8thairforce
Squadron Member
- Total Posts : 44
- Reward points : 268
- Joined:
- Status: offline
Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
I am currently researching a A2 jacket which was worn by a R L Hess , a kind forum member has advised me that a Roland L Hess was a pilot with 379BG . Can anyone please tell me anymore about Roland L Hess ? The ( possibly his ) wartime A2 flying jacket has R L Hess stenciled to the interior . On the front is painted th name " DOTTY " and on the reverse are flak bursts with the name of the towns flewn missions to. In the centre is a B-17 with DOTTY painted on the nose . Was there a B-17 " DOTTY " flying with the 379th ??
|
Lucky Partners
Division Member
- Total Posts : 2212
- Reward points : 6434
- Joined:
- Location: Florida
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
The list of aircraft names in the 379th BG Anthology does not include a 'Dottie". Wallace Forman's B-17 Nose art Directory lists something like 24 different B-17s named 'Dottie" or some variation of Dottie, but none with the 379th. Follow this link and scroll down to the bottom of the page, "search #1231", and you will see Roland L. Hess listed as a Pilot with the 379th. This may or may not be your man. Does your jacket show a serial number anywhere, or just the name? http://www.379thbga.org/L...%201240-1231%20p24.htm
|
cody1947
Group Member
- Total Posts : 323
- Reward points : 5271
- Joined:
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
8th R.L.Hess was a member of the 526th BS of the 379th BG. He flew 35 missions from 7/16/44 to 10/14/44. He flew on many different Aircraft. I would assume Dotty was a girl friend/wife. Many airmen had that on the front of their jackets. Here is a website that would contain all of his missions, targets, aircraft & crew mates. http://www.8thairforce.com/
|
RSwank
Division Member
- Total Posts : 1998
- Reward points : 6228
- Joined:
- Location: Holland, MI USA
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
Boy, I have to say after looking at the missions shown on the jacket and the missions shown on the 8thairforce.com site for Roland L Hess that it would appear to be a "close" match but maybe no cigar. http://veteransfootlocker.com/cgi-bin/Display_Item.asp?1534 While the jacket blurb mentions 29 missons, there are actually 35 shown on the jacket as repeated missions to the same location are shown as multiple "bomb bursts" with the same target name. The ones that don't seem to match that I can see appear to be "Paris" , "St Lo". There are probably others I can't read. I wonder if I am misreading the jacket names, or they were an alternate target bombed by part of the group and did not appear on the main mission list. If this is the wrong guy, then I think we are looking for someone who flew at about the same time. I found St Lo was bombed on successive days, (July 24 and 25) at the start of operation Cobra. Also there are two missions shown on the jacket to Munich, while the mission list has only one. There is an odd thing regarding the target, Houdan which is shown on the jacket. According to the Air Force Chronology, Houdan (Houden) was bombed only once, on 7 August 44 by 14 planes. Houdan appears on the mission list for R L Hess from the 379th on 7 August 44. If only 14 planes bombed the target, and one of the planes was from the 379th, what group(s) were the other 13 planes from? How likely is it that those 13 planes came from some other groups? What do you think?
post edited by RSwank -
|
RSwank
Division Member
- Total Posts : 1998
- Reward points : 6228
- Joined:
- Location: Holland, MI USA
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
Using the website: http://www.8thairforce.com/ and looking for the 379th pilots that flew the 7 Aug 44 mission to Houdan, I have found 14 such pilots, including Roland L Hess. That seems to suggest that all the planes that bombed Houdan on the 7th of Aug were from the 379th. Not sure what to conclude from that. The only R L Hess in the limited database is Roland L Hess from the 379th. Is the jacket owner really Roland L Hess and he mis-remembered some of his missions when he created the jacket, perhaps after the war? Was there more than one mission to Houdan so some "other" crewman named R L Hess (not in this limited database) flew on that mission and all the others on the jacket. The 14 pilots I found from the 379th on the Houdan mission were: Hess, Roland L Clark, Albert R Baron, Howard O Williams, Rowland S Clare, John H Jones, Barton L Fechtemuller, John W Jones, Willis W Kutick, Paul Trumpy, Harvey H Long, George A Rutledge, Charles D Layton, Robert F Moore, Walter P I am about out of ideas on this one.
|
cody1947
Group Member
- Total Posts : 323
- Reward points : 5271
- Joined:
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
Here is the what is recorded on the mission narrative: On 07 August we were scheduled to bomb Gennevilliers, France, furnishing three groups as the 41st "B" wing. As the primary was covered by clouds, the lead and high groups hit Maintenon with fair to good results. The low group was unable to pick up the secondary objective in time, so they bombed Houdan. Flak was very heavy and accurate over the primary target, resulting in considerable damage to our aircraft. Where is the photo of the jacket?
|
RSwank
Division Member
- Total Posts : 1998
- Reward points : 6228
- Joined:
- Location: Holland, MI USA
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
|
cody1947
Group Member
- Total Posts : 323
- Reward points : 5271
- Joined:
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
I too count 35 missions on the jacket. However if my earlier post cleared up the Houdan question. Is the Paris mission the only question that remains to ascertain the validity of this being R.L.Hess' jacket?
|
cody1947
Group Member
- Total Posts : 323
- Reward points : 5271
- Joined:
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
I cannot tell all the target names on the jacket but there seems to be a possible name missing. When you check Hess's missions on the 8th site "Royan" is stated as target (as I stated I can't see all the names on the jacket) if there is no Royan this could be the discrepancy. Also on the mission report it states that at least one aircraft of the 379th BG was used as a spare which flew with the 305th on 8/13/44. I wonder if they(the 305th) bombed Paris that day?
|
RSwank
Division Member
- Total Posts : 1998
- Reward points : 6228
- Joined:
- Location: Holland, MI USA
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
There is/are the St Lo mission(s).
|
shooshoobaby
Air Force Brat
- Total Posts : 5861
- Reward points : 6904
- Joined:
- Location: Pacific NW
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
Et AL , My 379th BG Mission List shows these Missions: Houdan 8/7/44 - Troop Support Royan is actually Rouen 8/13/44 - Troop Support Mike
|
cody1947
Group Member
- Total Posts : 323
- Reward points : 5271
- Joined:
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
This poses a question about spares. I have noticed in the mission narratives the mention of (X) number of our aircraft where used as spares. I guess to fill in and supply the appropriate amount ships & explosives needed for that target. At times they mention which group & the assigned target for that group also sometimes it just says used as spares. The fact that they were from the 379th but bombed another target/city with another group is not listed on the Missions list for the 379th . I guess this may be because the main groups of the 379th bombed their primary and or secondary targets/cities that day but the aircraft used as spares in the other group(s) I'm guessing but this spare designation does not qualify it as an assigned mission for the 379th???? Could this be the reason for the jacket having different cities/missions than cited on the 379th missions list????
|
Thierry
Squadron Member
- Total Posts : 64
- Reward points : 3533
- Joined:
- Location: France
- Status: offline
Re:Pilot R L Hess , B-17 " DOTTY " 379th Research help needed
(permalink)
There is a B-17 named "Dotty". According the book "B-17 nose art name directory" page 21: 42-30650 - Dotty - 305th BG / 366th BS - Thierry -
I write the stories of these two bombers lost on the same day (25 June 1944) during the same mission: B-17G 42-107068 "Powerful Katrinka" (379th BG - 524th BS) B-17G 42-97292 "Bachelors Bride" (91st BG - 322nd BS)
|