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Military
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. 24 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, remained with A/C as crew baled out, following them at extreme low level. Seemingly he didn't get his chute attached, let alone opened, before he plunged into the canopy of a tree, breaking many bones, including his back !! Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: AM, LOM, PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out at low level. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: AM(OLC), POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 506BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Volunteered to crew on 67BS A/C. Shot down by fighters, baled out at low level. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Left his plane for paperwork and was killed by spinning propellor. His plane was B-24 41-29231 'The Impatient Virgin' piloted by George Thom. Died non Battle (DNB).
Awards: PH.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Flight Engineer, Top Turret Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Hit by flak on mission to V-1 sites at Agathe d' Aliermont, FR on 21 Jan 1944 in B-24J 42-99970 'Liberty Belle'. A/C returned to England but crashed upon landing at Wingham, Kent. MACR 8714
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 44th Bomb Group The Flying Eightballs
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, baled out. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Group
The 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated 15-January-1942 at McDill Field, Florida and equipped with B-24Cs. The Group moved to Barksdale Field, Louisiana and acted as a training unit for the 90th 93rd and 98th Bomb Groups and flew anti...
Squadron
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44; Shot down by fighters, crew baled out at low level. 10 x POW. MACR 3849
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B-24 Liberator
Transferred to 389th Bomb Group, then to 448th Bomb Group, 714th Bomb Squadron.
On 25 Feb 1944, B-24H #41-29231 'Impatient Virgin' crash landed at RAF Lympne, Kent on return from target Furth, GR.
8 April 1944
Military site : airfield
Shipdham was built in 1941-1942, the first US heavy bomber airfield in the English county of Norfolk. It was a standard design, with T2-type hangars and a domestic site dispersed to the south east. Improvements were carried out to increase the number...
Cemetery
Other location
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Paris, WI | 5 May 1921 |
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Son of Jacob Anthony and Lillian [Ludwig], born Maier Thom. |
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| Lived in | Burlington, WI | 1942 |
| Enlisted | Milwaukee, WI | 30 March 1942 |
| Based | Shipdham | 1944 – 8 April 1944 |
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Assigned to 67BS, 44BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Baled Out POW | Hanover, Germany | 8 April 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Brunswick mission 8-Apr-44 in B-24 42-7767 'Shack Rabbit'; Shot down by fighters, remained with A/C as crew baled out, following them at low level. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 3849 |
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| Prisoner of War (POW) | Barth, Germany | 8 April 1944 – May 1945 |
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Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I. |
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| Discharged USAAF | 31 August 1972 | |
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Honourable discharge. |
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| Died | Sumter, SC | 12 July 2001 |
| Buried | Arlington National Cemetery | August 2001 |
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Arlington National Cemetery |
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