John H Fahr

Military

Shot down 27 January 1943 in B-17F #41-24637 while serving as Bombardier. Aircraft was attacked by fighters on approach to the target of Wilhelmshaven, Germany and crashed near Tossens, Germany. He was able to bail out of the stricken aircraft and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). Fahr later recalled his experiences in the camp; being hungry most of the time in spite of the Red Cross parcels. Fahr a fluent German speaker was able to cadge fuel etc from the guards. When the Russians were moving westward in 1945 the estimated 50,000 men in the camp were evacuated taking to the road on January 27th 1945 exactly two years from the day Fahr was captured. When they were jammed into boxcars for the next stage they managed to pry a couple of boards from a window and Fahr was one of those who got out. He was on the run for some days - often helped out by locals - but was recaptured by a policeman when near the Swiss border. He was trucked back to Munich then to the assembly camp at Moosburg from where he was involved in another escape plot. He and his fellow escapee almost made it but were spotted by a woman who recognised Fahr's accent and informed the military. They were once again at Moosburg until liberation then hitched a ride to Paris arriving on VE Day. Two weeks later he was on a ship bound for the USA.

Connections

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Units served with

Unofficial emblem, 305th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 305th Bomb Group 366th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Zagan, Poland 27 January 1943 - 31 May 1945 Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland) moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RNC) 31-May-45.

Born

Revisions

Date
ContributorHelen
Changes
Sources

'Can Do' notes

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a "#" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 15-Feb-2015. Added SN per MACR 15501; Added POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data; Edited Biography per "Losses of the 8ht & 9th AIr Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15501 / MACR 15501, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. 1 p. 67by Bishop and Hey / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database