John Stephen Johnston

Military
media-27873.jpeg UPL 27873 Crew of the 339th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group, October 1943.
Standing, left to right: Ken Wehrhan, Ken Kroggel, Robert Drumhiller, Thomas Michan, Jack Barrett and James Radcliff.
Kneeling, left to right: Ed Davidson, John Johnston, Maurice Lynch and Clarence Trubey. Ed Davidson Collection

Shared with the museum by B-17 pilot Ed Davidson.

Object Number - UPL 27873 - Crew of the 339th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb Group, October 1943. Standing, left to right: Ken Wehrhan, Ken Kroggel, Robert Drumhiller, Thomas...

Lt. Johnston was stationed in England, 1943. His crew flew missions over France. His two ships were B-17 42-3541 'Little Girl' and the 'Kwitcherbitchin' (name given in record was 'Little Girls'). The second named aircraft was shot down during a mission over Bordeaux, France, on 5 January 1944.



First Lieutenant Johnston was reported Missing in Action (MIA) until 1 February 1944 when the Red Cross reported he was a Prisoner of War (POW) at Stalag Luft 1, Barth on the Baltic, Germany. The German Luftwaffe abandoned the camp to Soviet Army, and on May 11, 1945, 6000 American fliers and 300 RAF Prisoner of War (POW)'s were liberated.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 96th Bomb Group.

96th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

42-3541

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Little Girls
  • Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron

Places

Prisoners of war, including Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 479th Fighter Group at Stalag Luft I.

Stalag Luft I

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

New York City, New York 23 August 1915

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

5 January 1944 - 11 May 1945

Died

24 July 1992

Buried

Gate of Heaven Cemetery, Hawthorne, New York

Revisions

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Brought in information from duplicate record. Source:
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2011 / MACR 2011; Snetterton Falcons pg 97 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2011; daughter; Snetterton Heath pg 90

John Stephen Johnston: Gallery (3 items)

Object number: UPL 27871 - Crew of the 339th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb...

Object number: UPL 27873 - Crew of the 339th Bomb Squadron of the 96th Bomb...