Melbourne Naylor Banowetz
Military
- 16 August 1943: the 323rd Bomb Sqn, 91st BG supplied 4 birds for a mission to bomb Le Bourget airport. 2 miles short of the French coast, Lt Eldon J Smith & crew, flying B-17F 42-3213 "All American" (coded OR-M) had an explosion aboard their aircraft. Turning back for England, they were forced to ditch 4 miles from land; air-sea rescue quickly retrieved them. They pose here with a life raft and what may be B-17F 42-3079 (coded OR-X), a "no-name" Fortress obtained from the 95th BG.
NARA Ref# 342-FH-3A10546-62742AC.
Object Number - UPL 19365 - "Lt. Eldon J Smith and crew of the 322nd Bomb Sqn, 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, pose beside a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. 16 August 1943,...
Assigned to 323BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. B-17 42-3213 ditched in North Sea due to mechanical failure on 16 August 1943. Returned to base. Shot down 16 September 1943 in B-17 42-3079. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 550
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag 7a, Moosburg
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Lenapah, OK | 5 March 1915 | |
|
Enlisted |
Los Angeles, CA | 27 February 1942 | Los Angeles, California |
|
Other Ditched |
North Sea | 16 August 1943 | Ditched in North Sea due to mechanical failure in B-17 42-3213 on 16 Aug 43. RTD. |
|
Other Shot down |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 September 1943 | Shot down 16 Sept 43 in B-17 42-3079. POW. |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Moosburg, Bavaria | 16 September 1943 | Prisoner of War. Stalag VIIa. |
|
Died |
Irvine, CA | 29 September 1996 | |
|
Based |
Bassingbourn | 16 September 1943 | Assigned to 323BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
Added a "-" to 2 A/C serial numbers in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 550 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Roll of Honor; MACR 550, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol I by Bishop & Hey pp. 233-4