Military
On 6 Mar 1944 on a mission to Erkner, Berlin, B-17F #42-31025 left formation over the target due to the mechanical failure of the #4 engine and on the return was attacked fighters knocking out another engine but was able to return and land at a base near Norfolk. Four wounded crewmen baled out over Holland. RTD.
AM 3OLC, DFC,
Shot down by fighters and crashed near Macquenoise, Belgium on a mission to Frankfurt am Main on 8 Feb 1944 in B-17G #42-31499. Killed in Action (KIA).
From a letter written by George's parents to the other crew's families to inform them what had happened to their sons: 'The eight fliers were living in a hut that belonged to a Belgian farmer, who was helping the boys by sending them food and clothing. This farmer's son and another Belgian stayed in the camp with the boys the night of the 21st and, of course, were captured with the boys. The boys had just finished breakfast when they were captured. It was about 8:00am. The boys were taken to the second floor of a school house in Chimay and were stripped of all their identification. When the boys were captured, they all had their dog taks and were in civilian clothes with the exception of our son, George, who had on his Army pants, Army shirt and Air Corps leather jacket and Banniger, who had on Army pants and Air Corps shirt. The boys were questioned two or three hours in the school house. About 2:30pm on 22 April 1944 the boys were put in a truck guarded by Germans and taken back to a section of the woods where they were ordered to line up single file at the edge of the woods. Two Germans with pistols were behind each boy. The boys were ordered to march into the woods with the Germans behind them. After they had gone about 500 ft in the woods, each boy was ordered to take a separate direction, the two Germans still behind each boy. At a predetermined signal, the Germans shot each of the boys through the back three or four times and then left them dead in the woods. ' After the war the German on-scene Commander was tried in a war crimes court and executed.
Group
Constituted as 306th Bombardment Group (Heavy) on 28 Jan 1942. Activated on 1 Mar 1942. Trained for combat with B-17's. Moved to England, Aug-Sep 1942, and assigned to Eighth AF Eighth Air Force in September 1942 Station 111 Thurleigh. During combat,...
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Military site : airfield
Built for RAF use in 1941-42, Thurleigh was initially used by RAF Bomber Command before being handed over to the Eighth Air Force. Its runways and hardstandings were improved, and the B-17s of the 306th Bomb Group began using the base. It was their...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Rochester, New York | 20 October 1916 |
| Died | 8 February 1944 | |
| Buried |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 13 October 2014 08:47:26 | Emily | Changes to service number |
| Sources | ||
Data Update, National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, 15 September 2014 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 10 October 2014 09:59:47 | Emily | Changes to highest rank, role and place associations |
| Sources | ||
Data update from National Museum of Mighty Eighth Air Force, September 15 2014. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:03:02 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
306th BG Association Directory, 1 September 1999 Edition, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces, First Over Germany pg. 175 & 223, / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2493, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces; First Over Germany: The History of the 306th Bombardment Group pg. 201-202. / http://www.306bg.org/crewphotos/Crew%20Pictures%20Adam-Rector/Crew%20Pic... |
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