Polebrook AFB

While approach RAF Polebrook, the Boeing B-17 registered 43-38080 collided with a second USAAF Boeing B-17 registered 43-37595 and carrying a crew of 9 and that was approaching the same airfield. Both aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located in Lutton, east of the airbase. All 19 crew members on both aircraft were killed.
Crew on board B-17 43-38080:
T/Sgt James S. Allman,
1st Lt Edward R. Ashton,
F/O George Y. Bowman,
Sgt John C. Connelly,
S/Sgt Bruce Shaffer Cook,
2nd Lt Donald A. Cornell,
S/Sgt John P. Folks Jr.,
2nd Lt John F. McNeill,
Sgt John Y. Nelson,
Sgt Harold R. Wieland.

Crew on board B-17 43-37595:
St Albert Bingham Cantrelle,
Sgt Emerald G. Cutting,
F/O Stanley L. Dietel,
Sgt Francis T. Leonard,
Sgt Philip M. Singleton,
F/O Robert Earle Sollers,
Sgt Joseph E. Ventress,
2nd Lt Reinhold W. Vergen,
S/Sgt Robert L. Wheatley.

While approach RAF Polebrook, the Boeing B-17 registered 43-37595 collided with a second USAAF Boeing B-17 registered 43-38080 and carrying a crew of 10 and that was approaching the same airfield. Both aircraft went out of control and crashed in a field located in Lutton, east of the airbase. All 19 crew members on both aircraft were killed.
Crew on board B-17 43-37595:
St Albert Bingham Cantrelle,
Sgt Emerald G. Cutting,
F/O Stanley L. Dietel,
Sgt Francis T. Leonard,
Sgt Philip M. Singleton,
F/O Robert Earle Sollers,
Sgt Joseph E. Ventress,
2nd Lt Reinhold W. Vergen,
S/Sgt Robert L. Wheatley.

Crew on board B-17 43-38080:
T/Sgt James S. Allman,
1st Lt Edward R. Ashton,
F/O George Y. Bowman,
Sgt John C. Connelly,
S/Sgt Bruce Shaffer Cook,
2nd Lt Donald A. Cornell,
S/Sgt John P. Folks Jr.,
2nd Lt John F. McNeill,
Sgt John Y. Nelson,
Sgt Harold R. Wieland.

The four-engine aircraft left RAF Polebrook on a bombing mission to Frankfurt. While overflying The Netherlands, the aircraft was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in a field located 3 km southeast of Vlissingen. All ten crew members were killed.
Crew (351st BG):
1st Lt Daniel D. Nauman, pilot,
2st Lt William R. Keister, copilot,
1st Lt Walter A. Blair, navigator,
S/Sgt Mario Suozzo, bombardier,
T/Sgt Foy A. Rush, flight engineer,
T/Sgt Robert F. Martin, radio operator,
S/Sgt William R. Towsley, air gunner,
S/Sgt Lewis W. Burgess Jr., air gunner,
S/Sgt Ralph G. Robeson, air gunner,
S/Sgt Willard O. Hunter, air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Polebrook on an operation to the Chemische Werke synthetic rubber plant located in Hüls. Passing over the Netherlands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Beek. All 10 crew members became PoW.
Crew:
2nd Lt Leo P. Turgeon, pilot,
2nd Lt Burton W. Caruso, copilot,
2nd Lt Chas R. Bryant Jr., navigator,
2nd Lt John R. Turney, bombardier,
T/Sgt John W. Cabaniss, flight engineer,
S/Sgt Larry V. Ferns, radio operator,
S/Sgt Video Pacciotti, left wing gunner,
Sgt Ed Knower Jr., right wing gunner,
S/Sgt Leasure S. McGinniss, ball turret gunner,
S/Sgt Fred L. Aye, tail gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Polebrook on a mission to the submarine yards at Bremen. Over Germany, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed in Oldenburg. Three crew members were killed and seven others became PoW.
Those killed were:
2nd Lt Charles Noetzel,
S/Sgt Edward H. Berry,
Sgt Roy Johnson.

The airplane departed RAF Polebrook at 1350LT on an operation to Saint-Nazaire. Passing west of Vannes, it was shot down by the German Flak and crashed in Ploeren. Four crew members were killed and six others became PoW.
Crew:
1st Lt Colonel J. Russell Jr., pilot,
F/O Leo Grikstas, copilot,
S/Sgt Charles T. Eaton, flight engineer,
T/Sgt James F. Welk, radio operator, †
2nd Lt Roy Paul Stealey, navigator,
1st Lt Charles Boyd Woehrle, bombardier,
S/Sgt Nahannie Bader, air gunner, †
T/Sgt Wayne I. Baldwin, air gunner, †
S/Sgt Maurice McLaughlin, air gunner, †
S/Sgt Frederick Dunkerton Williams Jr., air gunner.

The airplane departed RAF Polebrook on an operation to a railway marshalling yard in Emden. While returning to base and flying along the Frisian Islands, it was shot down by a German fighter and crashed into the North Sea some 80 km north of Ameland Island. All 10 crew members were killed.
Crew:
1st Lt Joseph A. Meli Jr., pilot,
2nd Lt Robert P. Cooper, copilot,
2nd Lt Jack Howell, navigator,
2nd Lt Howard E. Lewis, bombardier,
S/Sgt Stanford W. Henry, flight engineer,
T/Sgt Bernard A. Guenzig, radio operator,
S/Sgt Dewey K. Bishop, air gunner,
S/Sgt Louis M. Hilscher, air gunner,
S/Sgt Melvin E. Hugo, air gunner,
S/Sgt Charles D. Summers, air gunner.

The airplane was performing a local training flight at RAF Polebrook (Station 110). While circling in the vicinity of the airbase, it collided with a second USAAF Boeing B-17 registered 41-29865 that was also carrying a crew of 10. Following the collision, both airplanes crashed in a field and were destroyed. All 20 crew members in both airplanes were killed.
Crew:
Cpt Roy Snipes,
1st Lt Rupert L. Torrey,
2nd Lt George F. Cotherman,
S/Sgt Charles E. Chadbourne,
S/Sgt Edward G. Cihlar,
S/Sgt Harry J. Kelley,
S/Sgt Maurice R. Marquis,
T/Sgt Harold J. Wellnitz,
T/Sgt Irving L. Berger,
Pvt Carl H. Jorgensen.

The airplane was performing a local training flight at RAF Polebrook (Station 110). While circling in the vicinity of the airbase, it collided with a second USAAF Boeing B-17 registered 41-29491 that was also carrying a crew of 10. Following the collision, both airplanes crashed in a field and were destroyed. All 20 crew members in both airplanes were killed.
Crew:
Maj Keith G. Birlem,
1st Lt Harry L. Bartholomew,
1st Lt Courtland H. Young,
2nd Lt Clarence B. Yunt,
2nd Lt Henry G. Summers,
S/Sgt Robert M. Brooke,
S/Sgt Paul R. Fennel,
S/Sgt Walter D. Lappage,
S/Sgt Oscar R. Tipton,
T/Sgt Thomas S. Broderick.

The airplane departed RAF Polebrook on an operation to Lorient. While cruising at an altitude of 13,000 feet just below the cloud layer, it was attacked by a German fighter and the German Flak that shot away one engine, the ball turret, the top turret, the intercom system and the elevator controls. The airplane was ditched into the sea some 15 km off Brest and floated for about 30 seconds. All 10 crew members were rescued by a French fishing boat and turned over to the Germans as PoW. The airplane sank and was lost.
Crew:
1st Lt Milton Stenstrom, pilot,
1st Lt Robert L. Carlberg, copilot,
1st Lt Harold Spire, navigator,
1st Lt Ewart T. Sconiers, bomb aimer,
T/Sgt Roy T. Nalley, flight engineer,
S/Sgt William A. Adams, radio operator,
Sgt William E. Schimke, air gunner,
Sgt Thomas C. Calhoun, air gunner,
Sgt John M. Hughes, air gunner,
Sgt James C. Simmons, air gunner.