1st Lieutenant Paul Frank Baer, Air Service, United States Army. (Campbell Studios, New York)
23 April 1918: at 09:55 a.m., near Saint-Gobain, France, 1st Lieutenant Paul Frank Baer, 103rd Aero Squadron (Pursuit), shot down an enemy Albatross C two-place biplane. This was Baer’s fifth victory in aerial combat, making him the first American “ace.” ¹ [Official credit for this shoot-down is shared with Lt. C. H. Wilcox.]
Albatros C.VII C.2197/16 (Wikipedia)
Paul Frank Baer was born 29 January 1894 at Fort Wayne, Indiana, the fourth of four children of Alvin E. Baer, a railroad engineer, and Emma B. Parent Baer.
In 1916, Baer served under Brigadier John J. General Pershing during the Mexican Expedition to capture the outlaw and revolutionary Francisco (“Pancho”) Villa. He then went to France and enlisted the Aéronautique Militaire, in 20 February 1917. He was sent for flight training at the Avord Groupemant des Divisions d’Entrainment (G.D.E.). He graduated as a pilot, 15 June 1917, with the rank of corporal.
After flight training, Corporal Baer was assigned to Escadrille SPA 80, under the command of Capitaine Paul Ferrand, 14 August 1917 to 20 January 1918, flying the SPAD S.VII C.1 and SPAD S.XIII C.1. Baer was next transferred to Escadrille N. 124, the EscadrilleAméricaine, under Georges Thénault. This unit was equipped with the Nieuport-Delâge Ni-D 29 C1.
Nieuport-Delâge Ni-D 29C.1, s/n 12002, right front quarter view.
After the United States entered the War, Baer was transferred to the 103rd Aero Squadron, American Expeditionary Forces, and commissioned as a 1st Lieutenant with a date of rank retroactive to 5 November 1917. At that time, the 103rd was under the command of Major William Thaw II, and was operating near La Cheppe, France, flying the SPAD S.VII C.1 chasseur.
SPAD S.XIII C.1 S7714 of the 103rd Aero Squadron, France, 1918. The pilot is Captain Robert Soubiran, the squadron’s commanding officer. (U.S. Air Force)
Lieutenant Baer is officially credited by the United States Air Force with 7.75 enemy airplanes shot down between 11 March and 22 May 1918, ² and he claimed an additional 7. (Credit for two airplanes was shared with four other pilots.) After shooting down his eighth enemy airplane on 22 May 1918, Baer and his SPAD S.XIII C.1 were also shot down. He was seriously injured and was captured by the enemy near Armentières and held as a Prisoner of War. At one point, Baer was able to escape for several days before being recaptured.
For his service in World War I, 1st Lieutenant Paul Frank Baer was awarded the United States’ Distinguished Service Cross with one oak leaf cluster (a second award). He was appointed Chevalier de laLégion d’honneur by Raymond Poincaré, the President of France. He was also awarded the Croix de Guerre with seven palms.
SPAD S.XIII C.1 at Air Service Production Center No. 2, Romorantin Aerodrome, France, 1918. (U.S. Air Force)
After World War I, Baer, as a “soldier of fortune,” organized a group of pilots to fight against “the Bolsheviks” in Poland. He returned to the United States, departing Boulogne-sur-mer aboard T.S.S. Nieuw Amsterdam, and arriving at New York City, 4 November 1919. He then flew as a test pilot, an air mail pilot in South America, and worked as an aeronautical inspector for the U.S. Department of Commerce, based at Brownsville Airport, Texas. In 1930, he was employed as a pilot for the China National Aviation Corporation.
Baer was flying from Nanking to Shanghai for with an amphibious Loening Air Yacht biplane, named Shanghai. The airplane crashed after striking the mast of a boat on the Huanpu River. He died at the Red Cross Hospital at Shanghai, China, at 9:00 a.m., 9 December 1930. A Chinese pilot, K. F. Pan, and an unidentified female passenger were also killed. General Hsiung Shih-hui and four other passengers on board were seriously injured.
Paul Baer’s remains were returned to the United States aboard S.S. President McKinley and were buried at the Lindenwood Cemetery in Fort Wayne, Indiana.
In 1925 a new airport was opened in Fort Wayne and named Paul Baer Municipal Airport. During World War II, the airport was taken over by the military and designated Baer Army Airfield. It is now Fort Wayne International Airport (FWA).
A CNAC Loening Air Yacht amphipian at Lungwha, China, circa 1930. (SFO Aviation Museum & Library R2014.1811.001)Lufbery
¹ TDiA would like to thank CMSgt Bob Laymon USAF (Ret.) (AKA, “Scatback Scribe”) for pointing out that while Lt. Baer was the first American to become an ace flying in the American service, that,
² U.S. AIR SERVICE VICTORY CREDITS, WORLD WAR I, USAF Historical Study No. 133, Historical Research Division, Air University, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, June 1969, at Page 7
Squadron Leader John Dering Nettleton, V.C., Royal Air Force. (Imperial War Museum CH 5669)
Operation Margin: Just over a month after the first combat missions flown by the new Avro Lancaster B Mk.I very long range heavy bomber, Acting Squadron Squadron Leader John Dering Nettleton, RAF, commanding No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron, lead one of two formations of six Lancasters from RAF Waddington and RAF Woohall Spa, in Lincolnshire, England, on a very low altitude daylight penetration of enemy territory to attack the Maschinenfabrik Augsburg-Nürnberg AG (MAN) diesel engine factory at Augsburg, Bavaria, in the south of Germany. The factory was a source of diesel engines for Nazi Germany’s U-boat fleet. It was a target of high military importance, and the daylight attack was very dangerous.
