Francis O Proteau
Military
Guy Rogers Crew
458th BG - 754th BS
Shot down 6 March 1944 on their first mission
Standing Left to Right: Guy Rogers (P), Ray Fiebiger -(TT/E), Marvin Lademan (BTG) , Virgil Morrow (WG), Frank Proteau (CP)
Kneeling Left to Right: John Hightower(N) , Marvin Wilson (TG), Leroy Smith (R/O), Joseph Root (B)
466th BG Historian
Object Number - UPL 16195 - Crew #46 Guy Rogers Crew 458th BG - 754th BS Shot down 6 March 1944 on their first mission Standing Left to Right: Guy Rogers (P), Ray...
B-24H #42-52515 crashed W of Berlin after exploding in mid-air due to direct hits from flak over Berlin on a mission to Genshagen near Berlin on 6 Mar 1944. Prisoner of War (POW).
Died in a cropduster accident in 1946. His Dad and brother were both government contractors who were captured on Wake Island in 1942. They both died in Japanese POW Camp in 1943
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 0747322
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Ford's Folly
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Barth, Germany | 6 March 1944 - 1 June 1945 | Stalag Luft I |
|
Other Shot Down/Captured |
Glindow, Werder (Havel), Germany | 6 March 1944 | Co-pilot, Lt Francis Proteau, stated that he was blown free of the ship when it exploded in mid-air. In his questionnaire on MACR 3351, Proteau stated that his last contact with Radio Operator, S/Sgt Leroy Smith was, "I told him just prior to the explosion to, 'Get out!', to which he replied, 'I can't!'" Proteau was attempting to open the top hatch to assist Engineer, S/Sgt Raymond Fiebiger out when the plane exploded |
|
Died |
Albany, OR, USA | 11 April 1946 | Died at Albany General Hospital after crashing a cropduster at the George Willett Farm in Oakville, OR |
|
Born |
Portland, Oregon, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3351 / MACR 3351, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces & Page 281 of the book LIBERATORS OVER NORWICH by Mackay, Bailry & Scorza, 2010, D790G4582010 & 458bg.com / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database