| Serial Number: | 42-30139 |
| Name: |
SNUFFY Named after the popular comic strip character "Snuffy Smith." |
| Manufacturer: | Built by the Boeing Airplane Company, B-17F-90-BO, Camouflage |
| Squadron: | 545th Bombardment Squadron (H) |
| Squadron ID Code: | 545th‑JD*O |
| Start Date: | 1 April 1943. Original AC. |
| Missions: | This aircraft was credited with 7 combat missions with the 384th. |
| End Date: | 17 August 1943. Failed to return from combat operations. |
| Related Documents: | Missing Air Crew Report # 294⇓ (1.307 MB) |
| Photo Album: | Aircraft 42-30139 Photo Album⇗ |
| History: | 42-30139 Delivered to Cheyenne, Wyoming for modification on 15 April 1943; Smoky Hill AAF, Kansas on 25 April 1943; Sioux City, Iowa on 30 April 1943; Tinker AAF, Oklahoma on 22 May 1943; Kearney, Nebraska on 26 May 1943; Dow Field, Maine on 29 May 1943. Assigned to the 545th Bombardment Squadron, squadron code JD-O, 384th Bombardment Group, station 106, Grafton Underwood, UK on 14 June 1943. Failed to return from a mission to Schweinfurt, Germany on 17 August 1943 with pilot-Oliver Swensingen Jr., co-pilot-Carlos P. Stewart, navigator-Robert M. Koening, engineer/top turret gunner-Wallace B. Dawson, radio operator-Joseph F. Barta, ball turret gunner-Leon Svirsky, waist gunner-Alfred Meyer, tail gunner-Charles F. Tate Jr. (8 Prisoners of War). The bombardier-Victor T. Kelly and waist Gunner-Richard S. Grover were Killed in Action. The aircraft was shot down by a combination of enemy aircraft and flak. The ship crashed at Stangenroth, six miles North West of Bad Kissingen, Germany. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) #294. Aircraft Name: SNUFFY. |
| Bits & Pieces: |
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| Number | Date | Target | Results | Mission/Sortie Information |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1⇗ | 22 June 1943 | Target: General Motors Truck Factory Type: Industry Location: Antwerp, Belgium | Completed Mission | Bomb rack did not work on toggle; bombs jettisoned in the Channel. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 23 June 1943 | Bernay-Saint-Martin, France, RECALLED | Ground Spare Aircraft, Unused | |
| 2⇗ | 25 June 1943 | Target: Industrial Area & Submarine Pens Type: Military Location: Hamburg, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Returned to base due to weather conditions; pilot was unable to maintain contact with the formation. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 3⇗ | 26 June 1943 | Target: Villacoublay Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 4⇗ | 28 June 1943 | Target: Fighter Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Beaumont-le-Roger, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Turned back with #2 supercharger malfunctioning. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 5⇗ | 29 June 1943 | Target: duNord Aircraft Works, Villacoublay Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France | Scrubbed: Did Not Take Off | Replaced by Ground Spare Aircraft 42‑30142. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 9 July 1943 | Abbeville, France, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 7⇗ | 10 July 1943 | Target: Drucat Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Abbeville, France | Completed Mission | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 8⇗ | 14 July 1943 | Target: Villacoublay Airfield Type: German Air Force (Luftwaffe) Location: Paris, France | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Turned back three to four minutes after crossing the French coast at 0748 hrs due to failure of #1 engine. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 9⇗ | 24 July 1943 | Target: Aluminum & Magnesium Plants Type: Industry Location: Herøya, Norway | Completed Mission | Ground Spare Aircraft; replaced 42‑29728. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 10⇗ | 25 July 1943 | Target: Blohm & Voss Aircraft Works and Shipyard Type: Industry Location: Hamburg, Germany | Completed Mission | Group Lead. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| -- | 26 July 1943 | Hamburg, Germany, RECALLED | Mission Recalled | Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 11⇗ | 28 July 1943 | Target: Aircraft Engine Plant Type: Aircraft Industry Location: Kassel, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | Turned back with #2 engine trouble. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 14⇗ | 12 August 1943 | Target: Synthetic Fuel Hydrogenation Plant Type: Industry Location: Gelsenkirchen, Germany | Aborted Mission After Taking Off. | High Squadron lead, group deputy. turned back at 0828 hrs because #1 engine failed. Sortie Report ⇗ |
| 17⇗ | 17 August 1943 | Target: Ball-Bearing Plant Type: Bearings Industry Location: Schweinfurt, Germany | Failed To Return | Damaged by flak; crashed near Stangenroth (Bad Kissingen area), Germany. MACR 294 Sortie Report ⇗ |