John R Bell Jr

Military

On 4-Mar-43 in B-17F 41-24549 'Stupen Takit', 91BG/323BS while serving as Bombardier, the aircraft sustained a direct hit from AA fire just after leaving the target of the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany. CPT McCarty ordered a bale out, but 1LT Bell and TG SSGT George W. Engle were the only two crewmen that managed to parachute from the aircraft before it exploded. The aircraft crashed at Buldern, Germany. Prisoner of War (POW) for 2. 5 years. Liberated by Patton's army.

Connections

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Units served with

Unofficial emblem of the 91st Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Stupen Takit
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 323rd Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Zagan, Poland 4 March 1943 - 2 July 1945 Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland)moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 2-Jul-45.

Born

Prescott, Arizona

Revisions

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 25-Jun-2015 . Added decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WII POW database. Confirmed SN MACR 15596. Made connections to Place and Mission within existing website data. Added A/C model letter, unit association, crew position, loss details and A/C crash location to Summary Biogrpahy based on "Losses of the 8th & 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 15596 / MACR 15596 , Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey, pp. 87-88, The Ragged Irregulars of Bassingbourne by Havelaar p. 236, The 91st Bomb Group by Burdick p. 111, National WWII monument family entries / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database