Anthony LaRusso
MilitaryTony 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
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- 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: Airfield
- 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
Antoinette Copelton, daughter. User http://www.americanairmuseum.com/user/34882
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.
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…
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 4363