41-31763 Cloud Hopper 2nd

Two of my Uncles served in the US Army Air Force in WWII. Sgt Angelo M. Staffo served with the 9th AF, 386th BG, 554th BS, as a B-26 Tail gunner. He was a member of the crew of Lt. Donald B. Wren in the B-26 “CLOUD HOPPER II” aircraft number 4131763 that went down on a mission to bomb a highway bridge near Rouen, France on May 31, 1944, when it lost an engine propeller and cowling when struck by a 2000 pound bomb from an aircraft that strayed out of formation overhead. Sergeant Staffo parachuted to safety where he met and fought with local members of the French resistance while he evaded capture for the next three months until he was liberated by British and Scottish troops on 13 September 1944. The story of this last mission on May 31, 1944 for "CLOUD HOPPER 2nd" was printed in the Vol 19 No 3 October 1999, "The Crusaders Newsletter - 386th Bomb Group (M) Association, Inc.

Connections

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Units served with

Lieutenant James T. Wilson and Lieutenant Robert J. Owen of the 386th Bomb Group in the cockpit of their B-26 Marauder. Image stamped on reverse: 'Not to be published.' [stamp], 'Ministry of Information 19 Aug 1943.' [stamp] nand '279545.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'AT THE US MARAUDERS BASE. The B-26 Marauders, American super medium bombers are operating now from bases in Britain. This series of pictures shows various scenes at the airfield where the ground crew and the fliers work together
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Ninth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Events

Event Location Date Description

Crashed

Failed to Return (FTR)

Rouen 31 May 1944 - 31 May 1944 Two of my Uncles served in the US Army Air Force in WWII. Sgt Angelo M. Staffo served with the 9th AF, 386th BG, 554th BS, as a B-26 Tail gunner. He was a member of the crew of Lt. Donald B. Wren in the B-26 “CLOUD HOPPER II” aircraft number 4131763 that went down on a mission to bomb a highway bridge near Rouen, France on May 31, 1944, when it lost an engine propeller and cowling when struck by a 2000 pound bomb from an aircraft that strayed out of formation overhead. Sergeant Staffo parachuted to safety where he met and fought with local members of the French resistance while he evaded capture for the next three months until he was liberated by British and Scottish troops on 13 September 1944. The story of this last mission on May 31, 1944 for "CLOUD HOPPER 2nd" was printed in the Vol 19 No 3 October 1999, "The Crusaders Newsletter - 386th Bomb Group (M) Association, Inc.

Revisions

Date
ContributorGaryStaffo
Changes
Sources

Gary T. Staffo - I volunteer my serve to several WWII Veterans organizations, including the B-26 Washington Area Marauder Men (WAMM), and the 99th Bomb Group Historical Society (BGHS) where I serve as the 2nd Vice President. My Dad and several other Uncles also served in combat in WWII and I continue my family historical research documenting their service for publication.

Date
ContributorTanks
Changes
Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

MACR 5120 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database