George Chester Fisher
MilitaryRemoved associations not depicted in image
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
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- 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
- 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
- Date: 29 November 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- 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
Added a connection to the 8th AF and to the 8th AF mission #140 for 29 Nov 1943.
Fixed typos and misspellings in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Cleaned up. Bio took out my business web site and fixed the numbers on the camps. Thank you
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
Geo Chester fisher was my husbands father. We have his Purple Heart and disquished flying cross medals
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