Radio Operator/Gunner Frank Boeing 1944 – a strange wartime reunion

[peter monasso]

Hi all



Did anyone of you ever heard of a Radio Operator/Gunner Frank Boeing ?
In a Dutch Newspaper dated 30 January 1954 appeared an interesting article about a Radio Operator Frank Boeing from Chicago. The article says that he belonged to a B-17 crew which took part in a raid to Germany and his a/c was hit by flak. The captain finally ordered the crew to jump as most of them did also Frank Boeing. He was hurt and came in a Hospital in the German village Vreden. His a/c possibly came down somewhere in the west part of Germany close to the Dutch border. A German farmer named Heinrich Boyng (born 1866) heard of this incident when visiting a local hairdresser at his village Wuellen which is not far from Vreden. He remembered two of his elder brothers -one of them was also named Frank- emigrated around 1870 to the USA being very successful in starting several companies which finally led to the Boeing Aircraft Corporation. Earlier –possibly when arriving on Ellis Island- their names were changed from the German “Boyng” into the American version of Boeing. When he heard the name “Frank Boeing” he was convinced that “Pilot” must be his nephew which indeed turned out to be so later when he met him in hospital. Heinrich Boyng went to Vreden and tried to visit Frank Boeing but the nurses refused to let him see the wounded airman. But Heinrich insisted in his attempt and finally they let him go and he spoke a few words with Frank which quickly led to the conclusion that Frank indeed was his nephew. The same afternoon Heinrich was visited by the Local Police and members of the Gestapo and came under arrest and he was accused for “helping escaping the enemy.” (enemy?? it was one of his nearest relatives ?!?!) He stayed three days in prison and was sent home later.
The newspaper article says the mission was on 3rd May 1944 but in Roger Freemans book Mighty Eight and also on Fold3 there were no USAAF Missions to Germany on 3rd May 1944. So I looked for an earlier Mission such as 29 April 1944 when the USAAF had a mission to Berlin. 38 B-17s went lost that date and of 36 of these I checked the crew lists but there was not one crew member named Frank Boeing. Is there anyone who has an idea or does there ring a bell ? It could be that the Mission when Frank Boeing didn’t return to his base was already in January or February 1944 ?

Peter Monasso
Dutch Air War 1940-1945 Historian
The Netherlands
info@crashmuseum.nl
www.crashmuseum.nl