Theodore Francis Bartle
Military ROLL OF HONOURTheodore Bartle was Navigator on B-24 #42-95240 on a supply mission to aid the 17th US Airborne during Operation Varsity on 24 March 1945 (American and British forces crossing the Rhine). The plane was flying at 300ft when it was hit by ground fire shortly after dropping the supplies in the Wesel area, Germany. After being hit, the B-24 nosed straight down into the ground and exploded. Theodore Bartle and the eight other crew members on board were killed instantly. Awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
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: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19181308
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Nose Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18025633 at enlistment, then O-2000262
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36560983
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Flight Engineer / Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 42091683
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-777766
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: The Old Veteran
- Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 24 March 1945
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
6 June 1922 | Coffeyville, Montgomery County, Kansas | |
|
Enlisted |
24 August 1942 | as a Private in the Air Corps in Tulsa, Oklahoma | |
|
Died |
24 March 1945 | in the crash of B-24 #42-95240, near Wesel, Germany. | |
| Montgomery County, Kansas | |||
|
Buried |
Theodore Bartle rests at the Calvary Cemetery, Coffeyville, Montgomery County, Kansas, USA |
Revisions
Corrected spelling of surname from 'Bartlele' to 'Bartle'.
https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=39912244
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Taffy Williams website