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William J. Waldron Crew at the completion of B-17 crew training at Ardmore, Oklahoma, about September 1944.
B-17G-45-VE #44-8055 - 222nd Base Unit - Ardmore AAF
Back row (L to R):
William J. Waldron (pilot), Oscar F. Eshleman (copilot), Joseph S. Shuster (navigator), and Russell C. Neu (bombardier)
Front row (L to R):
Benedict A. Andrew (engineer-top turret gunner), George J. Ferenchak (radio operator), Eugene S. Isley (armorer-waist gunner), Charles K. Brokke (waist gunner), Reuben F. Baganz (ball turret gunner), and James P. Naughton (tail gunner).
The crew deployed to England and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near the village of Lavenham, Suffolk, England on 19 October 1944. Charles Brokke was taken off the crew after arrival at Lavenham. The crew flew with only waist gunner, as was the custom at that time.
The crew was shot down near Liege, Belgium on December 24, 1944. Eshleman, Shuster, Andrew, Ferenchak, Baganz, and Naughton were killed in action. Waldron, Neu, and Isley survived.
Group
The 487th Bomb Group began operations as preparations for D-Day were reaching their crescendo and played their part by bombing airfields in northern France. Like the 486th Bomb Group, the 487th switched to B-17 Flying Fortress for missions from 1...
Squadron
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Flight Engineer
Killed in Action (KIA) when B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willie' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner
Killed in Action (KIA) when B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters on 24 Dec 1944.
Military | Gunner
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot, Co-Pilot
Killed in Action (KIA). B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' Exploded in air after being hit by enemy aircraft fire.
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Radio Operator
Killed in Action (KIA). B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters. Exploded in air after being hit by enemy aircraft. Crashed in Belgium
AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner
All but 3 crew members killed when B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters and crashed in Belgium. Isley, Russel Neu and Walron survived.
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner
Killed in Action (KIA) when B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier
Survived when B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters and crashed near Chateau de Warnomont in Belgium. Rescued by 2 Belgians and picked up by Military Police Companys attached to armed division....
Military | Flight Officer | Navigator
Killed in Action (KIA) 24 December 1944. Killed in Action (KIA) when B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters and crashed in Belgium.
AM w/ Oak Leaf Cluster/ PH
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot
On 24 Dec 1944, B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters and crashed in Belgium near where a tank battle raged. Waldron and Russell Neu survived and returned.
...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Ardmore 20/5/44; Amarillo 28/5/44; used in training by 452BG; 222 BU Ardmore 19/6/44; 332 BU Ardmore 3/8/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 11/12/45.
Military site : airfield
Lavenham was built as a standard USAAF bomber airfield, with fifty hardstandings, T2 hangars and 2,000 and 1,400 feet runways. John Laing and Son Ltd. carried out the work in 1943, and the airfield opened in April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group occupied...
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 05 August 2016 23:39:54 | 466thHistorian | Changes to caption and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
"The B-17 Flying Fortress Story" - Roger Freeman |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 05 August 2016 23:02:00 | 466thHistorian | Created entry with caption, unit associations, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=67753631&PIpi=1190... |
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