Each Lancaster carried four 1,000 pound (454 kilogram) bombs. The two formations (the other was from No. 97 Squadron) crossed the English Channel at an altitude of just 50 feet (15 meters) in an effort to evade detection by enemy radar.
During the flight across France and into Germany, Nettleton’s flight was under almost constant attack by enemy fighters. Only two 44 Squadron Lancasters made it to the target and dropped their bombs, but one of those was almost immediately shot own. Only Nettleton’s bomber, Lancaster B. Mk.I R5508, KM B, survived to return to England.
The other flight, led by Squadron Leader John Sherwood, flew a different route and all six arrived at Augsburg. After bombing the factory, Sherwood’s Lancaster was hit by antiaircraft fire, caught fire, crashed and exploded. Only Sherwood survived. Another was hit but was able to drop its bombs on the target before crashing. Another Lanc was badly damaged, but dropped its bombs and made it away.
Of the twelve Lancasters that had set out, just five returned. All were damaged, one of them beyond repair.
Of the 85 airmen on the mission, 49 were listed as missing in action.
Seventeen 1,000 pound bombs had made direct hits on the factory, but only twelve detonated. Though the target suffered significant damage, production of U-boat engines continued.
Post-strike photograph of the MAN factory at Augsburg, Germany, 18 April 1942. (Royal Air Force)
Squadron Leader Nettleton was awarded the Victoria Cross. Flight Lieutenant David Jackson Penman, DFC, of No. 97 Squadron was awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Flt Lt Brian R. W. Hallows, Acting Flt Lt Charles S. C. McClure, Acting Flying Officer Ernest W. Rodley, Pilot Officer Patrick A. Deverill DFM, Plt Off Patrick A Dorehill, Plt Off Gilbert C. Hooey, Plt Off Edward L. Ifould, and Plt Off Desmond O. Sands were awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Flight Sergeant Frank H. Harrison, Flt Sgt Brian G. Lough, Flt Sgt Leonard H. Mutter, Sergeant Charles F. Churchill, Sgt Thomas H. Goacher, Sgt Donald N. Huntley, Sgt Ronald P. Irons, Sgt Kenneth O. Mackay, Sgt Douglas L. Overton, and Sgt John T. Radcliffe were awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal.
“Lancaster B Mark I, L7578 KM-B, of No.97 Squadron RAF, piloted by Squadron Leader J D Nettleton of No. 44 Squadron RAF, flying at low-level over the Lincolnshire countryside during a Squadron practice for the low-level attack on the M.A.N. diesel engineering works at Augsburg, which took place on 17 April 1942. 97 Squadron lent L7578 temporarily to 44 Squadron, who repainted the aircraft with Nettleton’s unit code-letters. Nettleton actually flew R5508 on the operation, for the leadership of which he was awarded the Victoria Cross. L7578 did not participate in the raid and was returned to 97 Squadron at Woodhall Spa.” (Imperial War Museum HU 91969)“The Acting Commanding Officer of No. 44 Squadron RAF, Squadron Leader J D Nettleton (sitting, second from left) and his crew, photographed on their return to Waddington, Lincolnshire, after leading the low-level daylight attack on the M.A.N. diesel engineering works at Augsburg on 17 April 1942. For his courage and leadership during the raid Nettleton was gazetted for the award of the Victoria Cross on 28 April. He later commanded No. 44 Squadron, but was killed on 13 July 1943 while returning from a raid on Turin.” Imperial War Museum HU 92988)
John Dering Nettleton was born 28 June 1917 at Nongoma, Zululand, Union of South Africa. He was the son of John Hennah Nettleton and Ethel Maud Barker Nettleton, and the grandson of Admiral Alfred Thomas Dering Nettleton, Royal Navy. Nettleton was educated at the Western Province Preparatory School, an Anglican Church school in Claremont, a suburb of Cape Town.
S.A.T.S General Botha at Simon’s Town Harbor, Western Cape, South Africa. (Leaves From My Logbook)
In 1930, at the age of 13, Nettleton went aboard the South African training ship, S.A.T.S. General Botha (formerly, H.M.S. Thames) as a cadet. After graduating three years later, he served as third officer of the 6,919 ton merchant ship, S.S. Mattawin.
Elder Dempster Lines’ S.S. Mattawin at Cape Town. (Andrey Nelogov)
He was appointed a midshipman, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (South African Division), 3 September 1935. He rose to the rank of lieutenant, RNVR.
Following his time at sea, Nettleton returned to Cape Town where he became an apprentice civil engineer.
Nettleton sailed with his mother, Mrs. Nettleton, from Durban, South Africa, aboard the Union-Castle Mail Steamship Company liner, S.S. Winchester Castle, arriving at Southampton, England, 11 April 1938.
