Abraham E Wilensky

Military
Hollywood Actor Jimmy Stewart (Major James Stewart), Operations Officer of the 453rd Bomb Group, with bomber crew who and a B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-52154) nicknamed "Male Call". Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 10 Apr 1944.' [stamp] and '315152.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'JIMMY STEWART- NOW OPERATIONS OFFICER. Major James M Stewart (Film star Jimmy Stewart) who has been on eleven raids over enemy territory- including one over Berlin wh media-380676.jpg FRE 1870 Hollywood Actor Jimmy Stewart, Major James Stewart, Operations Officer of the 453rd Bomb Group, with bomber crew who flew the B-24 Liberator, serial number 42-52154, nicknamed, Male Call.

Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 10 Apr 1944.' [stamp] and '315152.' [Censor no.]
Printed caption on reverse: 'JIMMY STEWART- NOW OPERATIONS OFFICER. Major James M Stewart (Film star Jimmy Stewart) who has been on eleven raids over enemy territory- including one over Berlin when he led his Liberator Group - has now been appointed operations officer at the Liberator base at which he is stationed "somewhere in England". Associated Press Photo Shows: S/Sgt Keith M Dibble of Rixford, PA, Gunner, L/Lt Roger Counselman of Meadville, PA, Pilot, Major James Stewart of Indiana, Pennsylvania, Operations Officer, S/Sgt Joseph T Fiorentino of Philadelphia, PA, gunner and 2/Lt A. E. Wilensky of Monessen, PA, Navigator. Major Stewart meets members of the crew of, Male Call, on their return from a raid.' Roger Freeman Collection

Punctuation. - Kickapoo

Object Number - FRE 1870 - Hollywood Actor Jimmy Stewart, Major James Stewart, Operations Officer of the 453rd Bomb Group, with bomber crew who flew the B-24 Liberator, serial...

Went down on mission #20 on May 8, 1944. Plane was B-24 #42-52298 'Choo Choo Baby'. Spent the next years in three German Prisoner of War (POW) camps. Started with Stalag Luft III, where the 'Great Escape' took place. On Jan 27, 1945 we started on a 'Death March' in temperatures that went down to 16 degrees below zero, in blizzard conditions to keep the advancing Russian army from liberating us. Next stop Stalag XIIId in Nurnberg, eventually to VIIa in Moosburg. We were liberated on April 29, 1945 by Gen Patton's 3rd Army tanks. As the tanks broke through the guards ran and one of the POWs who had hidden a US flag climbed up the flagpole, pulled down the swastika and ran up Old Glory. '130,000 Allied prisoners cheered until we were hoarse'.



The movie star Jimmy Stewart was our operations officer. I am in three pictures with him at our Air Base taken April 7, 1944. Saw him again in 1965 in Pitts. PA, Indiana, PA in 1983 and Pitts, PA in 1987 and have photos of all of them.



Air Medal w 2/Oak Leaf Cluster; POW Medal; Purple Heart w 1/Oak Leaf Cluster; ETO Ribbon w/combat star; WWII Victory Medal/ EAME ribbon



On February 20th 1994 - 50 years later - he flew in a B-24 again from an airport in Florida for an hour's joy-ride with another Group veteran bombadier Irwin Stovroff.

Connections

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Units served with

Colonel Larry Thomas of the 453rd Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Col Larry Thomas 453BG.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 453rd Bomb Group 732nd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 15171018 / O-737923
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Choo Choo Baby
  • Unit: 453rd Bomb Group 732nd Bomb Squadron

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany
  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag 7a, Moosburg
  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag 13D, Oflag 73

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

NYC, New York 7 March 1921

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Zagan, Poland 8 May 1944 Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser) 49-11

Revisions

Date
ContributorHelen
Changes
Sources

453rdBG newsletter Sept 2004

Date
ContributorHelen
Changes
Sources

453rdBG newsletter Sept. 1994

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C tail # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Updated POW event per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Mighty Eighth Museum had incorrectly entered name as 'Edward A Wilen'. Now corrected to 'Abraham E Wilensky':
https://www.americanairmuseum.com/media/9370
MACR 4596: https://www.fold3.com/image/29032916
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=466&mtch=1&tf=F&q=o-6…

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Mighty Eighth Air Force Heritage Museum Membership List, July 2000/ self/ MACR 4296 & Page 442 in the book 2ND AIR DIVISIONby Turner Publishing Company, 1998 edition (D790.A2S45)

Abraham E Wilensky: Gallery (2 items)