Earl L Adams

Military

Shot down on 7 January 1944 in B-17F #42-30386. Prisoner of War (POW). The a/c was crippled by fighters, fire in the bomb bay, two engines out and the elevator controls also shot out. Crashed near Estree Blanche.



At the time of enlistment, Earl was 25 years old, had a grammar school education and was single, with dependents. Two years later, Earl was captured by Nazi Germany while serving in France, and was sent to Stalag 17B near Krems, Austria where 3,219 other American POWs were held. Earl's capture was first reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross on January 7, 1944, and the last report was made on July 18, 1945. Based on these two reports, Earl was imprisoned for at least 558 days (1 year and ~7 months). The average duration of imprisonment was 363 days. Ultimately, Earl was returned to military control, liberated or repatriated.



POW

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

Unofficial emblem, 305th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Austria Stalag 17B Braunau Gneikendorf Near Krems Austria 48-15

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a POW event per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Added a connection to Stalag 17B per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, 8th AF Losses