Jose Carioca ... 527th Bomb Squadron, Crew 2

The 379th Bombardment Group (heavy) arrived at RAF Kimbolton, England on the 21st of May 1943. Composed of three squadrons one of which was the 527th. Flying the B-17 Flying Fortress the group engaged primarily in bombardment of strategic targets such as industries, oil refineries, storage plants, submarine pens, airfields, and communications centers in Germany, France, Holland, Belgium, Poland, and Norway. The 379th was the most successful in all the Eighth Air Force heavy bombs groups, dropping 26,459 tons of bombs and exceeded all other UK Bomber Groups carrying out 330 missions between may 1943 and May 15th 1945. One B-17G, “Ole Guppy” had completed 157 missions. The 379th operating about 308 total Flying Fortresses losing 149 by the end of the war, a somewhat high 48% loss rate. The insigne designed in the summer of 1944 is published in WALT DISNEY'S COMICS and STORIES #42 and in DISNEY DONS DOGTAGS by Walton Rawls, Abbeville Press, 1992,p16.