Daniel Blaine Harris
Military
Pilot
Crew #717
466th BG - 787th BS
Shot down on his 4th mission, 8 April 1944.
POW
Object Number - UPL 36523 - Daniel Blaine Harris Pilot Crew #717 466th BG - 787th BS Shot down on his 4th mission, 8 April 1944. POW
Shot down 8 April 1944 in B-24 #41-29365, Prisoner of War (POW).
Retired from a 31 year career in the USAF with the rank of Colonel.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade)
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 16162297
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 14155859
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39270687
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-697931
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
Aircraft
Missions
Places
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Bancroft, Idaho, USA | 22 December 1922 | |
|
Other Shot Down |
in the vicinity of Vorsfelde, Wolfsburg, Germany | 8 April 1944 | Shot down by ME-109's. Harris escaped the burning aircraft by bailing out through the bomb bay. |
|
Died |
Soda Springs, ID 83276, USA | 30 April 2001 | Idaho State Journal, Thursday, 05/03/01 SODA SPRINGS — Daniel Blaine Harris, 78, of Soda Springs, passed away Monday, April 30, 2001, at his home. He was born September 22, 1922, in Davisville, Idaho, the son of Franklin W. and Florence Pearl Balls Harris. He married Melva Call June 30, 1942, in the Logan, Utah LDS Temple. He was raised and educated in Thatcher and Soda Springs, graduating from Soda Springs High School. He received a master's in electronics from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He served in the USAF as a combat pilot (World War II), nuclear researcher, military airlift commander (Vietnam War), and Defense intelligence officer for the Pentagon. He was stationed at military bases around the world. He was also a POW in Germany for 13 months. When he retired after 31 years of service, he held the rank of colonel. He enjoyed singing, camping, hunting, fishing, flying and traveling with his family. He is survived by his wife, Melva, of Soda Springs; and four daughters, Geri Bateman, Arcata, Calif., Diana Johnson, Rexburg, Idaho, JoAnn Stewart, Mesa, Ariz., Holly Stephenson, Vienna, Va.; also 20 grandchildren, six great-grandchildren; one brother and sister, LaPhene (Don) Harris and Marye Paulsen of Utah. He was preceded in death by a son, Franklin Willard Harris, a daughter, Melva Jean Harris, and two brothers, Berdean and Denton Harris. |
|
Buried |
Soda Springs, ID 83276, USA | 5 May 2001 | Fairview Cemetery Soda Springs Caribou County Idaho, USA Plot: Block 5-J, Lot 3-4 |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Barth, Germany | 15 April 1944 | Stalag Luft I |
| Soda Springs, ID 83276, USA |
Revisions
Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
466th BG HIstorian
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Harris&GSfn=Danie…;
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3840 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database