Charles W Erickson

Military

Assigned to 816BS, 483BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Memmingen 18-May-44; enemy aircraft, crashed Memmingen; Sole survivor. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 6975.



Awards: PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Connections

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Units served with

Seen through a 433rd Bomb Group B-17 Flying Fortress' strike camera, a 816th Bomb Squadron B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-5786) nicknamed "Whizzer II" goes down over Nis in Yugoslavia on the 15th of April 1944 in a gout of flame after taking a direct flak hit. There were no survivors. Official caption on image: "(483BG:4M3:2VI) (4:15:1208) (24:21300) ([south-west arrow] 140 [degrees]) (Nis M/Y Yugo) (Ship 111 816 Sq)." Handwritten caption on reverse: '15/4/44. 483BG, 15AF. Nis, Yugoslavia. 42-5786
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Fifteenth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 483rd Bomb Group 816th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 20135506 / O-803820
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Miss Chievious
  • Unit: 483rd Bomb Group 816th Bomb Squadron

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft 4, Gross Tychow, Pomerania

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Oklahoma City, OK 8 August 1923 Son of Lambert L Erickson and Mae Ella [Word] Erickson.

Other

Baled out POW

Memmingen, Germany 18 May 1944 Failed to Return (FTR) Memmingen 18-May-44; enemy aircraft, crashed Memmingen; POW MACR 6975.

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Tychowo, Poland 18 May 1944 Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft IV.

Died

Oklahoma City, OK 30 May 2016

Based

Sterparone 18 May 1944 Assigned to 816BS, 483BG, 15AF USAAF.

Buried

Resthaven Gardens Cemetery, Oklahoma City, OK Resthaven Gardens Cemetery Oklahoma City, Cleveland County, OK