492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
Group
The 492nd Bomb Group were assigned to the 8th Air Force in April 1944. They flew 60 missions over occupied Europe from 11 May 1944 until 7 August 1944.
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44-40050
B-24 Liberator
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Back row, left to right... • Robert Janton, crew chief • Darrell Andrews, radio operator • William Sheely, tail gunner • Wirt Young, waist gunner • Donald Brown, engineer Front row, left to right... • Melvin Kernis, navigator • Lyle Day, bombardier • Leroy Ochs, co-pilot • Elmer Smiley, pilot Photo submitted by Robin Janton, son of Robert Janton, the plane's crew chief
Target: Aircraft factory
Lost: 7 KIA, 2 POW, MACR 7228
Service
Units
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859th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
People
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Darrell Andrews
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed near Egeln in B-24 'Super Wolf' #4440050 -
Benjamin Babitz
Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 467th Bomb Group
Transferred 467th BG -
Donald Brown
Military | Technical Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed near Egeln in B-24 'Super Wolf' #4440050 -
Albert Bullinger
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed near Egeln on 7/7/44 in B-24 'Super Wolf' #4440050 -
Lyle Day
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed near Egln on 7/7/44 in B-24 'Super Wolf' #4440050 POW -
Thomas Floyd
Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Tail Gunner | 467th Bomb Group
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Duane Heath
Military | Technical Sergeant | Flight Engineer | 467th Bomb Group
Transferred 467th BG -
Andrew Maiorino
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 467th Bomb Group
Transferred 467th BG -
Clifford Matzen
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed near Egeln in B-24 'SuperWolf' #4440050 -
Leroy Ochs
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 492nd Bomb Group (Heavy)
Crashed near Egeln in B-24 'Super Wolf' #44-40050, Killed in Action (KIA).
Places
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North Pickenham
Military site : airfield
Built comparatively late during 1943-44 as an Eighth Air Force bomber base, North Pickenham was rather cramped as an airfield site so the main runway was shorter than typical. It had three concrete runways, 50 loop hardstandings and two dispersed T2...
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
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| Final Mission | Bernburg, Germany | 7 July 1944 |
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Mission: Bernburg, Germany. |
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| Crashed | Bernburg, Germany | 7 July 1944 |
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Smiley Crew #910 was flying in their own plane SUPER WOLF. They were without their navigator, who was flying with the Harding Crew. They took a shot that started a fire in the bomb bay. Only two of the men were able to get out before the plane exploded. |
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| Manufactured | San Diego, California | |
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Consolidated AC, San Diego, California |
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| Delivered | ||
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Original aircraft for the 492nd BG, 859th BS.Total Missions with the 492nd BG:20 |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 14 May 2021 22:45:47 | acbernstein1 | Changes to nicknames, markings, description, events and place associations |
| Sources | ||
http://492ndbombgroup.com/cgi-bin/pagepilot.cgi?page=showAircraft&aircra... |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:41:48 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 7228 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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