4 damaged; 5 pilots are MIA.
2. 342 B-17s are dispatched to hit the Merseburg/Leuna oil refinery (301); 10 others hit targets of opportunity; 10 B-17s are lost, 4 damaged beyond repair and 251 damaged; 4 airmen are KIA, 15 WIA and 92 MIA. Escort is provided by 212 of 231 P-51s; they claim 2-1-0 aircraft in the air; 1 P-51 is lost (pilot MIA).
3. 262 B-24s are dispatched to hit the Kassel/Henschel motor transport plant (243); 1 hits a target of opportunity; 1 B-24 is lost and 86 damaged; 10 airmen are MIA. Escort is provided by 171 of 195 P-47s; 1 P-47s is lost and 3 damaged; 1 pilot is MIA.
The sheer scale of the ETO operations, considering land, sea and air forces, is almost beyond comprehension.
Thanks to all posters for a great thread!
The B-17 was a great aircraft for it's time. It was easy to fly. I was a bombardier but spent considerable time in the right seat on training flights. I actually landed the aircraft at Bangor on the trip over. While in the UK I signed on as co-pilot, with the pilots approval, on a number of slow timing engine 4 hour flights. I enjoyed the adventure a lot. It was a great way to pass time when not assigned to a mission.Good recce, Bill. That's an old pic and I need to update my profile. I was on the 757/767 for 18 years as FO, instructor, CA and APD. Alas, seniority being the "only thing", I find myself on the Baby Bus now (319/320/320), but it's all good. You're right though, the 757 is a rocket, even with our little P&W2037s. I have to admit, I really like flying our brand new 321s. But, to keep perspective, I've loved the B-17 since I can remember and have always had the desire to fly one.
Well Bill, if the YMCA is shut and its a bit too windy for a punt down river I guess flying a B-17 would fill in an afternoon.The B-17 was a great aircraft for it's time. It was easy to fly. I was a bombardier but spent considerable time in the right seat on training flights. I actually landed the aircraft at Bangor on the trip over. While in the UK I signed on as co-pilot, with the pilots approval, on a number of slow timing engine 4 hour flights. I enjoyed the adventure a lot. It was a great way to pass time when not assigned to a mission.
Thanks for the reply. I remember the trip taking considerable time.Bill, just letting you know that the distance from Molesworth to RAF Valley is 236 miles, about a three and a half to four hour drive today. Back in 1945, the road distance would be longer I guess, and the travelling time much longer !
I used to spend quite a lot of time just across the bay from Valley, and watched the Hawks flying to and fro from 4 FTS, which still operates from there today.