Leon G Mehring
Military"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 26 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.
He was called to active duty November 27 1943 and trained as a gunner, leaving for the ETO in January 1945. On 20th February the target was Berlin, a tail wind of 100mph outbound and head wind back. It was a chaotic return - the B-17s scattering and fuel very low and they started to dump as much as possible, including ammunition. Leon opened his gun cover and a shell exploded burning his hands and eyes, needing treatment at the base hospital. On R& R afterwards he went to a dance and met his future wife Vera. 11 missions from February 26, 1945 through April 24, 1945
AM/ WW II VM/ GC
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
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Butte, Montana | 29 October 1925 | |
Cedar Rapids, IA, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self