The“Memphis Belle”: One Came Home Stories of Those Left Behind

On 17 May 1943, B-17 No. 41-24485, “Memphis Belle”, of the 91st Bomb group, stationed at Bassingbourn Air Base, completed her 25th combat mission over the continent. Two days earlier, her regular crew, that of Cpt Robert K. Morgan, had successfully completed its own 25th mission. At the time, it was assumed these were the first bomber and crew to have completed 25 missions. In anticipation of this event, the Oscar winning movie director, Maj William Wyler, had been stationed at Bassingbourn to film a documentary film, “The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress”, as a means to publicize contributions of the 8th Air Force to the war effort. Following her last mission, Cpt Morgan and his crew flew her back to the states for a nation-wide tour. Because of the documentary, “Memphis Belle” has become a legend, the most recognized B-17 of World War II. [After the War, it was discovered that B-17 No 41-24577, “Hell’s Angels” and Cpt Irl E. Baldwin’s crew of the 303rd Bomb Group had completed their 25thmission on 17 May]. The“Belle”and Cpt Morgan’s crew therefore survived the war. There were 20 other B-17s and their crews that accompanied the “Memphis Belle” on her final mission. This account documents the fate of these planes and crews as they continued their combat missions over the continent.Ope

Intraspecific and interspecific territoriality in \u3ci\u3eMicrotus ochrogaster\u3c/i\u3e and \u3ci\u3eM. pennsylvanicus\u3c/i\u3e

Adult female Microtus ochrogaster and M. pennsylvanicus displayed interspecific territorial behavior in a bluegrass site in Illinois. We concluded that within a site, interspecific territorial behavior might be a factor in non-synchronous population fluctuations characteristic of the two species

World War II Eighth Air Force Crews That Went Down In The North Sea, English Channel and Adjacent Bodies Of Water

During the course of World War II at least 751 Eighth Air Force aircraft went down in the North Sea, English Channel and adjacent bodies of water on their way to and from targets over the continent. Of the 5, 349 crewmen aboard these planes, 1,276were picked up by Air Sea Rescue and returned to their bases; 854 were picked up by the Germans and became POWs; 3,180 were KIA; 39 made it to the continental shore and evaded capture. In this account I list all the crewmen who went down in the various bodies of water, providing for most of the crewmen: name, serial number, position on the plane, date went down, Group, Missing Air Crew Report number, serial number of plane, name of the plane (if had one), and fate of the crewmen. The Excel file can be searched by any of these categories to find specific crewmen. Number of aircraft that went down and fate of the crewmen are also compiled for each Bomb and Fighter Group.Ope

Oschersleben, 11 January 1944

Abstract: On 11 January 1944 the US 8th Air Force mounted a maximum effort raid on targets deep in Germany in the vicinity of Brunswick. As the Strike Force moved over the continent, weather conditions, both over continent and the home bases in England began deteriorating rapidly. A recall was sent out to all Wings, except those of the 1st Air Division and the 4th Combat Wing of the 3rd Air Division. Those Wings were closing in on their targets and were allowed to proceed. Because of weather conditions, of the three Fighter Groups assigned to cover the target area, only the 354th Fighter Group, of 49 P-51s, went on to provide cover over the target area. Upon the abort of most of the Strike Force, German fighters were able to concentrate the greatest number of aircraft on the 1 Air Division since October. The ensuing three and one half hour air battle was one of the most harrowing of the war. Sixty B-17s were lost, the number equaling each of the two Schweinfurt missions of the previous August and October. For its action that day, the entire 1st Air Division was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation.Ope

Twenty-Five Years of Population Fluctuations of Microtus Ochrogaster and M-Pennsylvanicus in Three Habitats in East-Central Illinois

Populations of 2 species of arvicoline rodents, the prairie vole (Microtus ochrogaster) and meadow vole (M. pennsylvanicus), were monitored monthly in alfalfa, bluegrass, and tallgrass prairie habitats in east-central Illinois from 1972 through 1997. Alfalfa provides very highquality preferred food and poor vegetative cover for both vole species, whereas bluegrass provides intermediate food and vegetative cover. Preferred food resources were very low, especially for M. ochrogaster, and vegetative cover was very dense in tallgrass prairie. Maximum and mean population densities of M. ochrogaster were highest in alfalfa, intermediate in bluegrass, and lowest in tallgrass prairie. Populations of M. ochrogaster displayed synchronous 3- to 4-year multiannual cycles in all 3 habitats. Cycles were most pronounced in alfalfa, less pronounced in bluegrass, and barely discernible in tallgrass prairie. Food availability seems more important than vegetative cover for the success of M. ochrogaster. Densities of M. pennsylvanicus generally were very low in bluegrass and alfalfa habitats, both of which contained an abundance of preferred food plants. When M. pennsylvanicus was present in abundance in these 2 habitats, populations displayed annual or erratic fluctuations. Densities of M. pennsylvanicus were much higher in tallgrass prairie than in the other 2 habitats. Although vegetative cover seems more important than food availability for the success of M. pennsylvanicus, no evidence existed for population cycles in tallgrass prairie. We found no synchrony among population fluctuations of the 2 species of voles in the 3 habitats

Land Mollusks of Northeastern United States and Southeastern Canada

An illustrated key and description of the land snails and slugs of Northeastern United States and Southeastern CanadaOpe

Just an Old Coffee Bucket

published or submitted for publicatio