Albert C Deshaw

Military

Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Ruppertagruen on 7/20/44 in HB-17 "Superstitious Aloysius" 42-31982.



Al Deshaw was the pilot on 'Superstitious Aloysius' final mission on 20th July 1944. The 91st lost 8 aircraft on this raid over Leipzig - said to be the most heavily defended area in Germany. They were attacked by fighters and with a wing on fire had no choice but to bail out. The plane actually blew up in midair hurling DeShaw out; he was badly hurt but managed to pull the ripcord on his 'chute. On the ground German troops rescued him from civilians who had already lynched another crewman. Al survived the following months as a POW and went on to fly postwar with Pan American Airways.



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Units served with

Unofficial emblem of the 91st Bomb Group.

91st Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

42-31982

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Superstitious Aloysius
  • Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Prisoner of war

Germany 20 July 1944

Born

Port Lavaca, Texas, USA

Revisions

Date
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
Changes
Sources

Biography completed by historian Helen Millgate. Information sourced from newsletters of the 91st Bomb Group related to the service of Albert Deshaw.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7282 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database