Russell C Neu
Military
B-17G-45-VE #44-8055 - 222nd Base Unit - Ardmore AAF
Back row (L to R):
William J. Waldron (pilot), Oscar F. Eshleman (copilot), Joseph S. Shuster (navigator), and Russell C. Neu (bombardier)
Front row (L to R):
Benedict A. Andrew (engineer-top turret gunner), George J. Ferenchak (radio operator), Eugene S. Isley (armorer-waist gunner), Charles K. Brokke (waist gunner), Reuben F. Baganz (ball turret gunner), and James P. Naughton (tail gunner).
The crew deployed to England and was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group, at Army Air Forces Station 137 near the village of Lavenham, Suffolk, England on 19 October 1944. Charles Brokke was taken off the crew after arrival at Lavenham. The crew flew with only waist gunner, as was the custom at that time.
The crew was shot down near Liege, Belgium on December 24, 1944. Eshleman, Shuster, Andrew, Ferenchak, Baganz, and Naughton were killed in action. Waldron, Neu, and Isley survived.
"The B-17 Flying Fortress Story" - Roger Freeman
page 285
Object Number - UPL 22970 - William J. Waldron Crew at the completion of B-17 crew training at Ardmore, Oklahoma, about September 1944. B-17G-45-VE #44-8055 - 222nd Base Unit -...
Survived when B-17G #43-38926 'Weary Willy' piloted by Lieutenant William J. Waldron was attacked by fighters and crashed near Chateau de Warnomont in Belgium. Rescued by 2 Belgians and picked up by Military Police Companys attached to armed division. Returned to Allied lines in a jeep attacked by snipers. Neu and pilot Waldron were the only survivors of the crew.
Connections
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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: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron 838th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-2058133
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot, Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Lavenham/Alpheton Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Died |
Crystal City, MO, USA | 28 August 1912 | Beloved husband of the late Marcella Christine (nee Heider) Neu, loving father of Russell (Rosemary) Neu Jr, Nancy (Charlie) Stringer, Richard (Susan) Neu and Robert (Cindy) Neu. Dear grandfather of Trevor (Candy) Fowler, Todd (Tiffany) Fowler, Mark Stringer, Adam (Natasha) Stringer, Stephen (Christina) Neu, Daniel (Jasmine) Neu, Bethany Neu, Caleb Neu, Joshua Neu, and Michael Neu. Great grandfather of Gavin Fowler, Allison Abadir, Johnathan Fowler; Emily Abadir; Haylie Stringer and Lydia Neu. Beloved brother of the late Ed Neu Jr; Marge DeMay; and Lu Mulderig; our dear uncle and friend to many. A WWII veteran, Russ will be remembered for many things besides his love for his family, including his work at McDonnell/Boeing; Emerson and National Vendors. Russ was an amateur radio operator with call sign WB0CEI. |
|
Born |
28 July 1923 | ||
|
Other Shot Down - Survived |
Rouvreux, 4140 Sprimont, Belgium | 24 December 1944 | "...I realized our plane was starting to nose down. I looked to the right and saw that our entire wing was on fire. I reached down to the floor, grabbed my chest pack chute and said to the navigator, "let's go Joe!" I hooked the chute to my harness but had only just slid back up hill a few feet towards the hatch when the plan started to spin. Centrifugal force pinned me to the floor and I could no longer move. I knew that was it. Then there was a blinding flash (no noise) and although semi-conscious I remember nothingness around me. Somehow though, I must have managed to pull the rip cord. The sudden popping of the chute to full open jerked me back to full consciousness momentarily. Before passing out again from lack of oxygen, I remember seeing bodies falling past me..." - Russell C. Neu |
|
Buried |
Jefferson Barracks, Lemay Township, MO 63125, USA | 31 August 2012 | Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery Lemay St. Louis County Missouri, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / The History of the 487th BG Roll of Honor pp. 302-5 and account pp 197-8 MACR 11675 / http://www.487thbg.org/Photos/WaldronCrew.shtml