George Chester Fisher

Military
media-24228.jpeg UPL 24228 George Chester Fisher at his gunner station on a B-17. He was based out of Molesworth England SSGT George C Fisher

Removed associations not depicted in image

Object Number - UPL 24228 - George Chester Fisher at his gunner station on a B-17. He was based out of Molesworth England

George Chester Fisher served as a waist gunner with the 303rd Bomb Group out of Molesworth, England. On 29 November 1943, he was flying in B-17 42-29498 'Dark Horse' when it was shot down.



When the plane was shot, Fisher and the left waist gunner hit the bulkhead of the plane which resulted in major head injuries. He also sustained a broken arm and other broken bones. He was hit with 20 mm shells.



Tail gunner Joseph Sawicki crawled to Fisher and the left waist gunner. He then strapped on their parachutes and pushed them out of the plane as it was going down. Sgt. Sawicki went down with the plane and was KIA.



If it weren't for the heroic measures of Sawicki, Fisher and the left waist gunner would not have survived.



George Fisher was taken as a Prisoner of War and was imprisoned in Stalag Luft 6. When it was closed he was sent to Stalag Luft 4, on the 'death march'.



He was repatriated on Sept 22, 1944. He was sent back to the U.S. on Gripsholm.

Connections

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

Units served with

Official emblem of the 303rd Bomb Group approved 7 November 1942.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Insignia associated with the 360th Bomb Squadron, 303rd Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force.
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 10601180
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner

Aircraft

42-29498 "The Dark Horse"
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: The Dark Horse, a.k.a. Mumsie
  • Unit: 303rd Bomb Group 360th Bomb Squadron 306th Bomb Group 368th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft 4, Gross Tychow, Pomerania
  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft VI, Heydekrug

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Canada 21 January 1921

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Germany 29 November 1943 - 22 September 1944 Repatriated on Sept 22, 1944

Other

RMC

Massachusetts, USA

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Capitalized the words "Waist Gunner" in the "Role/job" field.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a connection to the 8th AF and to the 8th AF mission #140 for 29 Nov 1943.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a space to the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Fixed typos and misspellings in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

Date
ContributorSkinzer
Changes
Sources

Cleaned up. Bio took out my business web site and fixed the numbers on the camps. Thank you

Date
ContributorSkinzer
Changes
Sources

Gripsholm records passenger list

Date
ContributorSkinzer
Changes
Sources

I have found the medals I have and the source for his p o w medal. I have not found where he was given the European theater medal but I am sure he had this one too. I can send a pic of the medals that we have if you would like Shoot me an email and I will email them

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Associated up photos with George Chester Fisher's record.

Date
ContributorSkinzer
Changes
Sources

Geo Chester fisher was my husbands father. We have his Purple Heart and disquished flying cross medals

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1657 / MACR 1657, Roster / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

George Chester Fisher: Gallery (3 items)