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Aircraft: 2102977

NAMES: Traps



 PILOTS:   N/A  N/A
MACR: SQUADRONS: 349 XR-L

NOTES

Traps

HISTORY

1944-04-25   Accepted into inventory
1944-04-25  Cheyenne
1944-04-07  Keaney
1944-07-29  Dow
1944-05-22  Assigned to UK
1944-07-17  RFO - crash landed - Friston
1944-07-17   TOA - Leiston - Capt Joseph Trapnell, Jr.
1944-07-19   Salvaged
0000-00-00  
0000-00-00 
0000-00-00  
1944-07-19  Salvaged

Pilot Info

Crew: N/A

Related Info: : N/A, N/A

Comments

    Diary of 2nd Lt. Charles J. Mellis, Jr.
Co-pilot, 603rd Squadron
398th Bomb Group. Flew plan over from States

May 13, 1944 – Saturday
Left Sioux City around 8 p.m. by troop sleeper.


May 14, 1944 – Sunday
Arrived in Kearney, Nebraska.


May 15 & 16, 1944 – Monday & Tuesday
Processing.


May 17, 1944 – Wednesday
Calibration mission.

[Pilot Log entry]
Mission: Local at Kearney, Nebr.
Aircraft: B-17G #42-102977
Time: 3 hours


May 19, 1944 – Friday
Scheduled to leave at 0130, but flight was scrubbed due to bad thunderstorms enroute.


May 20, 1944 – Saturday
Took off about 0115. Thunderstorms persisted along route; altered course to South to miss storm centers, but still got extreme turbulence. Flew about 1_ hours in the soup with extreme turbulence. Got back on course & broke out about daylight. Flight over New York & New England was beautiful – “George” did the flying, & a lovely time was had by all – after daylight. Arrived at Bangor, Maine about noon, processed, & slept.

[Pilot Log entry]
Mission: Kearney, Nebr. to Bangor, Me.
Aircraft: B-17G #42-102977
Time: 10 hours


May 21, 1944 – Sunday
Took off from Bangor about 11 a.m. local time. Very nice, uneventful 5 hour hop to Gander Field, Newfoundland.

[Pilot Log entry]
Mission: Bangor, Me. to Gander Field, Newfoundland
Aircraft: B-17G #42-102977
Time: 5 hours 15 minutes


May 22, 1944 – Monday
Spent all day at Gander while they repaired some navigational equipment. Never expected they’d get it fixed in one day, but they did, & we took off about 8 p.m. local time – 11 p.m. GMT. Climbed thru the soup and flew on top at 17,000’ for 4 hours.


May 23, 1944 – Tuesday
It was rather cold at 17,000’ – we were glad to get down to 7,000’ shortly after daybreak. We still had an undercast & didn’t see the ocean more than a half hour all told. Landed at Prestwick, Scotland about 11 a.m. GMT – 1 p.m. British War Time. Spent the day there & boarded troop train about 11 p.m.

[Pilot Log entry]
Mission: Gander Field, Newfoundland to Prestwick, Scotland
Aircraft: B-17G #42-102977
Time: 11 hours
Remarks: Trans-Atlantic flight

PHOTOS:

100th Strike photo taken from TRAPS,. courtesy of Capt Tong