George Edward Bonitz
MilitaryAdded photo
Lt George Bonitz was 2nd Navigator on the Merseburg mission of 20 July 1944, on board B-17 #42-97564. Hit by Flak, the plane made a forced landing between Chaam and Baarle-Hertog, South of Tilburg, The Netherlands. Evaded (EVD). Helped by Dutch and Belgian citizens and members of the Résistance, he was hidden in many places in Belgium, the last one being Brussels until the city was liberated by British troops. He was back in the UK on 9 September 1944 and rejoined his unit. He stayed a few years in the Air Force and ended his military career as a Lt Colonel in the USAF. See the details about his evasion at http://www.evasioncomete.be/fbonitzge.html
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13081083 at enlistment, then O-814034
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38372191
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 418th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39559984
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 418th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15335693
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner; Engineer
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 95th Bomb Group 335th Bomb Squadron 418th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39549755
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Belle of Berlin
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 418th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 20 July 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
4 March 1921 | New York | |
Enlisted |
4 May 1942 | ||
Other Force-landed |
20 July 1944 | in B-17 42-97564, between Chaam and Baarle-Hertog, South of Tilburg, Noord-Brabant Province, The Netherlands | |
Other Evaded |
20 July 1944 - 4 September 1944 | Helped by Dutch and Belgian citizens and members of the Résistance, he was hidden in many places in Belgium | |
Died |
24 April 2009 | Bellevue, Nebraska | |
New York | |||
Buried |
George Bonitz rests at the Bellevue Cemetery in Bellevue, Nebraska, USA |
Revisions
MACR 7414
NARA WWII Enlistment records
Escape & Evasion Report E&E 1843
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7414 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database