Captain Edmund F. Auer of the 487th Bomb Group in front of a B-17 Flying Fortress. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Misch' This is Captain Edmund F. 'Misch' Auer, Army serial number O-795170, who was a lead navigator in the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Lavenham, Suffolk, England. His buddies in the service called him 'Misch', after the actor Mischa Auer. His good friend Doctor (Captain) Isadore Lerner, the 838th Bomb Squadron flight surgeon, explained: "His real name was Edmund Auer, but he was quickly tagged as Misch, after a well-known movie comedian who usually portrayed old phony Russian aristocrats. Misch himself was a funny fellow, always in good humor, and never complaining. We joined up as roommates, and became fast friends. He was older than most of the men in the squadron. In fact he was my age, 27." Capt Auer was shot down while flying with the crew of Lt Robert W. Harriman in B-17G 44-8444 on December 24, 1944 (MACR 11552). He survived the war. The identity of Edmund F. Auer in this photo was confirmed by Edward F. Auer, his son, in February 2015.