Harold D Weekley
MilitaryKneeling left to right:
T/Sgt Joseph Skarda
S/Sgt Gene F. Leonard
S/Sgt Robert F. Stickel
S/Sgt Charles Stombaugh
Standing left to right:
2nd Lt Harold D. Weekley
2nd Lt Benjamin Clark Jr.
2nd Lt Paul M. James
F/O Raymond S. Delbart
Sent through by researcher Astrid van Erp who works on the Fields of Honor database: http://www.fieldsofhonor-database.com/
Harold "Hal" Weekley was shot down on 13 August 1944 on his 20th mission in B-17 42-102516, bombing a bridge at Le Manoir, France. The crew bailed out at 25,000 feet, all survived, some captured, some evaded.
"I evaded for six weeks and returned to base after being involved in behind the lines activities. I was the first 398th crew member to return to base from occupied Europe." Hal stayed in the Air Force for some 30 years and afterwards became an inspector for the FAA.
Returned to England 22 September 1944 from Missing in Action (MIA) status.
Hal was reassigned to the USA as a B-17 instructor. Hal also trained jet instructor pilots during both the Korean and Vietnam wars. After retirement from the Air Force he worked with the Federal Aviation Administration for 14 years.
He has amassed more than 20,000 hours in 97 different types of aircraft and his certificates include airline transport pilot and airplane multi-engine land with type ratings in the DC-9, B-727, and CV-240/340/440.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Bronx Bomber II
- Unit: 398th Bomb Group 601st Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Other Returned to Duty |
Nuthampstead, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8, UK | 22 September 1944 | Returned to Duty |
Died |
22 September 2010 | ||
Born |
Hazon, Arkansas, USA | ||
Other Evaded |
Le Manoir, France | 13 August 1944 | |
Steubenville, OH, USA |
Revisions
EEA obituary for Harold Weekley: http://www.eaa.ca/apps/obituaries/MemorialWall2.aspx?ID=2280
WWII memorial page: http://www.wwiimemorial.com/registry/search/pframe.asp?HonoreeID=201178…
Connections made based on existing information in the Biography field.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7910 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / self, MACR 7910, mention in Hell from Heaven: Memoirs of a WW II B-17 Bombardier by Leonard Streitfeld p. 212. 398th History, Vol II