Charles William Roof

Military

Shot down 25 April 1944 in B-24 #42-52335 'Admirable Little Character'. Evaded with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance. After landing near Ponthion, he was sheltered, fed, clothed, transported at and to different places. He crossed the Pyrénées mountains at the Franco-Spanish border, arriving in Spain on 15 June 1944. He reached Gibraltar on 28 July and left Gibraltar by air on the 30th, flying to Rabat, Morocco and from there to England where he landed on 31 July 1944. Escape & Evasion Report - E&E #848.

Connections

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Units served with

Personnel of the 458th Bomb Group gather around a B-24 Liberator (serial number 41-29303) nicknamed "Liberty Lib" in order to transfer a casualty into a waiting ambulance. Image via Harry Holmes. Written on slide casing: '458th BG.'

458th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Robert Otto Behrens

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 36435582
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Radio Operator / Gunner

Charles George Bieber

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-688166
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier

John Harley Combs

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 14114918 at enlistment, then O-742065
  • Highest Rank: Colonel
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Eugene Maurice Hoag

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16057259 at enlistment, then O-682183
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Navigator

Richard Oren McCarthy

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 32745523
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Aircraft

42-52335

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Admirable Little Character
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 754th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

28 March 1918 Glenora, Yates County, New York, United States

Enlisted

19 May 1942 Elmira, New York

Other

Bailed out of

25 April 1944 of B-24 # 42-52335 "Admirable Little Character"; landed near Ponthion (Marne), France

Other

Evaded capture

25 April 1944 - 28 July 1944 with the help of French citizens and members of the Résistance

Died

19 February 1994
Dundee, Yates County, New York

Buried

Charles Roof rests at the Hillside Cemetery in Dundee, New York

Revisions

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

WWII Draft Card
NARA WWII Enlistment records
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 848
SSDI (Social Security Death Index)

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

MACR 4342

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 4342 / MACR 4342 & Page 281 of the book LIBERATORS OVER NORWICH by Mackay, Bailry & Scorza, 2010, D790G4582010 &

href="http://www.458bg.com/crew44combs.htm">http://www.458bg.com/crew44combs.htm> / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database