Howard W Hobbs

Military
media-31513.jpeg UPL 31513 Technical Sergeant Howard W. Hobbs, Top Turret Gunner, 96th Bomb Group.

Charles D Taylor collection

"Iowans of the Mighty Eighth", Chapter 22 "Biographies", by Charles D Taylor.

Object Number - UPL 31513 - Technical Sergeant Howard W. Hobbs, Top Turret Gunner, 96th Bomb Group.

Howard worked for Lockheed Aircraft before the war and was inducted in November 1942. After training he and his crew flew a B-17 across the Atlantic via North Africa to join the Group at Snetterton Heath. On a mission to Augsburg April 13 1944 they lost one engine and then another from anti-aircraft fire and he was hit on the wrist. They bailed out ( B-17 #42-37910).

and he was eventually taken to Stalag 17-B where he finally received medical attention from captured French doctors. Prisoner of War (POW). On April 8 1945 they were marched westward for 17 days, sleeping in the open and living off the land until they reached a camp at Branau in Austria. A week later the American tanks arrived.



Air Medal



POW

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 96th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Morning Sun, Iowa, USA

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Germany 13 April 1944

Revisions

Date
ContributorHelen
Changes
Sources

Iowans of the Mighty 8th

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3768 / MACR 3768; Snetterton Falcons, pg 132 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Howard W Hobbs: Gallery (2 items)