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571st Squadron Page

571st Site Low over the North Sea Over the North Sea A Flooded Dutch town Ben Smith with his B17
571st Sqdn
 Hut 42		 B24 from 391st BG Metfield Back Again Ben Smith at Framlingham Churchyard Ben Smith at Hut 42
Chief Hoskins and P51 at Martlesham Crew Easton, Suffolk Framlingham Castle Leeth & Nason 
at Framlingham Castle
Framlingham College Leiston Fighter Base Lucky Master Sergeant Jim Parsons refueling McGrath Lower Ball
"Perky" in nose 
of 007		 Shining '470' up to go home "Songoon" 390th BG 571st Sqdn. 86 missions Thunderbolt of Col Dave Schilling 22.5 victories White Horse PH, Easton
Forming over Buncher 8 Nason in the "Glass Lounge"






















All except the site photographs above are from Patrick Smith St. Cloud, Minnesota who's father Ben Smith flew with the 571st Squadron from 1945. He was the co-pilot of the Siegel crew (Crew 38) and the photograph shows the crew with 470 stripped down for the flight home (no guns in the chin turret) He flew seven completed missions with the 390th including the last 390th BG bombing mission to Oranienburg railyards outside Berlin on the 20th April 1944. The B17 338470 flew 64 missions. The photograph "Lucky" shows B17 46007, which flew 76 missions, with an engine shut down either March 8th or 11th 1945."Buncher 8" was the Framlingham radio beacon. The four friends outside hut 42, the "Consumption Centre" are Chuck Nason, "Speed" Nelms, Jimmie Niehouse and "Skip" Lander.

I have been sent this link to the journals of 2 brothers, one who flew in the Pacific and the other with the 571st.

 Wayne Gray, was a tail gunner on B-25s in the South Pacific in World War II. A copy of his journal, has been posted online on the day they were made, just 70 years later:  http://waynes-journal.com/about/. 

Wayne’s brother, Verne Gray, was a gunner with the 571st Bombardment Squadron, 390th Bombardment Group.  He was stationed at Parham, Station 153, beginning in December 1944.  He too kept a journal.  As he makes entries in his journal, they are incorporated them in the posting of his brother, Wayne.  An example can be found at http://waynes-journal.com/2014/12/11/december-12-1944/.