Anthony LaRusso

Military

Tony LaRusso served as a tail gunner with the 729th Bomb Squadron of the 452nd Bomb Group, flying missions out of Deopham Green, England. On 9 April 1944, he was shot down in B-17 #42-32070 and taken as a Prisoner of War (POW). He was held in Stalag Luft XVIIb.



Tony was one of 10 children of Italian-American immigrants. He was born and raised in Port Morris, New Jersey and attended Roxbury High School. His twin brother, William, was in the US Army. As a youth Tony, along with his siblings, helped at his father's business, the LoRusso Fireworks Company in Netcong, N.J.



Upon his release from the Army Air Corps, Tony returned to Port Morris. He married and raised 3 children.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 452nd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Lonesome Polecat
  • Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 729th Bomb Squadron

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria

Events

Event Location Date Description

Enlisted

Newark, NJ, USA 31 December 1942

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

9 April 1944

Other

Shot down in B-17 42-32070

Lolland, Denmark 9 April 1944

Born

New Jersey, USA
Morris County, NJ, USA

Revisions

Date
Changes
Sources

Antoinette Copelton, daughter. User http://www.americanairmuseum.com/user/34882

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Added "Possible DUPLICATE" in the Nickname field so an Admin can check out this person.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Corrected spelling of surname from ' LeRuese' to LaRusso following correspondence with Anthony LaRusso's nephew, Louis.

See also:
MACR 4363
NARA enlistment record: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&tf=F&q=326…

http://www.ww2pow.info/index.php?page=directory&rec=84973

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 4363