Thelma Berto Wiggins Jr
Military
Removed associations not depicted in image. Associations made in person record.
Object Number - UPL 40304 - TB Wiggins while on Comet Line
Shot down 14 October 1943 in B-17 42-29952 'Sizzle'. Evaded.
T/Sgt. Thelma Berto (Jockey) Wiggins landed near Tongeren, Belgium and was brought to Trooz (near Liege, Belgium) where a doctor treated his injured right heel for a shrapnel wound. He subsequently returned to England and active service.
Mr Wiggins (Jockey) went back to the UK via the Comet line.
He first met members of the Comet Line on 5 November 1943. They crossed into France from Belgium on 23-24 December 1943 guided by Mrs Amanda Stassart and into Spain across the Pyrenees on 28 December 1943. His right heel injury opened again while crossing these mountains.
From info on the internet he met with Tom Appplewhite and together they travelled via Brussels, Lille Paris, Dax, Sutar, Anglet, San Sebastian, Madrid to Seville (E) where he and others got on the Norwegian ship The Lisbeth and were hidden in the ship’s propeller shaft to travel to Gibraltar (11 January 1944). From there (17 January) they flew by RAF to London.
Mr Wiggins’ E&E Report 327: https://catalog.archives.gov/OpaAPI/media/5554967/content/arcmedia/nw/3…
Tom Applewhite’s detailled escape story: https://wwii-netherlands-escape-lines.com/evasion-of-tom-applewhite/tom…
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: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32383681
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Flight Engineer / Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 14079018 / O-793820
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Sizzle
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
Missions
![Three B-17 Flying Fortresses of the 94th Bomb Group are attacked by a Nazi Fighter aircraft during a mission. Printed caption on reverse of print: 'A-62641 USAF: Nazi fighter plane attacking Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortresses" during a bomb run over enemy installations somewhere in Europe, 10 September 1944. 100th[sic] Bomb Group, 3rd Bomb Division. U.S. Air Force Photo.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-408505.jpg.webp?itok=zJwHCUjh)
- Date: 14 October 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
24 February 1921 | Son of Thelma Berto Sr and Lillie Grace [McElhenney] Wiggins. | |
|
Enlisted |
13 August 1942 | Ft McPherson Atlanta Georgia | |
|
Other Evaded |
14 October 1943 - 17 January 1944 | ||
|
Other Discharged USAAF |
3 November 1945 | Honourable discharge. | |
|
Died |
9 January 1975 | ||
|
Buried |
Lithonia City Cemetery Lithonia, DeKalb County, GA |
Revisions
Added " / " in the "Role/job" field as a separator to aid readability.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 917 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
