Gustave S Holmstrom
MilitaryHe was an original crew member of the group. Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 #42-30707 'Piccadilly Commando' on Schweinfurt mission. Prisoner of War (POW) at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser) 49-11. He was shot down on his 24th mission. Was a Prisoner of War (POW) for 20 months. He was captured with his A-2 jacket on and it made the German newspapers and even the NY Times.
Earlier, on 10 August 1943 crash landed in 'Liberty Belle' B-17 #42-5889 on return from mission to Poland. 10 RTD;
POW, AM w/ 3 OLC
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
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
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany
![A bomber crew of the 306th Bomb Group wave to Picture Post Girls in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-24471) nicknamed "Four of a Kind" at Thurleigh in December 1942. Image stamped on reverse: '"Picture Post" [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 11 Dec 1942.' [stamp], '238038.' [Censor no.] Handwritten in censor's blue pencil on reverse: 'American Flying Fortress crew are introduced to the girls they will meet at Picture Post Xmas Party.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379028.jpg.webp?itok=6Gc6iR0j)
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Bedford
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Brooklyn, New York | 21 February 1921 | |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Zagan, Poland | 14 October 1943 | Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser) 49-11 |
|
Died |
22 May 1998 | ||
|
Buried |
Riverside National Cemetery |
Revisions
Added a POW event per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Added some punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
Added a "-" to the A/C type in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol I by Bishop and Hey pp. 320, 334, MACR 0816
306th BG Association Directory, 1 September 1999 Edition; MACR 816, First Over Germany pg. 169-70, NARA, 306th BGA Collection, Russell Strong Index Cards, / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://www.306bg.org/crewphotos/Crew%20Pictures%20Adam-Rector/Crew%20Pi…
