Ms. Annette Short of the Royal Air Force Alconbury Base Library accepts "Hells's Angels Newsletter

Ms. Annette Short of the Royal Air Force Alconbury Base Library accepts the donation of "Hells's Angels Newsletter; The Final Six Years - A World War II Retrospective" from the 303rd Bomb Group (Heavy) Association. With Ms. Short is Mr. Peter G. Park, JAC Historian and Mr. Jerry White, 501st CSW Historian. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Peter Park)

The crew of Capt Robert W. Cogswell on August 17, 1943

The crew of Capt Robert W. Cogswell on August 17, 1943 standing in front of their B-17F "Iza Vailable." Then Technical Eddie Deerfield, (2nd from left front row) compiled the volume donated to the RAF Alconbury Base library as Editor of the Hell's Angels Newsletter. (Photo courtesy 303rd Bomb Group Association)

303rd Bomb Group Volume Donated to Base Library

Published April 10, 2008
By Peter G. Park, Commander's Action Group
JIOCEUR Analytic Center

Royal Air Force Molesworth, England --
A bound copy of "Hell's Angels Newsletter; The Final Six Years--A World War II Retrospective" was accepted into the RAF Alconbury Base Library by Ms. Annette Short on April 10, 2008.

The 560-page volume joins earlier volumes of newsletters of the World War II U.S. Army Air Corps Group which flew B-17 "Flying Fortresses" from Molesworth on 364 missions over Nazi occupied Europe between 1942 and 1945. It covers aerial combat missions, ground support achievements, military awards, famous B-17 Flying Fortresses, escapes and evasions, prisoners of war, airmen killed in action, memorials and more.

The volume was compiled by retired Lt. Colonel Eddie Deerfield who flew 30 missions as a radio operator/gunner from July 1943 to May 1944. Then Technical Sgt. Deerfield survived a crash in the North Sea on his sixth mission, a parachute jump from a flaming B-17 on his 14th mission, a crash landing on his 20th mission and was wounded by flak on his 30th and final mission.

The RAF Alconbury Library contains an extensive collection of books and videos on air action in WWII, including books on the 303rd Bomb Group (Heavy)