The S.S. Winchester Castle at Cape Town, South Africa, circa 1938.
While in England, Nettleton joined the Royal Air Force, and began flight training at the No. 8 Elementary and Reserve Flying Training Squadron at Reading. He was given a Short Service Commission as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force, 14 December 1938 ¹ and reported to No. 12 FTS at RAF Grantham in Lincolnshire, but within two weeks was reassigned to No. 11 FTS at RAF Shawbury, in Shropshire. He graduated 22 July 1939.
Nettleton was appointed an Acting Pilot Officer (41452) on probation, with effect 3 September 1939—the same day that the United Kingdom and France declared war on Germany, following that country’s invasion of Poland.² He was assigned to No. 207 Squadron, an operational training unit for the Fairey Battle, a single-engine light bomber powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, based at RAF Cottesmore in the East Midlands of England.
Fairey Battle (Aircraft of the Fighting Powers Vol.I)
Pilot Officer Nettleton was soon reassigned to No. 98 Squadron at RAF Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, which was also equipped with the Battle. In November 1939, he returned to Cottesmore for transition training to the Handley Page HP.52 Hamden twin-engine medium bomber, with No. 185 Squadron.
Handley Page HP.52 Hamden (Tangmere Military Aviation Museum)
Pilot Officer Nettleton was promoted to the rank of Flying Officer, 3 September 1940.³
This Day in Aviation was unable to confirm the date of Nettleton’s promotion to Flight Lieutenant, but Wikipedia states that it occurred in February 1941.
On 26 June 1941, Flight Lieutenant Nettleton joined No. 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. This squadron was the first to completely convert to the Avro Lancaster, with the first “Lanc” arriving on Christmas Eve, 24 December 1941.
Flight Lieutenant Nettleton was promoted to Acting Squadron Leader, 17 July 1941.
Flight Officer Nettleton was promoted to Flight Lieutenant (War Substantive), 3 September 1941.⁴
Squadron Leader Nettleton, Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, was Mentioned in Despatches, 24 September 1941.⁵
On 11 June 1942, Squadron Leader (acting) J.D. Nettleton, VC, was Mentioned in Despatches.⁶
Squadron Leader John Dering Nettleton married Section Officer Betty Isobel Havelock, Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, of Paignton, Devon, at Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England, 1 July 1942. They would have one son, John Dering Nettleton, born 19 February 1944.
Squadron Leader Nettleton was next posted to No. 44 Conversion Flight. In November 1942, he was assigned to No. 1661 Heavy Conversion Unit, also at RAF Waddington.
Squadron Leader Nettleton was promoted to Wing Commander (acting), 4 January 1943, and returned to combat operations with No. 44 Squadron.
Squadron Leader Nettleton was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander (War Substantive), Reserve of Air Force Officers, 2 June 1943.⁷
At 10:23 p.m., 12 July 1943, Wing Commander Nettleton took off from RAF Dunholm Lodge, Lincolnshire, in Lancaster KM Z (ED331), as on 295 Lancasters sent to attack Turin, Italy. ED331 never returned. The bodies of Nettleton and his crew, Flt Lt Dennis Cramp, Flt Lt Ian Milne Wood, Fg Off Fred irving Calcutt, Fg Off Kenneth Stanly Juniper, Fg Off Arthur Ronald Ludlow, Plt Off John Edward Money, and Flt Sgt Dennis Ernest Arthur Seager, were never recovered.
Wing Commander Nettleton was just 26 years old. His name is listed on Panel 118 of the Runnymede Memorial at Englefield Green, Surrey.
Avro Lancaster B Mk.I R5727 over Montreal, Canada, 1942. (Royal Air Force)
The Avro Lancaster made its first flight 9 January 1941, and flew its first combat mission (with No. 44 Squadron) on 3 March 1942. The Lancaster B Mk.I was operated by a crew of seven: pilot, flight engineer, navigator/bombardier, radio operator and three gunners. It was a large, all-metal, mid-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear. It was 68 feet, 11 inches (21.001 meters) long with a wingspan of 102 feet, 0 inches (31.090) meters and an overall height of 19 feet, 6 inches (5.944 meters). The Mk.I had an empty weight of 36,900 pounds (16,738 kilograms) and its maximum takeoff weight was 68,000 pounds (30,909 kilograms)
Early production Lancasters were equipped with four liquid-cooled, supercharged, 1,648.96-cubic-inch-displacement (27.01 liter), Roll-Royce Merlin XX single overhead camshaft (SOHC) 60° V-12 engines, which were rated at 1,480 horsepower at 3,000 r.p.m. to 6,000 feet (1,829 meters). The Merlins drove three-bladed, 13 feet, 0 inch (3.962 meters), de Havilland Hydromatic quick-feathering, constant-speed airscrews (propellers), through a 0.420:1 gear reduction.
The Mark I had a maximum economic cruise speed of 267 miles per hour (430 kilometers per hour) at 20,800 feet (6,340 meters), and a maximum speed of 286 miles per hour (460 kilometers per hour) at 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) at a gross weight of 45,300 pounds (20,548 kilograms). Its service ceiling was 20,000 feet (6,096 meters) at 64,500 pounds (29,257 kilograms). It had a range of 2,530 miles (4,072 kilometers) with a 7,000 pound (3,175 kilogram) bomb load.
