Military
"Lt. Gease and crew of the 527th Bomb Squadron, 379th Bomb Group pose for the photographer at an 8th Air Force Base in England on 17 April 1944."
Assigned to 525BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 15 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin in B-17 42-37784 24-May-44; enemy aircraft attack caused collision with 42-38082, crashed Melchow, Ger. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 5322
Awards: AM (OLC), PH.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 525BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 18 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin in B-17 #42-37784 24-May-44; enemy aircraft attack caused collision with #42-38082, crashed Melchow, Ger. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 5322
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Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 27/8/43; Scott 29/9/43; Assigned 525BS/379BG [FR-P] Kimbolton 19/10/43; Missing in Action Berlin 24/5/44 with Wilton Gease (Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Luciano Gastineau, Navigator: Bob Lorentz, Bombardier: Dick O’Neal, Flight engineer...
24 May 1944
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Born | Brooklyn, New York, USA | 2 May 1924 |
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Son of John Joseph Snr and Josephine Amalfitano. |
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| Enlisted | New York City, NY | 9 February 1943 |
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New York City, New York |
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| Based | Kimbolton | 1944 – 24 May 1944 |
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Assigned to 525BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Died | Melchow, Germany | 24 May 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Berlin in B-17 42-37784 24-May-44; enemy aircraft attack caused collision with 42-38082, crashed Melchow, Ger. KIA MACR 5322 |
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| Buried | Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery Lemay, St. Louis County, MO | 1948 |
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Re-Interred |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 29 June 2019 15:35:14 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, suffix, service number, biography, awards, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/28640236 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:16:12 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5322 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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