Wayne Eldon Murdock

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

Shot down by fighters on 11 January 1944 in B-17 #42-3057 'Blonde Bomber. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Wayne Murdock grew up and went to school in Thomas, graduating from the University of Idaho in 1940. Enlisted in 1942, he completed pilot training and was sent overseas in November 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.

Connections

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Units served with

Unofficial emblem of the 91st Bomb Group.

91st Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Robert Ridgeway Case

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 17038949 and O-685772
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier

Russell B Hoover

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33422227
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Kenneth Lawrence Manson

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 39226242 and O-751172
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot

Teddy J Morris

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron 324th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18162955
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator Gunner

Thomas Henry Rogers

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron 324th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 6227096
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner

Aircraft

The nose art of a B-17 Flying Fortress nicknamed "Blonde Bomber" of the 91st Bomb Group

42-3057

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Picadilly Commando, Blonde Bomber
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Thomas, Bingham County, Idaho, United States 5 January 1917 the second son of Leo Delbert Murdock and Frances Rosetta (Dance) Murdock.

Enlisted

Boise, Idaho, United States 5 May 1942 as a Private in the Air Corps

Other

Killed in Action (KIA)

Ausleben, near Oschersleben, Germany 11 January 1944 As they fell away from the aircraft, gunners Sobieski and Roswell saw Lt Murdock leave the plane, but did not see his chute deploy. His body was found near the fragmented remains of “Blonde Bomber.” Either his chute was shot up and failed to deploy, or Lt Murdock was hit and killed on the catwalk over the bomb bay, his body then falling free.

Buried

Thomas Riverside Cemetery, Blackfoot, Idaho, United States
Thomas, Bingham County, Idaho, United States

Revisions

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

MACR 1918
NARA WWII Enlistment records
“Mary Ruth” Memories of Mobile... We Still Remember, by Lowell L. Getz

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1918 / MACR 1918, 8th AF Losses / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database