Joseph B Zyra

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

KIA at Hintermuhlin in B-17 43-38968 Collided with A/C of 95th  BG - 43-38551.

Joseph served as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner / Armorer on B-17G 43-38968, 338th Bomber Squadron, 96th Bomber Group.

B-17G 43-38968 took off, with a crew of 10, from Station 138, England on a bombing mission over Cologne, Germany. Near the target they were involved in a collision with B-17 43-38551 due to poor visibility caused by the weather and crashed near Hintermulen, West of Westerburg, Germany.

Both B-17s disintegrated after the collision and no chutes were seen although observers report it was impossible to have seen a chute because of weather conditions.

Two members of the crew, however, survived: Flt. Off. Theodore E. Yeaton (Pilot) and S/Sgt James M. Bowen (Togglier).

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

43-38551

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 95th Bomb Group 334th Bomb Squadron

43-38968

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 96th Bomb Group 338th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Glassport, Pennsylvania 6 January 1923

Other

Killed in action

Hintermulen 7 January 1945

Buried

Saint Mary Czestochowa Cemetery White Oak, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, USA

Revisions

Date
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
Changes
Sources

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/97593754/joseph-b-zyra

MACR 11571

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

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

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11571; Snetterton Falcons, pg 201, 226