March 22, 1943, 5th victory
Archives and notes on my searches concerning this date & victory

Boeing B-17F-BO "Liberty Bell" Serial 42-29659

from the 91BG / 324 BS piloted by McCLELLAN 92 BG (KIA)

"Liberty Bell" is very probably B-17 bombarded by Heinz KNOKE this day. Knoke was indeed the only one Me 109 to have made load a bomb under his plane on March 22 1943.

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Searches concerning this victory :

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The mission of the USAAF

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COMBAT CHRONOLOGY OF THE US ARMY AIR FORCES

MONDAY, 22 MARCH 1943

EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (Eighth Air Force)
VIII Bomber Command

Mission No. 46 :

76 B-17's and 26 B-24's are dispatched against the U-boat yards at Wilhelmshaven, Germany;
69 B-17's and 15 B-24's drop 224 tons of bombs on the target at 1501-1510 hours local.
We claim 28-9-9; we lose 1 B-17 and 2 B-24's; 12 B-17's and 10 B-24's are damaged ;
casualties are 1 KIA, 18 WIA and 32 MIA.

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22 March 1943, the head of the column of 21 Fortresses of 91 BG
before take off from Bassimbourg for the mission to Wilhelmshaven.

First is"Hellsapoppin" #41-24459 LLB 401 BS,
second is "Bomb Boogie" #41-25763 LLF 401 BS,
third is "The Bad Egg" #41-24484 LLC 401 BS.
"Liberty Bell" is undoubtedly in the queue.
[photo USAAF]

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2 B-17 declared lost on March 22, 1943 :

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Source : Livre "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story"

serial number	plane name	squadron	code	date lost	reason	mission lost on	pilot
42-29659	B-17F-65-BO "Liberty Bell"	91 BG 324 BS	DF	March 22, 1943	Bomb launched by Me 109	Wilhelmshaven (mission #1) Crash Location : North Sea	Cpt. McClellan, P, 1st Lt Brooks, 1st Lt. Buckman, 2d Lieutenant Green T. Sgt. Trelawney-Ansell T. Sgt. Williams S. Sgt Makela S. Sgt Roberts Sgt Billingsley Sgt Shapiro 11 KIA (92 BG), MACR 16291
42-5179	B-17F-BO "Junior"	301 BG 510 BS	?	March 22, 1943	flak	Palerme (4ème mission)	Hair, 3POW 6KIA

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Description of this victory by Heinz Knoke and different information :

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	Heinz Knoke Informations	Personal comments
Source	I flew for the f... page 93
Date	March 22, 1943
Type of claimed plane	B-17 Flying Fortress
Place of the interception	Above Helgoland in 10000m (30,000 feet)
Crash Location	In sea 32km (20 miles) in West of Helgoland	SquareUP-3/6
Presumed Mission USAAF	Bombing Wilhemshaven
Presumed route USAAF	On the way home after bombing Wilhemshaven
Schedule		KNOKE's takeoff round 15.00
Weather report	Sky without clouds
Knoke's Unit	2./JG1	KNOKE's Bf 109G1 is slung with a 500-lb. high-explosive bomb equiped with a fifteen-second time fuse.
Description of the fight	"Iedge forward slowly until I am over the tip of the enemy formation, which consists entirely of Fortresses. For several minutes I am under fire from below, while I take a very rough sort of aim on my target, weaving and dipping each wing-tip alternately in oerder to see the formation below.Two or three holes appear in my left wing. I fuse the bomb, take final aim, and press the release button on my stick. My bomb goes hurtling down. I watch it fall, and bank steeply as I break away. Then it explodes, exactly in the centre of a row of Fortresses. A wing breaks off one of them, and two others plunge away in alarm. Twenty miles west of Heligoland my third heavy bomber crashes into the sea. There is no sign of fire. It is followed by the torn wing fluttering down like an autumn leaf."	WENNECHERS is leader of the squadron as a replacement of KNOKE who was delayed to end the load of the bomb under his plane, then victim of one flat. So KNOKE intercepts B-17 on the way back in a height of 10000m. He needs 25 minutes to reach there and fly over B-17s to bomb them. So It's about 15.30.
Detail 1	The B-17 lose a wing.	A sure victory.
Detail 2	Knoke does not mention parachutes.	Probably no survivors.

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