James Leonard Ellis
Military
Left Waist Gunner
Jerry Payne Crew
388th BG - 561st BS
KIA - 20 Feb 1944
Object Number - UPL 45740 - SSGT James Leonard Ellis Left Waist Gunner Jerry Payne Crew 388th BG - 561st BS KIA - 20 Feb 1944
On a mission to Poznan, Poland, B-17G #42-39894 'Barbara' left the formation due to a fuel leak and was shot down by fighters, exploded in mid-air, and crashed near Funen, Denmark on 20 Feb 1944. Killed in Action (KIA).
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: 388th Bomb Group 561st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-803675
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 561st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-672514
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 20 February 1944
- Date: 6 February 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Strawn, Texas | 14 October 1910 | |
|
Enlisted |
Tulsa, Oklahoma | 2 October 1942 | |
|
Buried |
Henryetta, OK | West Lawn Cemetery Henryetta, Okmulgee County, Oklahoma, USA | |
|
Died Killed In Action (KIA) |
Assens, Denmark | 20 February 1944 | Shot down on his 2nd combat mission. Accounts vary on the manner in which the B-17 went down. One account states it was fired upon by fighters over the island of Fyn and disintegrated in mid-air. Another states the pilot attempted an emergency landing but crashed near Assens. Six crewmen were recovered from the wreckage. |
Revisions
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132106392/_
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44031_09_0…
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?
indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=4823619&tid=&pid=&queryId=eb37220b3658893bdb646be4b49344b9&usePUB=true&_phsrc=JLv5491&_phstart=successSource
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2375/images/40050_6440…
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/132106392/_
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44031_09_0…
https://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?
indiv=1&dbid=8939&h=4823619&tid=&pid=&queryId=eb37220b3658893bdb646be4b49344b9&usePUB=true&_phsrc=JLv5491&_phstart=successSource
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2375/images/40050_6440…
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2432 / MACR 2432, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
