American 1943 Crew 54 401st BG Bomb Group
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Boeing B-17G-1-BO 42-31098 Penny's Thunderhead (401st BG, 614th BS, "Penny's Thunderhead") severely damaged and some crew bailed out over enemy territory Dec 11, 1943.
Rest returned safely. MACR 8711. Plane repaired. Crashlanded due to mechanical failure at Deenethorpe, UK Mar 26, 1944 and was scrapped.
Richard Herbert Kaufman served as a pilot with the 401st Bomb Group out of Deenthorpe, England. He flew 31 missions from 12/01/1943, mission #2, to 07/08/1944, mission #106.
On 11 December 1943, he was flying B-17#42-31098 'Penny's Thunderhead' when it was hit by flak over the target and attacked by fighters. Thinking it was 'game over', he order the crew to bail out. Four bailed out over Holland and three near the Frisian Isles. In the end though, he and Bob Fitzgerald, the bombardier, were able to bring the aircraft back to England and landed it at RAF Lindholme.
Sexbierum, March 9, 1944.
o. 161.
Subject: Washing up English body
The undersigned, Jan Ideings, Sergeant, belong-
To the group listed, in connection with the recovery of a body on the Zeedijk near Costerbierum, municipality of Barradeel on March 8 or 9, 1944, I would like to inform you of the following:
On Thursday 9 March 1944, at about 9:00 a.m., I was informed that a body had washed ashore at the Zeedijk near Oosterbierum, municipality of Barradeel. I went there and found that at about the height of Paal 41 a body had been washed up against the Zeedijk, which was already in an advanced state of decomposition.
The body was placed in a coffin there by order of the Mayor of the municipality of Barradeel and transferred to the mortuary on
the general cemetery in Pietersbierum, genoente Barzadeel. On Friday, March 10, 1944, by a German soldier from the
"FLiegerhorst in Leeuwarden an investigation was conducted into the identity of this body, which established that it was probably the body of an American flying officer in the rank of lieutenant. A small puddle ( Dogtag) was found on the body, on which was placed the name Frederick B. Robinson, and the letters 0-684556 T. 43.
The body was interred on Friday, March 10, 1944 at 5 p.m. at the General Cemetery in Pietersbierum in grave no. 5, 2 no. 29.
The aforementioned sergeant, J.Idnings.
Seen and forwarded san the authorities mentioned in the addressing.
The Chief Guardmaster,
Lord Mayor
of the municipality
BARBADEEL.
- Capt Richard Herbert Kaufman
- Lt Frederick Brownell Robinson see 2Lt Frederick Brownell Robinson (1923-1943) -...
- Lt R.C, Fitzgerald
- LT J.A, Barrett
- Sgt F.R Cope
- Sgt H.A. Shaw
- Sgt D.H. Carlson
- Sgt T.R. Nielson
- Sgt H.L. Bangfrede
- Sgt E.W. Masterman
- USAF Serial Number Search Results
- Richard Herbert Kaufman | American Air Museum
- Search USAAF Missing Aircrew Reports 1941-1948