Forrest Dana Hartin

Military

Aircraft B-17 41-24491 was shot down 9 November 1942 on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. Serving as a Navigator on board, 2Lt Forrest Hartin baled out of the stricken aircraft and landed about 5 miles north-west of St. Nazaire, France. Six crew members were killed and three were made prisoner. Forrest Hartin was the sole member who managed to evade. He was helped in his evasion of capture by French citizens and French members of the Belgian escape network Comète. After landing in parachute in the area NW of Saint-Nazaire, he was guided and sheltered in many locations in France, among which : Fédrun, Six-Croix, Blain, Nantes, Paris, Bayonne, Saint-Jean-de-Luz, Urrugne. Guided across the Pyrénées mountains during the night of 20 December 1942, he was led to San Sebastian, Bilbao, Madrid, Sevilla, ultimately reaching Gibraltar on 18 January 1943, from where he was flown back to England on 26 January 1943. See the full story of his evasion at http://www.evasioncomete.org/fhartinfd.html

Connections

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Units served with

Official insignia of the 306th Bomb Group, approved 6 January 1943, and updated 2 October 1951.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 13030895
  • Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 19078528
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-366259
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-726152
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier, Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 12057315
  • Highest Rank: Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Waist Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Massachusetts, United States 22 December 1914

Enlisted

Camp Edwards, Falmouth, Massachusetts, United States 3 November 1941 as an Aviation Cadet in the Air Corps

Other

Evaded Capture

Various places in France 9 November 1942 - 18 January 1943 Evaded capture and returned to England on 26 January 1943.

Died

Manchester, Connecticut, United States 24 March 1976

Buried

East Cemetery, Manchester, Connecticut, United States

Revisions

Date
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources

NARA WWII Enlistment Records
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 05
Research for the www.evasioncomete.org website

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 24-Nov-2014. Added evasion event. see prior sources.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 24-Nov-2014. AIrcraft association: MACR 6012; Evasion event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) Escape & Evasion Report #5: http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-885.pdf

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 30-Oct-2014. Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 6012; National Archives Records Administration (NARA) Escape & Evasion Report # 05 at: http://media.nara.gov/nw/305270/EE-05.pdf

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor,  Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs  Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey p. 45  MACR 6012, First Over Germany pg. 43 & 45-47, E&E 5,

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