Orson E Pacey
Military
(Back L-R)
1st Lt Lawrence G Dunnica (Pilot), 2nd Lt Orson E Pacey (CoPilot), 1st Lt Leonard E Thornton (Nav), 2nd Lt James H Montgomery (Bomb
(Front L-R)
T/Sgt Harry W Tucker (Eng), S/Sgt Philip T Cascio (Ball), T/Sgt Bertis W Holland (Radio), S/Sgt Robert L Dew (R Waist), S/Sgt Claude F Taylor (Tail).
Object Number - UPL 19175 - B-17F 41-24541 'Spook' Lawrence G Dunnica crew 358th BS, 303rd BG, 8th AF USAAF. (Back L-R) 1st Lt Lawrence G Dunnica (Pilot), 2nd Lt Orson E Pacey...
2LT Orson E. Pacey was assigned as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 [VK-B] "Spook", 303BG/358BS with the Lawrence G. Dunnica crew on 3-Sep-42 at Kellog Field, Battle Creek Michigan. He arrived at Molesworth, UK with the aircraft on 24-Oct-42. He participated in 8 Operations - 3 Aborted with B-17F 41-24541 and 1 Recalled operation with B-17F 41-24577 "Hell's Angles" on 2-Feb-43. (See Biography events).
Prisoner of War (POW). Shot down 16-February 1943 in B-17F 41-24541 [VK-B] 'Spook' while serving as Co-Pilot. Aircraft was attacked by ME 109s when it descended to assist another aircraft. Went down in Channel off the Brest Peninsula. The target was the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. 4 crew members survived to become Prisoner of War (POW)s
POW
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
Aircraft
Missions
![B-24 Liberators of the 44th Bomb Group fly over countryside. Image stamped on reverse: 'Planet News.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 16 Feb 1943.' [stamp] Printed caption on reverse: '7-12 Liberator planes of U.S. Bomber Command in flight at the start of an operational patrol from their base "somewhere in England". And February 17th 1943 PN'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379113.jpg.webp?itok=PMFn3r3H)
- Date: 16 February 1943
- Date: 14 February 1943
- Date: 2 February 1943
- Date: 13 January 1943
- Date: 30 December 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Chalmers, Indiana | 29 March 1905 | |
|
Other Assigned to Aircraft |
Battle Creek, MI, USA | 3 September 1942 | Assigned as Co-Pilot with Dunninca crew on B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS at Kellog Field, Battle Creek, Michigan. |
|
Other Arrived at Station |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 24 October 1942 | Arrived at Molesworth with B-17F 42-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on 24-Oct-42. |
|
Other Mission #1 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | erved as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #2 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 6 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the carriage and wagon works at Lille, France (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #3 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the mission. |
|
Other Mission #4 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #5 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission. (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #6 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the Five Company Locomotive Works at Lillie, France. (RTB OK) |
|
Other Mission #7 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24577, 303BG/358BS -Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 2 February 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot on B-17F 41-24577 "Hell's Angels", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bom the railroad marshalling yeards at Hamm, Germany, but mechanical failures forced the Pilot to abort the mission (RTB OK). |
|
Other Mission #8 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS -Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 14 February 1943 | erved as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany, but weather caused the entire 303BG despatch to be recalled (RTB OK) |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
English Channel | 16 February 1943 - 5 June 1945 | Held at Stalag Luft 3, Sagan-Silesia (now Poland) Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser. Officially Returned to Military Control (RMC) 5-Jun-45. |
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Other Mission #9 2LT Orson E. Pacey w/B-17F 41-24541, 303BG/358BS POW |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 16 February 1943 | Served as Co-Pilot of B-17F 41-24541 "Spook", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. The aircraft was shot down near Brest. He baled oout and was captured as a Prisoner of War (POW). |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 14-Feb-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/015.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 13-Jan-43, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 30-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 20-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/007.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 12-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/006.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-AUg-2015. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 6-Dec-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/005.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-AUg-2015. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website Mission Report of 22-Nov-42, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 17-Aug-2015. Added Assigned to Crew and Arrival at Station events per 303BG website Lawrence Dunnnica crew page: http://www.303rdbg.com/c-358-dunnica.html; Made connections to Aircraft at Missions per 303BG webite Mission Reports, Gary Moncur, Historian: http://www.303rdbg.com/missions.html
Lee Cunningham 19-Feb-2015 . Corrected SN per MACR 15476; Added POW event per National Archives REcords Administration (NARA) WWII database; Made connections to Place and Mission and added decorations within existing website data; Added crew position and minor edits to Biography based on "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces" Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 15476 / MACR 15476, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 77, NARA web site, Might in Flight Daily Diary of Hell's Angels by Harry Gobrect pp. 137-8 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database