[Collection of Documents from the 305th Bomb Group during WWII]

A jaw-dropping archive of flight material from World War II used by a decorated B-17 pilot.

This incredible collection of WWII material was owned and used by 1st Lt. (later, Captain) Don F. Cunningham, a B-17 pilot in the 365th Squadron of the 305th Bombardment Group. He flew over 30 successful missions across the European Theater, many of which were behind the controls of Wham Bam and the darkly named Cunningham’s Coffin. (The latter plane was later renamed to Patches and shot down during the disastrous Schweinfurt Raid).

The scarce collection of documentation reflects the ‘matter of fact’ mentality adopted by pilots and crews in response to intensely hazardous missions. Each folder includes detailed large-scale maps identifying specific targets. Printed flight instructions are supplemented by handwritten notes and semi-transparent overlays. Take-off plans, formation charts, aerial photographs. The contents are described below:

Six flight folders:

• Kiel – Aerial photographs of the Naval Dockyard and Deutsche Werke Kiel A.G. facilities (heavily worn). Large-scale target maps for each are included, as well as flight instructions. A third map, on linen, shows approaches to the city from the North Sea.
• Paris – Aerial photographs and target plans of the Renault Motor Works and the Citroen Works. Several formation diagrams, the take-off plan, and flight instructions are also included for at least two missions (7/13/1943 and 6/11/1943). An additional photograph appears to show the results of one successful raid.
• Rouen – Includes an aerial photograph and target map of the Rouen-Sotteville marshaling yards. Further target maps show Keroman (Lorient Submarine Base) and the port at Brest (with a small photo). A bombardier’s log is dated 3/15/1943.
• Antwerp – Target maps and aerial photographs of the Aero Engine Repair Works and a Ford Motor Assembly Plant. Bombardier’s log dated 4/14/1943.
• Flensburg – Target map and aerial photograph, along with a dated take-off plan (5/19/1943) and a formation diagram.
• Bremen – Includes a large fold-out dated March 1943 that shows several aerial perspectives of different approaches to the city. Two target maps and aerial photographs covering the Focke Wulf aircraft factory and railway workshops. A fourth map, on linen, shows the approaches to Bremen from the North Sea.

Further items in the archive include:

• Summary of Events 1944 April – July – A series of double-sided mimeographed pages (approximately 34 in total) in a manila folder stamped Office of the Commanding Officer. Marked SECRET, the contents are organized into topics like Photo Intelligence, Training, Public Relations, Special Services, etc. The intimate details, including court martials and casualties, offer a fascinating window into the day-to-day operations of the bomb group for four months in 1944.
• 45 mimeographed pages (heavily toned, with the first several split along the center) listing the ‘Former Enlisted Men of the 305th Bomb Group‘. Lacking the first 8 pages, which focused on the officers (including Cunningham).;
• Old photocopies of several pilot’s flimsies, including Mission 25 (Bremen), Mission 27 (Wunsdorf), Mission 30 (Vechta), and Mission 32 (Bremen).
• Seven miscellaneous aerial photographs, rubber-stamped by the 305th on the back and marked ‘Not for Publication.’ Each shows the results of a different bombing raid, including Flushing, Berlin, and Wunsdorf.
• Two Aircraft Delivery receipts, marked SECRET and dated 4/1945, show that Cunningham was still flying missions (albeit out of the immediate combat zone) well after he could have gone home.

Sources: American Air Museum; Army Air Corps Museum; B-17 Flying Fortress (German);