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William Harry Blanchard

Military

Assigned to 742BS, 455th BG, 15AF USAAF. Meriwether Jones crew. 20+ combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Bucharest, Romania in B-24 41-28640 'Raunchy'; Crashed Draconesti, Romania 21-Apr-44 Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 4387

Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Service

People

  • Meriwether Jones

    Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 455th Bomb Group
    Assigned to 742BS, 455th BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bucharest, Romania in B-24 41-28640; Crashed Draconesti, Romania 21-Apr-44 Killed in Action (KIA) MACR 4387 Awards: SS, AM (2OLC), PH.

Units served with

  • 15th Air Force

    15th Air Force


    The Fifteenth Air Force was one of two Strategic Air forces in Europe, along with the Eighth Air Force. ...

  • 742nd Bomb Squadron

    742nd Bomb Squadron

  • 455th Bomb Group

    455th Bomb Group

    Group
    The group was activated July 1943 with four essentially stand-alone bomb squadrons: 740th, 741st, 742nd, and 743rd. After a somewhat nomadic training regimen with dilapidated equipment, the pieces of the group came together at Langley, VA in October...

Aircraft

  • 41-28640 Raunchy

    B-24 Liberator
    Assigned to 742BS, 455th BG, 15AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Bucharest, Romania with Meriwether Jones crew; Crashed Draconesti, Romania 21-Apr-44 8 x POW, 2 x KIA MACR 4387

Associated Place

Events

Event Location Date
Born Millersburg, IN 6 July 1921

Son of Ora D and Ida Sophia [Weaver] Blanchard.
Enlisted Toledo, OH 26 August 1942

Toledo, Ohio
Based San Giovanni 1943 – 21 April 1944

Assigned to 742BS, 455th BG, 15AF USAAF.
Baled out POW Dracesti, Romania 21 April 1944

Failed to Return (FTR) Bucharest, Romania in B-24 41-28640 'Raunchy'; Crashed Draconesti, Romania 21-Apr-44 POW MACR 4387
Prisoner of War (POW) 21 April 1944 – May 1945

Prisoner of War (POW)
Died Edwardsburg, MI 1 March 2012
Buried Woodland Cemetery, Wolcottville, Lagrange County, IN 4 March 2012

Woodland Cemetery
Wolcottville, Lagrange County, Indiana
Nationality
American
Nickname
W H
Service numbers
35337852
Highest rank
Staff Sergeant
Role/job
Waist Gunner
Awards
  • European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
  • Prisoner of War Medal
  • World War II Victory Medal

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
24 October 2020 20:17:02 Al_Skiff Created entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nickname, nationality, service number, highest rank, role, biography, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/28639525
https://www.fold3.com/record/88847105-william-h-blanchard
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86111350/william-harry-blanchard

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