The Lancaster was designed to carry a 14,000 pound (6,350 kilogram) bomb load, but modified bombers carried the 22,000 pound (9,979 kilogram) Grand Slam bomb.
For defense, the standard Lancaster had eight Browning .303-caliber Mark II machine guns in three power-operated turrets, with a total of 14,000 rounds of ammunition.
According to the Royal Air Force, “Almost half all Lancasters delivered during the war (3,345 of 7,373) were lost on operations with the loss of over 21,000 crew members.”
Only two airworthy Avro Lancasters are in existence.
Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum’s Victory Aircraft-built Lancaster B Mk.X, FM213, civil registration C-GVRA, shown with markings KB726, VR A. (Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum)
¹ National Library of Scotland, UK, British Air Force Lists 1919–1945
² The London Gazette, Issue 34705,10 October 1939, Page 6796
³ The London Gazette, Supplement 34989, 12 November 1940, Page 6494
⁴ The London Gazette, Number 35309, 14 October 1941, Page 5968
⁵ The London Gazette, Number 35284, 24 September 1941, Page 5572
⁶ The London Gazette, Number 35586, 11 June 1942, Page 2519
⁷ The London Gazette, Supplement 36113, 30 July 1943, Page 3443
“In what was to be the last picture ever taken of him, highly-decorated Staff Sergeant Sator Sierra “Sandy” Sanchez poses in Lucera, Italy, in March 1945.” (University of Texas at Austin, Moody College of Communication)
15 March 1945: Technical Sergeant Sator Sierra (“Sandy”) Sanchez, 353rd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy), 15th Air Force, based at Lucera Air Field, Italy, volunteered for his 66th combat mission. He flew as the top turret gunner of a Lockheed-Vega B-17G-25-VE Flying Fortress, 42-97683. The mission was to attack the Braunkohle-Benzin AG synthetic oil refinery at Schwarzheide, Ruhland, Germany.
A Lockheed-Vega B-17G Flying Fortress assigned to the 301st Bombardment Group, Heavy, Lucera, Italy, 1944. Note the letter “Y” at the top of the vertical fin. (U.S. Air Force)
Visibility was unlimited above a 10,000 foot (3,048 meters) 7/10th undercast. While approaching the target at about 1415 hours, the B-17 was attacked by fighters and anti-aircraft guns. Its number two engine (inboard, left wing) was damaged and caught fire. It could not be feathered. Fire spread all along the wing. The aircraft commander, 1st Lieutenant Dale Thornton, ordered the crew to abandon the aircraft. Nine of the crew were able to bail out, but with Sergeant Sanchez still aboard, the bomber pitched up, rolled over, then exploded. Sandy Sanchez was killed. His remains were never located. The survivors were captured and held as prisoners of war at Stalag Luft VI-A.
“At Bad Muskau, Germany, in April, 1996, World War II pilot Dale Thornton, second from left, and airmen from Spangdahlem Air Base cart part of the tail section of Thornton’s aircraft that was shot down at the end of the war to a nearby truck.” (Ken George/Stars and Stripes)
In 1993, four of the crew of 42-97693, pilot (former 1st Lieutenant) Dale Thornton, co-pilot (2nd Lieutenant) Edward Naracci, navigator (1st Lieutenant) Leslie J. Tyler and radar navigator (2nd Lieutenant) Stephen J. Stofko, returned to Germany to search for the crash site of their bomber. A portion of 42-97683’s vertical fin was found near Bad Muskau, Germany, near the border with Poland. It was recovered by the 52nd Equipment Maintenance Squadron, based at Spangdahlem Air Base, then placed in the collection of the National Museum of the United States Air Force.
Part of the vertical fin of Lockheed-Vega B-17G 42-97683, in the collection of the National Museum of the United States Air Force. (U.S. Air Force)
Sanchez’ final mission was flown during his third combat tour. After completing his first combat tour of 25 missions with the 334th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 95th Bombardment Group (Heavy), 8th Air Force, during which he had shot down six enemy fighters as a tail and top turret gunner, he volunteered for a second tour. (At that time, after completing 25 missions, bomber crew members in the 8th Air Force were rotated back to the Unites States for rest, recuperation and eventual reassignment.) He then flew 19 more missions. In addition to the six enemy aircraft destroyed, Sanchez was also credited with two probably destroyed and one damaged.
TSGT Sator Sierra (“Sandy”) Sanchez with Boeing B-17G 42-97290, “Smiling Sandy Sanchez.”
In recognition of his 44 combat missions, a brand new Boeing B-17G-45-BO Flying Fortress, 42-97290, was named Smilin’ Sandy Sanchez in his honor, and emblazoned with the number “44.” This was the first time that a bomber had been named after an enlisted man.
Technical Sergeant Sanchez was sent back to the United States as a gunnery instructor. Repeatedly volunteering for a third combat tour, he was returned to the European Theater of Operations, assigned to the 301st Bomb Group in Italy. He flew his 45th combat mission in November 1944.
