Benjamin Michael Baldasano
MilitaryAssigned to 350BS, 100BG, 8AF USAAF. Don Cielewich crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Mannheim/Ludwigshaven in B-17 42-3413 'Hard Luck!' 14-Aug-44; Shot down by flak. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 7899
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
![Three airmen of the 100th Bomb Group, Lieutenant Kenneth Menzie, Lieutenant Donald Strout and Lieutenant Norman Scott, plan the route they will take during the next mission in their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30380). Image stamped on reverse: 'Reviewed and passed U.S. Army 23 Aug 1943 Press Censor E.T.O. U.S.A.' [stamp]'. Passed for publication 23 August 1943 INTLD 16 General Section Press Censorship Bureau '[stamp], 'Associated Press' [stamp] and '280035.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reve](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-378743.jpg.webp?itok=HBB0lqjl)
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-559633
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-818603
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-703360
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35224797
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32926389
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hard Luck !
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 350th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft 4, Gross Tychow, Pomerania
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Morristown, Pennsylvania | 4 September 1919 | Joseph and Accursia Mary [Ciaccio] Baldasano. |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Tychowo, Poland | 14 August 1944 | Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft IV. |
|
Other Discharged USAAF |
19 November 1945 | Honourable discharge. | |
|
Died |
Scottsdale, AZ | 26 July 2008 | |
|
Based |
14 August 1944 | Assigned to 350BS, 100BG, 8AF USAAF. | |
|
Buried |
Happy Homestead Cemetery South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, CA | Happy Homestead Cemetery South Lake Tahoe, El Dorado County, California |
Revisions
Added a POW event and a S/N from WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Added an association to Stalag Luft 4 per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Added an association to the A/C #42-3413 listed in the "Summary biography".
Added a "-" to the A/C tail # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Added an association to the 100th BG listed in the A/C #42-3413 description section.
100th Bomb Group Foundation Directory, 2000 - 2001, MACR 7899 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia