Military
SSGT Andrea M. Alcarese Tail Gunner Jerry Bryan Payne Crew 388th BG - 561st BS - 8th AF
Jerry Bryan Payne Crew 388th BG - 561st BS - 8th AF Most of these men were shot down on 20 Feb 1944 Maxbauer and Scuglik were not on the mission. Alcarese was WIA and made POW. The rest were KIA Standing Left to Right: Joseph Scuglik (FE), James L. Ellis (WG), Albert R. Maxbauer (R/O), Grant G. Tucker (WG), Andrea Alcarese (TG), Joseph Pappaalardo (BTG) Kneeling Left to Right: Jerry Payne (P), Carl E. Cole (CP), Clarence H.E. Swanson (B), J.J. Kelley (N)
SSGT Andrea M. Alcarese Tail Gunner Jerry Bryan Payne Crew 388th BG - 561st BS He was the only survivor of his crew that was down on 20 Feb 1944 Photo is from his 1952 college graduation
On a mission to Poznan, Poland, B-17G #42-39894 'Barbara' left the formation due to a fuel leak and was shot down by fighters, exploded in mid-air, and crashed near Funen, Denmark on 20 Feb 1944. Prisoner of War (POW).
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 388th Bomb Group
On a mission to Poznan, Poland, B-17G #42-39894 'Barbara' left the formation due to a fuel leak and was shot down by fighters, exploded in mid-air, and crashed near Funen, Dnmark on 20 Feb 1944. Killed in Action (KIA).
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Group
The 388th Bomb Group flew strategic bombing mission from Knettishall, Suffolk from June 1943 to the end of the war. During this time, though, detachments were sent to Fersfield, Norfolk to conduct Aphrodite missions. In these Aphrodite missions veteran...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 28/7/43; Gore 6/8/43; Pendleton 12/8/43; Reno 14/8/43; Pierre 16/8/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 3/9/43; crashed on take off for France 13/8/44 with Leon Sutton, Co-pilot: Harlan Thompson, Navigator: George Healy, Bombardier:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 21/11/43; Gr Island 7/12/43; New Castle 16/12/43; Presque Is 19/12/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 1/1/44; Missing in Action Brux 12/5/44 with Alex Loslo, Co-pilot: Bob Wilson, Navigator: Doug Morrison, Bombardier: Presley...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 1/10/43; Gr Island 18/10/43; Assigned 561BS/388BG Knettishall 2/11/43; Missing in Action Rostock 20/2/44 with Jerry Payne, Co-pilot: Carl Cole, Navigator: Jim Kelley, Bombardier: Clarry Swanson, Flight engineer/top turret gunner:...
6 February 1944
German airfields and V-Weapon sites in France are the primary targets of this mission. A combined force total of 642 heavy bombers are depatched from 8th Air Force 1st, 2nd and 3rd Bomb Divisions. The primary targets of 1st Bomb Division were the...
13 February 1944
17 V-Wepons sites in France are the primary targets for this mission. The mission is divided into two separate forces: one force of B-24s from 2nd Bomb Division and one force of B-17s from 3rd Bomb Division. Mission summary follows:
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20 February 1944
This mission is the opening salvo of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive known officially as "Operation Argument" but remembered in 8th Air Force History as "BIG WEEK". The immediate strategic objective of this six-day operation is the degradation of...
Military site : airfield
Knettishall was built to Class A standard for an American Bomb Group that would be bringing up to forty heavy bombers with them in three or four Squadrons. The 388th Bomb Group, which stayed at Knettishall for their entire service in the ETO, flew B-17...
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Baltimore, Maryland | 15 May 1921 |
| Lived in | Baltimore, MD | 16 February 1942 |
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4017 Old York Road |
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| Enlisted | Baltimore, MD | 12 December 1942 |
| Shot Down/WIA/Captured | Assens, Denmark | 20 February 1944 |
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In particularly aggressive attacks, the fighters stayed with the bombers into, over, and away from the target. On the outbound route, Payne radioed that his aircraft had a massive fuel leak and that he was diverting to another path home. The aircraft eventually made an emergency landing near Assen, Denmark. Accounts vary, some telling that the tail gunner parachuted to safety; others that he was in the crash, but survived. He was, in fact, the only survivor, and it is a matter of record that he was captured and sent to a German military hospital to be treated for serious wounds. All others were killed in the crash. |
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| POW | Tychowo, Poland | 1 March 1944 – May 1945 |
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Stalag Luft IV (dates are approximate) |
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| Graduated | Baltimore, MD | 1952 |
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Bachelor of Science |
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| Died | Lutherville, MD | 27 November 1996 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 07 November 2020 04:37:44 | 466thHistorian | Changes to nickname and awards |
| Sources | ||
https://www.ancestry.com/mediaui-viewer/collection/1030/tree/156830310/p... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 November 2020 04:31:39 | 466thHistorian | Changes to middlename, highest rank, awards, events, aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2238/images/44015_06_00... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 02 November 2017 15:13:36 | Lucy May | Changes to service number, biography, events and place associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:03:39 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2432, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces |
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