Sergeant Sator Sierra “Sandy” Sanchez, U.S. Army Air Forces, circa 1943. (University of Texas at Austin, Moody College of Communication)
Sator Sierra Sanchez was born at Joliet Township, Illinois, 22 March 1921. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was two years old, and his father was shot to death when he was eight. He and his sister were raised by their stepmother until she also died in 1934.
In high school, “Sandy” Sanchez participated in the Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC). After graduating, he worked in the Civilian Conservation Corps, then enlisted in the United States Army, 20 December 1939, at Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. He was assigned to the 7th Infantry Division. In May 1941, he was transferred to the Army Air Corps and trained as an aircraft mechanic.
On 14 March 1943, while working on the flight line at Merced Army Airfield, California, Sergeant Sanchez observed an empty, runaway Vultee BT-13 Valiant trainer. He ran toward it but was hit in the back by the airplane’s horizontal stabilizer. Trying again, he succeeded in climbing into rear cockpit. He shut off the engine and fuel and turned it away from a hangar filled with other aircraft and men. Although the BT-13 crashed into another airplane, undoubtedly Sergeant Sanchez had saved many lives. For this action he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal. This is the highest honor that a soldier could receive for valor in a non-combat situation.
When he completed training as an aerial gunner at Las Vegas Army Air Field, Sanchez was promoted to staff sergeant. He was then sent to England to serve with the 95th Bomb Group. He flew his first combat mission 15 September 1943 as the waist gunner of a B-17. After two missions he was assigned to the crew of Boeing B-17F 42-29943, Situation Normal.
Technical Sergeant Sator Sierra Sanchez, U.S. Army Air Forces. (Sanchez Family Collection)
On 10 October 1943, Staff Sergeant Sanchez flew as tail gunner on Situation Normal during an attack on Munster, Germany. He shot down a Messerschmitt Bf 109 and a Junkers Ju 88. Several members of the crew were wounded. Sanchez was awarded the Silver Star.
Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress 42-29943, “Situation Normal.” (American Air Museum in Britain UPL 15472)
Sandy Sanchez was promoted to technical sergeant 15 April 1944.
In addition to the Silver Star and Soldier’s Medal, Technical Sergeant Sandor Sierra Sanchez was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart with one Oak Leaf Cluster (two awards, one posthumous), and the Air Medal with two silver and one bronze Oak Leaf Clusters (12 awards).
“Sandy” Sanchez sits on the nose of the B-17G Flying Fortress named in his honor.(American Air Museum in Britain UPL 19239)Boeing B-17G-45-BO Flying Fortress 42-97290, BG H. (95th Bomb Group)
The B-17G named after Technical Sergeant Sanchez, 42-97290 (MSN 7792), was built Boeing’s Wichita, Kansas, Plant II. It was delivered to the United Airlines Modification Center at Cheyenne, Wyoming, 15 February 1944. It arrived at the staging base at Kearney Field, Nebraska, 27 February, 1944. On 11 March 1944, the B-17 was flown to Presque Isle, Maine, and then across the North Atlantic Ocean to England. Initially assigned to the 398th Bombardment Group at RAF Nuthampstead (USAAF Station 131), 22 April 1944, 42-97290 was transferred six days later to the 334th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 95th Bombardment Group (Heavy) at RAF Horham (USAAF Station 119), in East Anglia. It was given the squadron marking BG-H. On its twenty-third mission, 19 May 1944, Smilin’ Sandy Sanchez was damaged in combat near Berlin, Germany. The crew flew the bomber to Akesholm, Sweden, where they and the B-17 were interned. 42-92790 was later scrapped.
B-17G Flying Fortress heavy bombers at the United Airlines Modication Center, Cheyenne, Wyoming. (American Air Museum in Britain UPL 41030)
The B-17G on which Sanchez flew his final mission, 42-97683 (MSN 17-7048), had been built by the Lockheed-Vega Corporation at Burbank, California. It was delivered to the Continental Airlines Modification Center at Denver, Colorado, 26 January 1944, then on 7 March 1944, to the 1st Search and Attack Group (AAF Antisubmarine Command) at Langley Army Airfield, Hampton, Virginia, for crew training. (Presumably, the bomber was equipped with AN/APS-15 (H2X) ground-scanning radar.¹) Finally, on 7 April 1944, the bomber arrived at Grenier Army Airfield, Manchester, New Hampshire, to be ferried across the North Atlantic Ocean to England. On 8 April 1944, it was assigned to the 335th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 95th Bombardment Group (Heavy) at RAF Horham and given the squadron marking OE-M. As the lead airplane on an Operation FRANTIC IV shuttle bombing mission from Poltava Air Base (USAAF Station 559), Ukraine, USSR, to attack an airfield at Szolnok, Hungary, 18 September 1944, 42-97683 was was hit by anti-aircraft gunfire and damaged. Its number four engine (outboard, right wing) caught fire and failed. Four crewmen bailed out and were captured. The bomber continued on to Foggia, Italy, where it crash landed. After being repaired, on 28 October 1944, 42-97683 was assigned to the 352nd Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 301st Bombardment Group (Heavy).
Camouflaged B-17s of the 335th Bombardment Squadron, 95th Bombardment Group. The airplane closest to the camera is B-17G 42-38140, “Dolly’s Daughter.” (American Air Museum in Britain UPL 19459)
The B-17G was the final production variant of the Flying Fortress. It entered service with the United States Army Air Forces in 1943.
The Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress was a four-engine heavy bomber operated by a combat crew of nine to ten men. It was 74 feet, 8.90 inches (22.781 meters) long with a wingspan of 103 feet, 9.38 inches (31.633 meters) and an overall height of 19 feet, 1.00 inch (5.187 meters). The wings have 3½° angle of incidence and 4½° dihedral. The leading edges are swept aft 8¾°. The total wing area is 1,426 square feet (132.48 square meters). The horizontal stabilizer has a span of 43 feet (13.106 meters) with 0° incidence and dihedral. Its total area, including elevators, is 331.1 square feet (12.18 square meters). The B-17G had an empty weight of 35,972 pounds (16,316.6 kilograms), and the maximum takeoff weight was 67,860 pounds (30,780.8 kilograms).
The B-17G was powered by four air-cooled, supercharged, 1,823.129-cubic-inch-displacement (29.876 liters) Wright Cyclone C9GC (R-1820-97) nine-cylinder radial engines with a compression ratio of 6.70:1. The engines were equipped with remote General Electric turbochargers capable of 24,000 r.p.m. The R-1820-97 had a Normal Power rating of 1,000 horsepower at 2,300 r.p.m. at 25,000 feet (7,620 meters), and 1,200 horsepower at 2,500 r.p.m. for Takeoff and Military Power. The engine could produce 1,380 horsepower at 2,500 r.p.m., War Emergency Power. 100-octane aviation gasoline was required. The Cyclones turned three-bladed, constant-speed, Hamilton Standard Hydromatic propellers with a diameter of 11 feet, 7 inches (3.835 meters) through a 0.5625:1 gear reduction. The R-1820-97 engine was 3 feet, 11.80 inches (1.214 meters) long and 4 feet, 7.10 inches (1.400 meters) in diameter, and weighed 1,315 pounds (596 kilograms).
Boeing B-17G-45-BO Flying Fortress 42-97246, from the same production block as “Smilin’ Sandy Sanchez”. (U.S. Air Force)
The B-17G had a cruising speed of 172 knots (198 miles per hour/319 kilometers per hour) at 10,000 feet (3,048 meters). The maximum speed was 285 knots (328 miles per hour/528 kilometers per hour) at 26,700 feet (8,138 meters). The service ceiling was 38,450 feet (11,720 meters) at maximum power.
The B-17G had a fuel capacity of 2,780 gallons (10,523 liters) in twelve wing tanks. Two “Tokyo tanks” could be installed in the bomb bay, increasing capacity by 820 gallons (3,104 liters). The B-17G combat radius of 689 nautical miles (793 statute miles/1,276 kilometers) with max bomb load, and a maximum ferry range of 2,624 nautical miles (3,031 statute miles/4,878 kilometers).
The B-17G was armed with thirteen Browning AN-M2 .50-caliber machine guns for defense against enemy fighters. Power turrets mounting two guns each were located at the nose, dorsal, and ventral positions. Two guns could be installed in flexible mounts in the nose compartment, one in the radio compartment, two in the waist and two in the tail. 5,970 rounds of ammunition were carried.
The maximum bomb load of the B-17G was 12,800 pounds (5,806 kilograms). The internal bomb bay could be loaded with a maximum of ten 1,000 pound bombs, eight 1,600 pound (725.75 kilogram) bombs or two 2,000 pound bombs. The physical size of each type limited the number that could be carried in the bomb bay.
The B-17 Flying Fortress was in production from 1936 to 1945. 12,731 B-17s were built by Boeing, Douglas Aircraft Company and Lockheed-Vega. (The manufacturer codes -BO, -DL and -VE follows the Block Number in each airplane’s type designation.) 8,680 of these were B-17Gs, with 4,035 built by Boeing, 2,395 by Douglas and 2,250 by Lockheed-Vega.
Boeing B-17G-45-BO Flying Fortress 42-97246, from the same production block as “Smilin’ Sandy Sanchez.” (U.S. Air Force)
A more complete report of Sator Sanchez’ life by Master Sergeant Barry L. Spink can be read at:
In this grainy photograph of the crew of the Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress “Situation Normal,” Technical Sergeant Sator Sierra Sanchez may the man standing at the left end of the back row. (American Air Museum in Britain UPL 19273)
¹ After transferring its antisubmarine warfare mission to the United States Navy’s Tenth Fleet in 1943, the 1st Search Attack Group conducted specialized training in low altitude bombing and H2X radar operations with the B-17 and B-24.
Group Captain Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, D.S.O. and Bar, D.F.C. and Bar. (Paul Laib)
21 February 1910: Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, Royal Air Force, C.B.E., D.S.O. and Bar, D.F.C. and Bar, FRAeS, DL, the legendary fighter pilot of the Royal Air Force during World War II, was born at St. John’s Wood, London, England. He was the son of Frederick Roberts Bader, a civil engineer, and Jessie Scott MacKenzie Bader.
Bader attended Temple Grove School, Eastbourne, East Sussex, and St. Edward’s School in Oxford. After graduating in 1928, he joined the Royal Air Force as a cadet at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell in Lincolnshire. Bader was granted a permanent commission as a Pilot Officer, “with effect from and with seniority of 26th July 1930.”
