Leo Belskis
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Photo from Rosalind Perrin Davis Collection - daughter of Bombardier Ross W. Perrin
Object Number - UPL 20034 - Pilot Lt Leo Belskis (photo Rosalind Perrin Davis Collection - daughter of Bombardier Ross W. Perrin)
Of Lithuanian descent, Leo Belskis loved flying and logged a lot of air time from Scott Field in Madison, Wisconsin before he enlisted in the Air Corps. Always wearing his crusher hat at a jaunty angle, he was loved by his crew who felt they were in capable hands with Leo at the commands.Leo Belskis was a Pilot in the 381st Bomb Group / 532nd Bomb Squadron. Killed In Action (KIA) in the loss of B-17G # 43-38780 on the Squadron’s 11 December 1944 mission to bomb the bridge over the Rhine at Mannheim, Germany.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 33560548 and O-722281
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18123654
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38468543
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19042579
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 14173829 and O-717895
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 11 December 1944
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Chicago, Illinois, USA | 14 April 1919 | the son of Louis and Kazemera Belskis |
|
Enlisted |
Chicago, Illinois, United States | 27 September 1940 | as a Private in the Air Corps |
|
Other Killed In Action (KIA) |
near the Neckarauer Waldweg, Mannheim, Germany | 11 December 1944 | in the loss of B-17G # 43-38780 |
|
Buried |
Hauptfriedhof, Mannheim, Germany | 15 December 1944 | Initially buried at the main cemetery in Mannheim, Germany |
| Chicago, Illinois, United States | |||
|
Buried |
Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinois, United States | Leo Belskis was brought back to the US after the war. He rests in his home State, Illinois |
Revisions
Added details in BIO + photo (via J. Ross Greene, nephew of Bombardier Ross W. Perrin)
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11341 / MACR 11341, www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx">www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx>, nephew / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
