George Dean Miller
MilitaryServed as a Radio Operator on several B-17s assigned to 303BG/427BS. 303BG records do not indicate when he was assigned to a crew in the United States or when he might have arrived at Molesworth. It is possible that he was only used as an alternate RO when the regular RO assigned to the aircraft was not available. He would have been assigned to ground duties as a regular assignment.
4-Feb-43 Shot down in B-17F #41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS while serving as a substitute Radio Operator. The mission target was Osnabruck, Germany, but crew reported guns didn't work so crew turned back. Fighters attacked and Cpt Cole crash landed in the Waddenzee, Holland. Plane broke in two in contact with the water. Surviving crew, including TSGT Miller, were pulled from the water by the Dutch fishermen and then turned over to the Germans and became Prisoners of War (POW).
Participated in 7 Operations (2 were aborted) See Biography events.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-421603
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Memphis Tot
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Susfu
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: S For Sugar
- Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 427th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 23 January 1943
- Date: 13 January 1943
- Date: 30 December 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 22 November 1942
- Official Description:
- Date: 18 November 1942
- Official Description:
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Orafino, NB | 8 February 1916 | |
Other Mission #1, SSGT Gordon D. Miller, w/B-17F 41-24584, 303BG/427BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24584 "Susfu", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #2, SSGT Gordon D. Miller, w/B-17F 41-24619, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24619 "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France, but mechanical failures forced the pilot to abort the sortie. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #3, SSGT Gordon D. Miller, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS |
Lorient, France | 30 December 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #4, SSGT Gordon D. Miller, w/B-17F 41-24619, 303BG/427BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24619 "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the Lille Fives Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #5, SSGT Gordon D. Miller, w/B-17F 41-24619, 303BG/427BS |
Lorient, France | 23 January 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24619 "S-for-Sugar", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at Lorient, France. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #6, SSGT Gordon D. Miller, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS - Aborted |
Hamm, Germany | 2 February 1943 | Served as substitute Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Hamm, Germany. Severe cold and weather forced Wing Command to recall the formation. RTB OK. |
Other Mission #7, SSGT Gordon D. Miller, w/B-17F 41-24569, 303BG/427BS - POW |
Osnabrück, Germany | 4 February 1943 | Served as substitute Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24569 "Memphis Tot", 303BG/427BS on a mission to bomb the industrial areas of Osnabruck, Germany. Pilot was forced to turn back becaus of frozen guns and the aircraft was attacked by German fighters over Holland. The pilot crashlanded on the ebach of the Waddenzee and he was captured as a Prisoner of War. (POW) |
Other Prisoner of War |
Krems an der Donau, Austria | 4 February 1943 - 15 April 1945 | Held as Stalag 17B Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems) Austria until liberated by US forces 15-Apr-45> |
Other Last Report Date (Discharged) |
10 August 1945 | Discharged on 10-Aug-1945 in the United States. | |
Died |
20 October 1997 |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://303rdbg.com/rost-m.html#M / widow, Frances Miller; MACR 15348, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p. 73, 303rd web site mission report.
Lee Cunningham 28-Jan-2015 Added NOTE to Biography for COMBINATION of adat from duplicate entry of Paul Andrews Project Bit and Pieced, added decorations per those described in original Biography ingest data.
Lee Cunningham 28-Jan-2015. Added decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; corrected SN per MACR 15348; made connections to Place, AIrcraft and Mission within existing website data; Added crew position to Biography per 303rd Bomb Group website record, historian, Gary Moncur.
Added the words "Possible DUPLICATE" in the nickname field so an admin can check out this person.
Changed first name to George from Gordon per MACR 15348. Also changed S/N and rank per MACR 15348.
Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Last Report Date event per NARA WWII POW database records.
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added POW event per NARA WWII POW database records.
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 4-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/014.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 2-Feb-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/013.pdf
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added particiations statement to Summary Biography.
Lee Cunningham 22-Feb-2016. Added loss details to Summary Biography per "Losses of the 8ht & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Lee Cunningham 19-Jan-2016. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 23-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/011.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Jan-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Jan-2016. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/010.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Jan-2016. Added Mission #3 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 30-Dec-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/008.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Jan-2016. Added Mission #2 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/003.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Jan-2016. Added Mission #1 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-42: http://www.303rdbg.com/missionreports/002.pdf
Lee Cunningham 19-Jan-2016. Correcting typo in Summary Biography.
Lee Cunningham 17-Jan-2016. Added New Person entry per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian, Personnel records: http://www.303rdbg.com/