Left to right, Pilot Officer Douglas R.S. Bader, Flight Lieutenant Harry Day and Flying Officer Geoffrey Stephenson, of No. 23 Squadron, during training for the 1931 Hendon Airshow, with a Gloster Gamecock. (RAF Museum)
Bader lost both legs in the crash of a Bristol Bulldog fighter while practicing aerobatics 14 December 1931 and was medically retired, 30 April 1933.
Following his medical retirement, Douglas Bader joined the Asiatic Petroleum Co., a subsidiary of the Koninklijke Nederlandse Petroleum Maatschappij (Royal Dutch Petroleum Company) and the Shell Transport and Trading Company.
Mrs. Douglas R. S. Bader, 1942
On 5 October 1933, Mr. Bader married Miss Olive Thelma Exley Edwards at the registry office of Hampstead Village, London. Miss Edwards was the daughter of Lieutenant Colonel Ivo Arthur Exley Edwards, R.A.F. On their fourth anniversary, 5 October 1937, a formal wedding ceremony took place at St Mary Abbots Church in Kensington, London.
In 1939, feeling that war with Germany was imminent, Bader applied to the Air Ministry for reinstatement. He was turned down, but was told that if there was a war his request might be reconsidered.
The Air Ministry did reconsider Douglas Bader’s request for reinstatement and after a medical evaluation and other tests, and on 26 November 1939, he was sent to refresher flight training at the Central Flying School where he was evaluated as “Exceptional,” a very rare qualification.
A page from Douglas Bader’s pilot log book, showing his “exceptional”evaluation. (Royal Air Force Museum)
Flying Officer Bader was posted to No. 19 Squadron, RAF Duxford, 7 February 1940. The squadron was equipped with the Supermarine Spitfire. In April, he was reassigned as flight leader of A Flight, No. 222 Squadron, also flying Spitfires from Duxford. On 24 June 1940, Bader took command of No. 242 Squadron at RAF Coltishall, Norfolk, in East Anglia. No. 242 operated the Hawker Hurricane.
Squadron Leader Douglas Bader with his Hawker Hurricane Mk. I, LE D, V7467, of No. 242 Squadron, RAF Colitshall, Norfolk, East Anglia, September 1940. (Royal Air Force)
On 24 September 1940, Flying Officer Bader was granted the war substantive rank of Flight Lieutenant.
Distinguished Service Order
On 1 October 1940, George VI, King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, appointed Acting Squadron Leader Douglas R. S. Bader a Companion of the Distinguished Service Order. The notice in The London Gazette reads,
“This officer has displayed gallantry and leadership of the highest order. During three recent engagements he has led his squadron with such skill and ability that thirty-three enemy aircraft have been destroyed. In the course of these engagements Squadron Leader Bader has added to his previous successes by destroying six enemy aircraft.”
Acting Squadron Leader Bader, D.S.O., was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross 7th January, 1941: “Squadron Leader Bader has continued to lead his squadron and wing with the utmost gallantry on all occasions. he has now destroyed a total of ten hostile aircraft and damaged several more.”
In March 1941, Acting Squadron Leader Bader was promoted to Acting Wing Commander and assigned as Wing leader of 12 Group’s “Big Wing” at RAF Tangmere, just east of Chichester, in West Sussex. The Big Wings were large formations of three to five fighter squadrons acting together to intercept enemy bomber formations.
Acting Wing Commander Bader was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Service Order, 15 July 1941: “This officer has led his wing on a series of consistently successful sorties over enemy territory during the past three months. His qualities of leadership and courage have been an inspiration to all. Wing Commander Bade has destroyed 15 hostile aircraft.”
Douglas Bader climbing into the cockpit of his Supermarine Spitfire.
On 9 August 1941, Bader was himself shot down while flying his Supermarine Spitfire Mk Va, serial W3185, marked “DB”, along the coast of France. His prosthetic legs caught in the cockpit and made it difficult for him to escape, but he finally broke free and parachuted to safety.
Transcript of message giving status of Bader and requesting a replacement prosthetic leg. (from Bader’s Last Flight: An In-Depth Investigation of a Great WWII Mystery, by Andy Saunders, Frontline Books, 2007, Appendix L at Page 214)
Bader was captured and held as a prisoner of war. He was initially held at a hospital in occupied France and it was there that he met and became a life long friend of Adolf Galland, also a legendary fighter pilot—but for the other side! After arrangements were made for replacement legs, Bader escaped.
Adolph Galland arranged for a replacement prosthetic leg for Bader to be airdropped at a Luftwaffe airfield at St. Omer, in occupied France.
On 9 September 1941, Acting Wing Commander Bader was awarded a Bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross. “This fearless pilot has recently added a further four enemy aircraft to his previous successes; in addition he has probably destroyed another four and damaged five hostile aircraft. By his fine leadership and high courage Wing Commander Bader has inspired the wing on every occasion.”
Prisoners of War held at Colditz Castle, a maximum security prison during World War II. Wing Commander Douglas Bader is seated, center.
