Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
Military
S/Sgt Michael Arooth, tail gunner.
Group 379-15-1 July12-1945 Combat Crew
Shot down 6-Sep-43 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo'. Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base. Officially credited with nine enemy aircraft destroyed as detailed in The Mighty Eighth by Roger Freeman. He received head injuries when The Tondelayo ditched in the English Channel. Flew three further missions after recovering from his wounds, but was grounded due to complications arising from his head wound.
Kassel Germany mission (Aircraft components) July 30, 1943 - Wounded in Action.
Awards: DSC, DFC, AM (2OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 379th Bomb Group
Assigned to 527BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 25 combat missions. Shot down 6-Sep-43 in B-17 42-29896 'Tondelayo'. Plane ditched in Channel. Returned to base.
Awards: DFC, AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
...
Group
The 379th Bomb Group (H) (heavy), based at Kimbolton, flew more sorties than any other Bomb Group in the Eighth Air Force and dropped a greater bomb tonnage than any other Group. The B-17 Flying Fortress Group was awarded two Distinguished Unit...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 5/3/43; Sioux City 20/3/43; Tinker 28/3/43; Kearney 8/4/43; Dow Fd 16/4/43.
...
Military site : airfield
Planned for RAF use, Kimbolton airfield was built by W and C French Ltd. in 1941. The airfield was increased in size to accommodate a full US heavy Bomb Group, and the first such unit to us it was the 91st Bomb Group, who arrived in September 1942....
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Massachusetts, USA | 31 July 1919 |
|
Son of Salim and Dora Mary Arooth. |
||
| Enlisted | Springfield, MA | 25 August 1942 |
|
Springfield, Massachusetts |
||
| Discharged USAAF | 4 December 1944 | |
|
Honourable discharge. |
||
| Discharged USAF | 25 September 1962 | |
|
Honourable discharge. |
||
| Died | Phoenix, AZ | 15 February 1990 |
| Buried | National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ | 20 February 1990 |
|
National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 18 November 2020 20:34:15 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography, awards and events |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/687422077 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 12 August 2020 20:15:57 | jmoore43 | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
Added a location for the Buried event. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 24 January 2020 14:11:54 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, service number, highest rank, biography, awards, events, unit associations, place associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/145106266 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 October 2017 11:48:55 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to biography and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Associated correct aircraft. |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:20:07 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey p. 271; 379th Bombardment Group Anthology, Part I pg 213 and 271 and Part 2 pg 167 |
||
