Hi Nick,

I guess this may be your man “MacDonald”:

Elmer G. MacDonald
BRANCH OF SERVICE
U.S. Army Air Forces
HOMETOWN
Weymouth, MA
HONORED BY
BSA Troop 9 Weymouth & R. M. Thomas, Friends
ACTIVITY DURING WWII
RECEIVED THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. MEMBER OF THE AERIAL REPAIR SECTION OF B-17 FLYING FORTRESS AT AN EIGHTH AIR FORCE BOMBER STATION IN ENGLAND.

Elmer MacDonald
BRANCH OF SERVICE
U.S. Army Air Forces
HOMETOWN
Weymouth, MA
HONORED BY
The MacDonald Family
ACTIVITY DURING WWII
SERVED IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS WITH THE 850TH AIR ENGINEER SQUADRON AS A AIRCRAFT ENGINEER TECHNICIAN IN ENGLAND. AWARDED THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER CAMPAIGN RIBBON, THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL AND THE WWII VICTORY MEDAL.

Elmer G MacDonald
BRANCH OF SERVICE
U.S. Army
HOMETOWN
Old Lyme, CT
HONORED BY
Ms. Irene Reynolds, Wife
ACTIVITY DURING WWII
MASTER MECHANIC, WORKING ON B-2 BOMBERS IN GREAT BRITAIN. AWARDED THE BRONZE STAR MEDAL.

(All above, Ref: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=registry.asp&subpage=search&drawtable=YES)

Looks like he may originally have been from Weymouth, MA but is now living with his wife, Irene Reynolds, in Old Lyme, CT.

According to the Social Security Death Index there is no record of Elmer G MacDonald suggesting he is still alive.

His wife’s contact details:
Irene M Reynolds
155 Boston Post Rd
Old Lyme, CT 06371-1348
(Ref: http://www.whitepages.com/search/FindPerson?extra_listing=mixed&form_mode=opt_b&post_back=1&firstname_begins_with=1&firstname=irene&name=reynolds&street=&city_zip=&state_id=CT&localtime=survey)

Certainly looks like there are a few friends and family keen to have his memory kept alive so you may be lucky in getting some help to find out more about this man.

Note – the 850th Air Engineering Squadron (as referred to above) was attached to the 385th BG at Great Ashfield. Perhaps this B-17 was being checked-out for delivery to the 385th?

My only “niggle” that this may NOT be your man is that he is also referred to as a “Master Mechanic” and “Aircraft Engineer Technician” in the above citations. Not always terms I would associate with a Lieutenant rank.:confused:

You never know, though. Hope this helps.

Best wishes,
Graham Herbertson

Hi Miniman,
Please try the link again – should be OK now
Regards,
Skipper

And what about the Zerstorers? What were their tactics?

From what I recall, their (e.g. Me110, 210, 410) main tactic was to sit behind the formations out of range of the bombers’ 50 cals and to hit them (repeatedly) with their longer range 20mm, 30mm, rockets, etc.

However, some of you might recall the famous photo of the Me410 flying past the wing-tip of, and in the same direction as, the 388th BG’s B17 “Lady Godiva” during the famous 12th of May 1944 mission to Brux.

http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/wwii/photos/gallery_006/Me%20410%20narrowly%20misses%20ain%20a%20mid%20air%20with%20388th%20BG%20B-17.jpg

Why that 410 would have had to come in so close I don’t know as I would have thought that it would be playing into the hands of the B17s’ gunners?

However, I do recall that “Lady Godiva’s” pilot, Manuel Head, always said that the photographer should have had a gun in his hand and not a bloody camera! 🙂

Very interesting – The Beaufighter RD463 lost in the fiord along with her crew would be a good recovery to give her crew a proper burial.

I couldn’t agree more, David!

My previous thread on the subject

Historic aircraft connection? Almost zero except…

I reckon Pete Stanley, or whoever is curator of the RAF Pathfinder Museum nowadays, might suggest that there’s actually a very significant historic aircraft connection… :confused:

During my years at Rolls-Royce (up unitl two years ago) I remember seeing a marketing poster which outlined all military and civilian aircraft powered by Rolls-Royce engines. Again there was a B-52 powered by 4 RB211s. Can’t add any more to this subject than that apart from this seems to be a story corroborated by RR sales blurb!

Regards

Skipper

Hi, BlackWolf3945,

Based on many other photos I’ve studied from the Frantic II shuttle mission of 21 June 1944 your second photo has the same sort of “feel” to it.

What I mean is they have the very same features as the personnel examining Yak-3s on the same field as silver B-17s whilst the rest of the grass field is relatively empty except for a few trucks. This photo was obviously pictured prior to the overnight Luftwaffe bombing raid if it is Poltava and from that date!!

Regards,

Graham

“On a production Hawker Hurricane, what occupied the space directly under the pilots seat? IE between the bottom of the seat and the top of the radiator housing?”

Perhaps it was this?! 😀

http://cgi.ebay.com/RAF-CHAMBER-POT-WITH-EMBLEM-LETTER-OF-PROVENANCE_W0QQitemZ6601996486QQcategoryZ106154QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Apparently belonged to Stanford-Tuck, no less, so you never know!

Skipper