Gasper A DeSimone

Military

Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Lt Neil Peters crew. 5 x combat missions. Survived ditching in B-24H 41-29331 'Blondie's Folly'; Mission to Friedrichshafen, 16-Mar-44; Forced to ditch in the Channel after fighters severely damaged A/C. Rescued by British floatplane after 90 minutes. Hospitalised by injuries. RTD. Later crewed the groups assembly ship B-24 'First Sergeant'.





Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.

Connections

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

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

Neil A J Peters

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18057125 / O-747178
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

41-29288

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Big-Time Operator
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron

41-29331

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Blondie's Folly
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron

42-40127

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: - Bucket Of Bolts - First Sergeant
  • Unit: 458th Bomb Group 93rd Bomb Group 329th Bomb Squadron 330th Bomb Squadron 754th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

New York State 30 March 1919

Enlisted

New York, NY 29 July 1942 New York City, New York

Other

Ditched

English channel 16 March 1944 Survived ditching in B-24H 41-29331 'Blondie's Folly'; Mission to Friedrichshafen, 16-Mar-44; Forced to ditch in the Channel after fighters severely damaged A/C. Rescued by British floatplane after 90 minutes.

Died

Tempe, AZ 30 October 1988

Based

Horsham St Faith Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF.

Buried

National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, Maricopa County, AZ National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona Phoenix, Maricopa County, Arizona, USA Section 30 Site 44

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/record/5517005-gasper-a-desimone
https://www.fold3.com/record/83585375-gasper-a-de-simone
https://www.fold3.com/record/625126632-gasper-desimone-1919
https://www.458bg.com/crew69peters.htm
https://www.458bg.com/stories-firstsergeant
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/180011380/gasper-a-desimone

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3490, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces