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Archive Report: Allied Forces

Compiled from official National Archive and Service sources, contemporary press reports, personal logbooks, diaries and correspondence, reference books, other sources, and interviews.
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8th Air Force
17.09.1944 614th Bombardment Squadron (H) B-17G 42-97872 'Rosie’s Sweat Box', 2nd Lt. Francis E. Cooke

Operation: Siegfried Line, (Mission #639), Holland

Date: 17th September 1944 (Sunday)

Unit No: 614th Bombardment Squadron (H), 401st Bombardment Group (H), 1st Air Division, 8th Air force

Type: B-17G Rosie’s Sweat Box

Serial: 42-97872

Code: IW:?

Base: Deenthorpe (Station #128), Northamptonshire, England

Location: Deenthorpe (Station #128), Northamptonshire, England

Pilot: 2nd Lt. Francis E. Cooke. O-765229 AAF Age 20. Killed

Co-pilot: 2nd Lt. Paul H. Clark. O-715717 AAF Age 21. Killed

Navigator: 2nd Lt. Charles R. Werner O-713258 AAF Age 23. Killed

Bombardier: 2nd Lt. Frank Warren Jorgensen. O-720680 AAF Age 22. Killed

Engineer Top/Turret Gunner: Cpl. Wilford M. Dahlin 37558512 AAF Age 22. Killed

Radio Operator: Cpl. William E. Weston 32528390 AAF Age 24. Killed

Ball Turret Gunner: Sgt. Joseph L. Page Jr. 38511779 AAF Age 21. Killed

Waist Gunner: Cpl. John Reagan Browning. 38474264 AAF Age 20. Killed

Tail Gunner: Cpl. Walter J. Ambrogetti. 39340378 AAF Age 21. Injured/ Died (1)

REASON FOR LOSS:

The aircraft was attempting to take off for a mission to bomb the Siegfried Line but failed to gain enough height to clear the hedge at the end of the runway and crashed on the Western Road, Deenethorpe

(1) Cpl. Walter J. Ambrogetti survived the crash but died later the same day of his wounds.

Crash site of "Rosie's Sweat Box" (courtesy Fold 3)

Above left: 'Rosies Sweat Box - taken 6th May 1944 Right: Jacket worn by crew - taken 28th June 1944

Burial details:

Some of the crew graves (courtesy Find-A-Grave)

2nd Lt. Francis E. Cooke was returned to the USA at the request of his family and is buried in Zion Cemetery, Fonda, Pocahontas County, Iowa. Born on 4th March 1924 and entered the service on the 23rd February 1943 from Santa Ana Army Air Base as an aviation cadet

2nd Lt. Paul H. Clark was returned to the USA at the request of his family and is buried in Massachusetts. Born in 1923 and entered the service on the 29th December 1941 from Springfield, Massachusetts

2nd Lt. Charles R. Werner was returned to USA at the request of his family and is buried in Sun Prairie Cemetery, Sun Prairie, Dane County, Wisconsin. Son of Mr and Mrs Werner of Sun Prairie. Wisconsin. Born on the 9th June 1921 in Dane County and entered the service in August 1941

2nd Lt. Frank Warren Jorgensen was returned to USA at the request of his family and is buried in the Golden Gate National Cemetery, San Bruno, California. Section C, Site 622. Born on the 3rd April 1922.

Cpl. Wilford M. Dahlin. Purple Heart. Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. Plot E, Row 6, Grave 92. Born in 1922 Wilford entered the service in California.

Cpl. William E. Weston. Purple Heart. Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. Plot E, Row 1, Grave 99. Born in 1920 William enlisted in New York on the 13th October 1942.

Sgt. Joseph L. Page Jr. Was returned to the USA at the request of his family and is buried in McDaniel Cemetery, Jonesboro, Craighead County, Arkansas. Born on the 1st November 1924 Joseph entered the service on the 21st June 1943 from Little Rock, Arkansas

Cpl. John Reagan Browning was returned to USA at the request of his family and is buried in Rock Hill Cemetery, Brownsboro, Henderson County, Texas. Born on the 23rd January 1923.

Cpl. Walter J. Ambrogetti. Purple Heart. Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. Plot F, Row 3, Grave 74. Walter was born on the 5th March 1923 in Klamath Falls, Oregon. He worked as a lumber handler before joining the service in September 24th 1943 from Oregon.

Researched by Aircrew Remembered, researcher and specialist genealogist Kate Tame for relatives of this crew.

Complete list of USAAF Archive Reports

Pages of Outstanding Interest
History Airborne Forces •  Soviet Night Witches •  Bomber Command Memories •  Abbreviations •  Gardening Codenames
CWGC: Your Relative's Grave Explained •  USA Flygirls •  Axis Awards Descriptions •  'Lack Of Moral Fibre'
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Acknowledgements
Sources used by us in compiling Archive Reports include: Bill Chorley - 'Bomber Command Losses Vols. 1-9, plus ongoing revisions', Dr. Theo E.W. Boiten and Mr. Roderick J. Mackenzie - 'Nightfighter War Diaries Vols. 1 and 2', Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt - 'Bomber Command War Diaries', Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Tom Kracker - Kracker Luftwaffe Archives, Michel Beckers, Major Fred Paradie (RCAF) and MWO François Dutil (RCAF) - Paradie Archive (on this site), Jean Schadskaje, Major Jack O'Connor USAF (Retd.), Robert Gretzyngier, Wojtek Matusiak, Waldemar Wójcik and Józef Zieliński - 'Ku Czci Połeglyçh Lotnikow 1939-1945', Archiwum - Polish Air Force Archive (on this site), Anna Krzystek, Tadeusz Krzystek - 'Polskie Siły Powietrzne w Wielkiej Brytanii', Franek Grabowski, Norman L.R. Franks 'Fighter Command Losses', Stan D. Bishop, John A. Hey MBE, Gerrie Franken and Maco Cillessen - Losses of the US 8th and 9th Air Forces, Vols 1-6, Dr. Theo E.W. Boiton - Nachtjagd Combat Archives, Vols 1-13. Aircrew Remembered Databases and our own archives. We are grateful for the support and encouragement of CWGC, UK Imperial War Museum, Australian War Memorial, Australian National Archives, New Zealand National Archives, UK National Archives and Fold3 and countless dedicated friends and researchers across the world.
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