Albert Hubert Debacker Sr
Military
Joseph C Engelbreit
*Photo taken by Lt. William P. Dumas - combat photographer for the 355th FG
Object Number - UPL 21234 - 1st Lt. Joseph C Engelbreit
Assigned to 357FS, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) patrol in P-51C 42-103009; engine failure prompted bale out SE Orleans, France Evaded (EVD). MACR 7729.
Had mechanical failure and crashed near Orleans on 1 Aug 44 in P-51 42-103009 .Shot down while strafing Aug 1, 1944. Suffered severe head injury and knee injury. Had temporary amnesia with no recollection of the events of that day until he recovered consciousness at about 3 o'clock in the afternoon in a French farmyard. Made contact with Maquis.
Awards: DFC, AM (OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Unit: 355th Fighter Group 357th Fighter Squadron
Places
![P-51 Mustangs of the 355th Fighter Group break formation, ready for landing, over the ground support vehicles and control tower of Steeple Morden Airfield. Image signed on reverse with the approval of station censor. Handwritten caption on reverse: '355 FG Steeple Morden, Control Tower, read crew + P41 [sic] group peeling off for landing.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-377141.jpg.webp?itok=zxxvSLfB)
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Topeka, KS | 18 October 1920 | Son of Arthur A and Rosalia [Csitkovits] Debacker. |
|
Enlisted |
Fort Riley, KS | 28 May 1942 | Fort Riley, Kansas |
|
Based Prisoner of War (POW) |
France | 19 April 1944 - 1 August 1944 | Assigned to 357FS, 355FG, 8AF USAAF. |
|
Other Baled out EVD |
SE of Orleans, France | 1 August 1944 | Failed to Return (FTR) patrol in P-51C 42-103009; engine failure prompted bale out SE Orleans, France Evaded (EVD) MACR 7729 |
|
Other Discharged USAAF |
24 June 1945 | Honourable discharge. | |
|
Died |
Topeka, KS | 9 January 2004 | |
|
Buried |
Mount Calvary Cemetery Topeka, Shawnee County, KS | Mount Calvary Cemetery Topeka, Shawnee County, Kansas |
Revisions
1996 355TH FG Assoc. Directory ;
MACR 7729;
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
https://www.fold3.com/image/29434595
https://www.fold3.com/record/68940879-albert-h-debacker
https://www.fold3.com/record/84633493-albert-h-z-debacker
https://www.fold3.com/record/527940803-albert-debacker-1920
https://www.fold3.com/image/637111344
http://www.littlefriends.co.uk/search/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/127795009/albert-h_-debacker
MACR 7729 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list
