World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
29 May 2010 09:09:56 PM

Information on above photo:

"Virgin's Delight", a B-17F from the 94th
Bomb Gp. over its target, the Focke Wulf
plant at Marienburg, Ausust 1943.
Notice in the photograph, the strike results
by rising smoke from bomb hits, the runway at left is untouched.

2. Stachu says:
4 Mar 2016 03:05:00 PM

I cant believe but in this picture there is my village!!!!Now is called Królewo, before WW2 it was Königsdorf. My parents and brothers are living there now😊

3.  Bill says:
28 Nov 2016 02:53:28 PM

TARGET 4 TODAY:

Focke-Wulf fighter factory, East Prussia 9 October 1943.
File photo shows "Virgin's Delight", Douglas-Built B-17F-50-DL, s/n 42-3352 of the 410th Bomb Squadron, 94th Bomb Group, 8th USAAF

COST OF MARIENBURG RAID:

Two B-17's lost, thirteen damaged, three wounded, twenty-one listed as MIA's missing in action.
Crews claimed nine enemy fighters destroyed, two-probable plus fifteen FW190 fighters destroyed on ground.

Enemy casualties of 669 factory workers (114) killed in raid and (76) were injured.

FATE OF "VIRGINS DELIGHT" AND CREW:

"Virgin's Delight was later lost shot down by German fighters over the North Sea 29 November 1943, seven weeks after the Marienburg raid. Nine KIA, killed in action, and one captured as POW.

4.  Alan Chanter says:
11 Oct 2017 01:43:49 AM

On the 9th of October 1943 the 94th Bomb Group from Bury St. Edmunds, along with other Groups from the 4th Combat Bombardment Wing, undertook a ten hour mission to the Focke-Wulf plant at Marienburg in central Germany. Ninety-Six B-17s made the 1,500 mile round trip to the target in what the USAAF would call ‘The bombing event of the year’. On this occasion very little Luftwaffe opposition was encountered. The weather conditions over the target were clear and bright with the result that excellent bombing results were achieved. Only two aircraft were lost during the mission and the 94th safely returned home intact –a very rare event during 1943.

5. Mark Ulrich says:
11 Nov 2019 06:57:14 PM

The crew of Vigins Delight on October 9, 1943, was not the crew that went down six weeks later over the North Sea. In my father’s scrapbook, he has detailed notes stating that he was one of the crew of Viirgin’s Delight on this mission. The crew were: pilot. R.F. Lapore , IP. C.G. Snead. Nav. G.H. Gordon. Bomb. E.S. Doty. Top Turret. A.A. Ulrich. Radio J.T. Miller. Waist. A.B. King and. H.E. Ravellette. Ball C. Noulles. Tail. B. Lewis. My dad’s combat tour ended October 18,1943. He was awarded the distinguished flying cross and air medal with 3 oak leaf clusters. Of course he became a member of the “Lucky Bastard Club”having survived 25 missions.