Joe George Skarzynski
MilitaryJoe Skarzynski is mentioned in MACR 1982 for the loss of B-17 Serial 42-29877 (351st BG - Albert Jones crew) as having last sighted that Fortress on the Bordeaux-Merignac mission 31 December 1943 before it ditched in the North Sea, 10 miles North of Guernsey. Awards from WWII, Korean War and Vietnam.
Joe was an avid rock collector for over 30. A faceted gem cutter of exemplary skill, he and his wife Lillian, née Taylor, were very creative in the lapidary and art jewelry fields.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Speed Ball
- Unit: 351st Bomb Group 511th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 31 December 1943
Places
![A bomber crew of the 92nd Bomb Group return to Podington following a mission flying B-17 Flying Fortresses to Wittenberg. A B-17 Flying Fortress (NV-K, serial number 42-29994) is visible in the background. Image stamped on reverse: 'Passed for Publication 23 Feb 1945' [stamp]. ' News Chronicle Copyright Picture' [stamp]. Printed caption on reverse: 'Crew back from Wittenberg.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379172.jpg.webp?itok=G7D0FciD)
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Milwaukee, Wisconsin | 15 November 1921 | |
|
Other Re-enlisted |
New Castle Air Force Base, Delaware, United States | 4 November 1945 | as a S/Sgt in the Air Corps |
|
Died |
Pasadena, Texas, United States | 26 March 2003 | |
|
Other Cremated with his wife Lillian |
Podington, Bedfordshire, England | According to Joe and his English-born wife Lillian's wish to have their remains scattered at the Church of St Mary's in Podington, Bedfordshire, where they had been married in April 1944. |
Revisions
Info from Joe Skarzynski's daughter Victoria Boston in 2003.
NARA WWII Enlistment records
MACR 1982.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / family and documents