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George E Abbott

Military

  • Show caption About this image
  • The flak damaged nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress of the 398th Bomb Group. Printed caption on reverse: '54600 AC- England- 1st lt Lawrence M De Lancey, Corvallis, Oregon, landed this B-17 safely after its nose was literally shot away by flak over Cologne, Germany. Please Credit: Official US Air Force Photo.' Printed caption on image: 'This B-17 landed safely after losing its nose to flak. US AAF Photo.' Handwritten caption on reverse: '43-38172 of 398th BG.'

    The flak damaged nose of a B-17 Flying Fortress of the 398th Bomb Group. Printed caption on reverse: '54600 AC- England- 1st lt Lawrence M De Lancey, Corvallis, Oregon, landed this B-17 safely after its nose was literally shot away by flak over Cologne, Germany. Please Credit: Official US Air Force Photo.' Printed caption on image: 'This B-17 landed safely after losing its nose to flak. US AAF Photo.' Handwritten caption on reverse: '43-38172 of 398th BG.'

    Show caption About this image
  • Picture of the plane (43-38172) in which my uncle, George E. Abbott, was togglier and was killed by a direct flak hit 10-15-1944 over Cologne, Germany. Handed down from my grandmother.

    Picture of the plane (43-38172) in which my uncle, George E. Abbott, was togglier and was killed by a direct flak hit 10-15-1944 over Cologne, Germany. Handed down from my grandmother.

    Show caption About this image
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He had been a waist gunner in training to take over the Bombardier role and was in the nose. A German 88 anti aircraft shell had exploded in his lap, killing him instantly. The plane with its nose blown off and up into the windshield made it back to base! Pilot was DeLancey and the Navigator, who escaped the nose only slightly injured, got the plane back to its base. The rest of the crew survived.
(398th History, Vol II lists him as being in the 601st BS in Sept 1944 and receiving the OLC.)

Additional information on these web sites:
http://www.abbott-lavalle.info/narrative/george.html
http://www.398th.org/History/Articles/Remembrances/Ostrom_FortressHome.html
http://www.398th.org/History/Articles/News/Stateman_Capi_B-17toBase.html
http://www.398th.org/History/Articles/StarsAndStripes/19441015_DeLancey....
http://www.398th.org/History/Veterans/Voices/Transcriptions/Interview_St...
http://www.398th.org/Awards/DFC/DFC_Citations/DFCs_441202.html#anchor_DF...
http://www.398th.org/FlakNews/Articles/Stahlman_Story.html
http://www.398th.org/Images/Images_Aircraft_B-17/Aircraft/43-38172-3O-P_...

Service

Units served with

  • 8th Air Force

    8th Air Force

    Command

  • 398th Bomb Group

    398th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 398th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Nuthampstead, Hertfordshire on strategic bombing raids over Germany. The Group switched focus in the days before D-Day, when they targeted enemy positions on the Cherbourg peninsula. When the Allied...

  • 601st Bomb Squadron

    601st Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

  • 603rd Bomb Squadron

    603rd Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

  • 43-38172 '2 Sad' 'Lovely Julie'

    B-17 Flying Fortress
    Delivered Cheyenne 3/7/44; Kearney 12/7/44; Dow Fd 20/7/44; Assigned 601BS/398BG [3O-P] Nuthampstead 13/8/44; battle damaged Cologne 15/10/44 with Lawrence DeLancey; the aircraft was hit by flak after bombs away, then a shell exploded in the nose...

Missions

  • 678

    15 October 1944

Associated Place

  • Nuthampstead

    Military site : airfield
    Built during 1942-43, Nuthampstead was the nearest Eighth Air Force heavy bomber base to London. It had three concrete runways, 50 loop hardstandings and two dispersed T2 hangars. It was first occupied from September 1943 to April 1944 by the 55th...

Events

Event Location Date
Born Mount Lebanon, Pennsylvania 8 April 1925

Son of Edward Jr and Anna [McKown] Abbott.
Lived in Pennsylvania, USA 1940
Enlisted 18 October 1943
Died Cologne, Germany 15 October 1944
Buried Pennsylvania, USA 1945

Mount Lebanon Cemetery
Mount Lebanon
Allegheny County
Pennsylvania, USA.
Nationality
American
Nickname
Not yet known
Service numbers
13172200
Highest rank
Staff Sergeant
Role/job
Togglier/ Bombardier
Awards
  • Air Medal with 1 oak leaf cluster
  • Purple Heart

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
28 December 2015 10:14:09 Al_Skiff Changes to service number, role, biography, awards, events, unit associations and mission associations
Sources

AAM DB Entry.
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=60278858
Date Contributor Update
19 February 2015 19:26:41 gpeters Changes to biography
Sources

Added other relevant web sites.
Date Contributor Update
16 February 2015 23:35:25 gpeters Changes to media associations
Sources

Associating picture existing on web site with George E. Abbott.
Date Contributor Update
16 February 2015 23:08:10 gpeters Changes to biography and events
Sources

Added abbott-lavalle web site address.
Date Contributor Update
16 February 2015 21:32:05 gpeters Changes to events
Sources

George was born and grew up in Mount Lebanon, Pa.. He died over Cologne, Germany.
Date Contributor Update
13 October 2014 08:27:09 Emily Changes to aircraft associations
Sources

Data update from National Museum of Mighty Eighth Air Force, 15 September 2014.
Date Contributor Update
10 October 2014 09:54:48 Emily Changes to unit associations and place associations
Sources

Data update from National Museum of Mighty Eighth Air Force, September 15 2014.
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:10:50 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Combat Chronology Supplement; 398th History, Vol II / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

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