He was recaptured and taken to the notorious Offizierslager IV-C at Schloss Colditz near Leipzing, Germany, where he was held for three years. Units of the United States Army 273rd Infantry Regiment, 69th Infantry Division, and the Combat Command Reserve, 9th Armored Division, liberated the prison 15 April 1945 after a two-day battle.
Schloss Colditz, April 1945. (United States Army)
Douglas Bader was repatriated to England. On 28 August 1945, Squadron Leader D.R.S. Bader, DSO, DFC (Ret) was promoted to Wing Commander (temp), and in September, Wing Commander Bader was assigned as commanding officer of the R.A.F. Fighter Leaders School. On 1 December 1945, Wing Commander (temporary) D.R.S. Bader DSO DFC (Ret.) is granted the rank of Wing Commander (War Substantive).
On 21 July 1946, Wing Commander Bader reverted to the retired list, retaining the rank of Group Captain.
During World War II, Group Captain Bader was officially credited with 22 enemy aircraft destroyed, shared credit for another 4; 6 probably destroyed, shared credit for another probable; and 11 damaged. (26–7–11). Group Captan Bader was appointed a Chevalier de la légion d’honneur by France in 1945, and awarded the Croix d’ Guerre.
Group Captain Bader’s medals at the RAF Museum: Distinguished Service Order and Bar; Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar; 1939-1945 Star with clasp BATTLE OF BRITAIN; Air Crew Europe Star with clasp ATLANTIC; Defence Medal; War Medal 1939-45 with Mention in Despatches; Legion d’Honneur, Chevalier, badge; and Croix de Guerre 1939-1940
Bader received civil aviator’s license 3 July 1946. He returned to work for Shell in a management position which involved considerable travel. He flew the company’s Percival Proctor around Europe, the Middle East and Africa. He remained with Shell until 1969, having risen to managing director of Shell Aircraft International.
Bader with a Percival Proctor which he flew while working for Shell.
In the years following World War II, he also worked unceasingly to better the lives of other disabled persons. He would tell them,
“Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that you can’t do this or that. That’s nonsense. Make up your mind, you’ll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible.”
In the New Year’s Honours, 2 January 1956, Douglas Bader was appointed an Ordinary Commander of the Most Excellent Order (C.B.E.), by Her Majesty The Queen, for services to the disabled.
He was the subject of Reach For The Sky, (Collins, London, 1954) a biography written by Paul Brickhill, who also wrote The Great Escape. (Brickhill had been a prisoner of war in Stalag Luft III.) In 1956, a movie of the same name was released, starring Kenneth More as Bader. Bader was the author of Fight For The Sky: The Story of the Spitfire and Hurricane (Sidgwick and Jackson, London, 1973).
Bader and companion in his 1938 MG TA Midget roadster, circa 1945. He was the original owner, but sold it in 1948. This car was recently offered for sale by Bonham’s.(Getty Images)
Thelma Bader died in 1971 at the age of 64 years. The couple had been married for 38 years.
Bader later married Mrs. Joan Eileen Hipkiss Murray. She had three children from a previous marriage, Wendy, Michael and Jane Murray.
4 June 1976: The London Gazette announced that The Queen would confer the Honour of Knighthood on Group Captain Robert Steuart Bader, C.B.E., D.S.O., D.F.C., “For services to disabled people.”
Sir Douglas Bader, Knight Bachelor, and Lady Bader, 1976. (Daily Mail)
Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar, FRAeS, DL, passed away 5 September 1982, at the age of 72 years.
Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, by Godfrey Argent, 12 May 1970. (National Portrait Gallery, London)
20 February 1972: A United States Air Force Lockheed HC-130H Hercules, 65-0972, flew from Ching Chuan Kang Air Base, Taiwan, Republic of China, to Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, United States of America, non-stop, in 21 hours, 12 minutes. This set a new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) World Record for Distance, 14,052.95 kilometers (8,732.10 statute miles),¹ breaking the record set 21–22 January 1971, by a U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3C Orion.² [See TDiA 21 January–8 February 1971]
The crew were: Lieutenant Colonel Edgar L. Allison, Jr., Mission Commander, of Chatanooga, Tennessee; Captain Richard J. Racette, Aircraft Commander, Niles, Illinois; Capatain David E. Gardner, Pilot, South Gate, California; Major Anthony Liparulo, Navigator, New London, Connecticut; Captain Carl E. Bennett, Navigator, Hamilton, Texas; Technical Sergeant Morelle E. Larouche, Flight Engineer, Holyoke Massachusetts; Technical Sergeant William F. Litton, Flight Engineer, Pennington Gap, Pennsylvania; Technical Sergeant Theodore Trainer, Loadmaster, Wapabo, Washington; Technical Sergeant Robert Landry, Crew Chief, New Orleans, Louisiana; Major Kenneth S. Wayne, Flight Surgeon, Oak Park, Illinois; Staff Sergeant William L. Hippert, Radio Operator, Rahway, New Jersey; and Staff Sergeant Pat E. Carrothers, Radio Operator, Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The crew was assigned to the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service (ARRS).
General Jack J. Catton, Military Airlift Command, presented Lieutenant Colonel Allison the Distinguished Flying Cross, while the other crewmembers received the Air Medal.
