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Military
Orrin Merrill Crew 388th BG - 562nd BS B-17G-65-BO #43-37642 Standing Left to Right" Frank Dykty (FE), Irwin W. Boxer (TOG), Cornelius H. Kelleher (R/O), Leonard Byster (BTG), Joseph O. Brabham (WG), Sylvio Messitti (TG) Kneeling Left to Right: Orrin Merrill (P), Walter B. Soroe (CP), Lawrence J. Redmond (N), Jordan E. Phee (B) Phee did not fly combat with this crew. The photo was taken in the U.S. probably at Biggs AAF
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Togglier/Nose Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Prisoner of War (POW) Crashed near Kraslice on 3/5/45 in B-17 #4297542 due to mechanical failure Plane was 'City of Savannah'
POW
Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Right Waist Gunner/Tail Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Ball Turret Gunner/Radar Jammer | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Flight Engineer - Top Turret Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Radio Operator | 388th Bomb Group
Retired with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant from the USAF.
Military | Sergeant (Technician Fourth Grade) | Tail Gunner/Right Waist Gunner | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 388th Bomb Group
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 388th Bomb Group
Flew around 28 missions as pilot of crew, then transferred to lead squardron.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pathfinder Operator | 388th Bomb Group
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
Group
The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 6/2/44; Kearney 27/2/44; Grenier 9/3/44; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 22/3/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 28/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 21/10/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 16/2/44; 1SAG Langley 12/3/44; Dow Fd 29/5/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 31/5/44; Salvaged 9AF Germany 11/1/46.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/7/44; Hunter 5/8/44; Dow Fd 18/8/44; Assigned 563BS/388BG Knettishall 22/8/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 21/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 30/6/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Hunter 2/10/44; Dow Fd 23/10/44; Assigned 385BG Gt Ashfield 25/10/44; transferred 561BS/388BG Knettishall 26/10/44; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 7/1/46.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Dallas 20/6/44; Langley 6/7/44; Dow Fd 7/9/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 9/9/44; Salvaged 9AF Germany 28/2/46; RetUS, 613 BU Phillips 29/4/46.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Dallas 26/7/44; Hunter 25/8/44; Grenier 16/9/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 19/9/44; Returned to the USA Bradley 20/6/45; Sth Plains 3/7/45; Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Kingman 25/11/45.
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 11/10/44; Hunter 1/11/44; with Paul Quinn force landed Dow Fd 18/11/44; Assigned 339BS/96BG [QJ-W] Snetterton 22/1/45; transferred 562BS/388BG Knettishall /45; RetUS, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA)...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 12/10/44; Hunter 5/11/44; Grenier 3/12/44; Assigned 562BS/388BG Knettishall 16/12/44; RetUS, Reconstruction Finance Corporation (sold for scrap metal in USA) Walnut Ridge 8/1/46. JUST JOYCE.
17 October 1944
18 October 1944
22 October 1944
25 October 1944
26 October 1944
2 November 1944
4 November 1944
5 November 1944
4 December 1944
10 December 1944
Military site : airfield
Knettishall was built to Class A standard for an American Bomb Group that would be bringing up to forty heavy bombers with them in three or four Squadrons. The 388th Bomb Group, which stayed at Knettishall for their entire service in the ETO, flew B-17...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Preston, ID 83263, USA | 6 May 1920 |
| Lived in | Franklin County, ID, USA | 1942 |
| Enlisted | Miami, FL, USA | 3 February 1943 |
| 388th BG Combat Tour | Knettishall, Diss IP22 2TH, UK | 17 October 1944 – 30 March 1945 |
|
Completed 31 combat missions before hostilities ended |
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| Died | Colorado Springs, CO, USA | 5 February 2005 |
| Buried | Colorado Springs, CO, USA | 9 February 2005 |
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Memorial Gardens Cemetery and Mausoleum • Colorado Springs, El Paso County, Colorado, USA |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 31 December 2017 00:27:36 | 466thHistorian | Changes to middlename, nickname, service number, events, person associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
http://www.388bg.info/servlet/Controller?pageType=detail&id=388-I-MER05-... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:20:49 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / www.388bg.info/Personnel.html |
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