Bartholomew Catanzaro
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Co-Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Following recent government announcements the museum is currently closed, there is plenty to explore in our online archive.
The American Air Museum is a charity - Find out how you can support us
Military
Enlisted in the army in 1935 and his first duties were with a lighter-than-air squadron at Scott Field, IL. Later he was transferred to a Flying Fortress outfit at Langley Field, VA. Flew as a gunner in B-17’s. He then trained as a bombardier and flew with an anti-submarine squadron based in Puerto Rico and Panama, and finally in December started pilot training. He received his wings on 1-Oct-43. He was promoted to 1st Lt, 8-Jul-44. Lt Bradley has been overseas since 1-May-44.
Assigned to 754th Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. 35 x missions plus 4 missions un-credited 'toting gas for Patton's army'.
After rest leave, transferred to 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force.
Awards: DFC (2OLC), AM (6OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Co-Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD). Appointed Assistant Squadron Adjutant.
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Completed Tour Duty (ETD).
Awards: DFC, 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.
...
Group
The 458th Bomb Group (H) entered combat with the 8th Air Force in February 1944. Based at Horsham St. Faith in England, the combat crews participated in the decisive Campaigns 'Big Week', 'Big B', D-Day and the assault on Germany's oil industry waged...
Group
Flying P-47 Thunderbolts throughout their time stationed in England, the Group, known as "the Wolfpack", had more ace pilots than any other Eighth Air Force Fighter Group. The 56th Fighter Group also destroyed more enemy aircraft in air combat than any...
Squadron
Squadron
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Ashersleben with Lt Armour crew; hit by flak, taking out #1 engine, radio, intercom and badly damaging the fuel system. A/C abandoned by crew and crashed at Diek on 29-Jun-44 5 x EVD, 5 x POW...
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
B-24 Liberator
Crash landed 12 Jan 1945 and salvaged.
B-24 Liberator
Later renamed Hypochondriac
P-47 Thunderbolt
P-47 Thunderbolt
Assigned to 63FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Assigned to Lt Vernon A Smith. Transferred to 61FS, 56FG, 8AF USAAF. Crashed Belly Landing due to Mech Failure 1 mile NE Boxted pilot Lt George P Bradley 10-Feb-45.
B-24 Liberator
Assigned to 754BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF.
Military site : airfield
Boxted was built for heavy bombers and became operational from May 1943. In the few months B-26 Marauders of the 386th Bomb Group were stationed there, there were two night attacks by the Luftwaffe. On 17 August 1943, one man was killed when bombs...
Military site : airfield
Horsham St Faith was an RAF Bomber Command Station opened in June 1940. It was home to Bristol Blenheim medium-bombers, and was for a time occupied by fighters, including those of No. 19 Squadron and No. 264 Squadron. From September 1942 the airfield...
Cemetery
Event | Location | Date |
---|---|---|
Born | Morganfield, KY 42437, USA | 3 May 1918 |
Son of Lucy P Bradley. |
||
Enlisted | N Ft Thomas Ave, Fort Thomas, KY 41075, USA | 1941 |
Lived in | Springfield, MO, USA | 1942 |
Based | Horsham St Faith | 7 June 1944 – 10 October 1944 |
Assigned to 754th Bomb Squadron, 458th Bomb Group, 8th Air Force. |
||
Rest Home Leave | United States | 11 October 1944 – November 1944 |
Rest Home Leave. |
||
Fighter conversion | November 1944 – 26 November 1944 | |
Fighter familiarisation. |
||
Based | Boxted | 26 November 1944 – May 1945 |
Transferred to |
||
Crashed | Mendlesham, Stowmarket IP14, UK | 19 January 1945 |
Taxiing Accident due to Weather Mendlesham (Sta 156) Lt George P Bradley, 19-Jan-45. P-47M 44-21108 - 61FS 56FG 8AF. |
||
Crashed | Boxted, Colchester, UK | 10 February 1945 |
Crashed Belly Landing due to Mech Failure 1mile NE / Boxted Sta 150 Cat 4 damage Lt George P Bradley, 10-Feb-45. P-47M 44-21178 - 61FS 56FG 8AF. |
||
Died | 20 May 1972 | |
Buried | Arlington National Cemetery | 23 May 1972 |
Arlington National Cemetery |
Date | Contributor | Update |
---|---|---|
26 July 2020 09:55:55 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography, events and place associations |
Sources | ||
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49127741/george-p-bradley |
||
Date | Contributor | Update |
25 July 2020 20:03:27 | decwriter | Changes to awards |
Sources | ||
NARA verified AM w/6 oak leaf clusters. |
||
Date | Contributor | Update |
18 April 2017 12:47:34 | general ira snapsorter | Changes to biography |
Sources | ||
Merged with duplicate entry to include details from: |
||
Date | Contributor | Update |
31 March 2017 21:41:27 | Al_Skiff | Changes to events |
Sources | ||
http://www.458bg.com/crewbradley.htm |
||
Date | Contributor | Update |
31 March 2017 21:34:07 | Al_Skiff | Changes to service number, role, biography, awards, events, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
Sources | ||
http://www.458bg.com/crewbradley.htm |
||
Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:11:07 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list |