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Bill’s blog archive: Daily Posts

Mar22
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2nd LT Robert L. Schanen

Lt. Robert L. Schanen, Navigator of “Ascend Charlie”

Yesterday, I received this email from the relative of the navigator on Ascend Charlie's final mission. Ascend Charlie was a B-17 Flying Fortress (tail #42-5903) from the 390th Bomb Group, 571st Bomb Squadron. You can read my full article on "Ascend Charlie's" last mission here.. Dear Mr. Beigel, I just want to thank you for the piece you wrote about the "Ascend Charlie'" crash. Lt. Schanen was my grandmother's cousin and she speaks so fondly of him. I had always known he was killed in...
Aug14
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The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”
The Crew Of The “Ascend Charlie” Also Known As “The Turner Crew”

The “tail” of Ascend Charlie

The desperate last mission of the Turner Crew of the 390th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force Hikers in the Black Mountains of Southeast Wales might come across a small monument near coordinates N51 53.955, W003 06.829, about 8 north-northwest of Abergavenny and three miles from the village of Crickhollow. It honors the crew of “Ascend Charlie,” B-17 Flying Fortress tail # 42-5903, of the 390th Bomb Group. “Ascend Charlie” is a play on “Ass-End Charlie,” the nickname for the plane at the...
Jun11
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Just Plain Lonesome Nichols Crew
Just Plain Lonesome Nichols Crew
Just Plain Lonesome Nichols Crew
Just Plain Lonesome Nichols Crew
Just Plain Lonesome Nichols Crew

“Presumed Deceased, Remains Not Recovered”

It was Tuesday, May 30, 1944.  Memorial Day. 83 B-17’s of the 1st Bombardment Division were in the air. Their target was the aircraft industry factories at Dessau, Germany, where the Elbe and Mulde rivers converge in Saxony. According to Squadron records, the crew of B-17 tail # 42-39975, nicknamed “Just Plain Lonesome”, of the 1st Bombardment Division’s 91st Bomb Group, had averaged 16 missions flown each.  A tested, veteran crew. But at about 11:15 AM, the ‘Flying Fort’...

  • Wee Willie and the photo that started it all

    My father was Paul D Jessop, he spoke of your Grandfather a lot. My father passed away in 2011 .

  • The World War II Dead of University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA)

    Hi Bill, Thanks for putting this together. My grand uncle, 2nd Lt. Robert L. Woolfolk attended UCLA and I believe he graduated in 1936. He was on the waterpolo team. He was a bombardier in the 571st Bomb Squadron, 390th Bomb Group and his aircraft "Decatur Deb" was shot down on May 28, 1944. He and six others perished while three were able bail out and became POWs. This is written up the in the book "Bloody Skies: U.S. Eighth Air Force Battle Damage in World War II." There is a B-17G tail gunner's compartment on display at the 390th Bomb Group Memorial Museum, which is dedicated to this crew. Regards, Nick Veronico

  • Bill’s WW2 Almanac for January 21: Featuring Col. Randy’s Flying Circus

    Hi! Randall Col Randy is actually my great grandfather and I was wandering if you ever new him? I am curious to know more about him.

  • Women in WWII: Cornelia Clark Fort

    Interesting....very hard to know the 'who hit who'.....Fort had enough flying time to be a instructor, I know nothing about the other pilot. If Pastor Jeff had information on her being talked into a situation, I would love to know if reliable. Regardless, so many losses in so many ways.... My take is the WAFS/WASPS deserve a bit more of history's 'time in the books'. Many thanks for the commentary, Starr

  • Remembering the Fallen: WWII Veterans of UCLA, Major Robert C. Maze

    Bill, Are you still working on this blog? Rosemarie is my mother in law. She passed away 10 years ago. Her (and Roberts') son Robert Maze Jr is alive and well. I was googling Admiral Radford and ended up googling links... Thank you for your efforts here. Kim Woods

  • From Panatella to Ploesti

    I’m looking for information on My Great great GRANDFATHER WAS ON A B-24 LIBERATOR CALLED: Diamond li
8th air force ascend charlie Author Bill Beigel B-24 b-24 Liberator Bill Beigel fiction D-Day dday june 6 1944 MIA Missing in Action P-47 Thunderbolt P-51 Mustang POW war casualty research world war 2 casualties world war 2 research World War II WW2 WWII

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