Bernard A Gergash
Military![Sergeant Bernard Aleys Gergash, of the 303rd Bomb Group, fills a water bucket. Image stamped on reverse: ‘Copyright Current Affairs Ltd.’ [stamp], ‘Passed for Publication 16 Dec 1942. [stamp] and ‘238749.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: '32a. Filling the bucket is Sgt. Bernard Aleys Gergash, of 1025 Union Ave., Chicago Heights. Aged 24, he worked as a radio operator with the C.A.A.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/wysiwyg_x2/public/freeman/media-378924.jpg.webp?itok=Q_fWasIo)
Associated person from Freeman Collection image caption information.
Object Number - FRE 1056 - Sergeant Bernard Aleys Gergash, of the 303rd Bomb Group, fills a water bucket. Image stamped on reverse: ‘Copyright Current Affairs Ltd.’...
Shot down by flak and fighters 18th March 1943 in B-17F 41-24558 [VK:F] 'Hunga Dunga', 303BG/358BS while serving as Radio Operator. Target was submarine yards at Vegesack, Germany. Prisoner of War (POW). Participated in 13 operations (2 aborts) with the 303BG/358BS (See Biography Events). Flew one operation as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24580 "Hellcat Agnes", 303BG/358BS.
POW
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
Missions
- Date: 18 March 1943
- Date: 13 March 1943
- Date: 8 March 1943
- Date: 4 March 1943
- Date: 27 February 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other Assigned to Crew |
El Paso, TX, USA | 10 September 1942 - 14 October 1942 | Assigned to B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" 303BG/358BS as Radio Operator with the rank of Private with crew of Pilot 2LT Joseph E. "Little Joe" Haas at Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas |
|
Other Group Station Transfer |
Bangor, ME, USA | 14 October 1942 - 16 October 1942 | Transferred with 303BG/358BS and crew of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" to Bangor, Maine in preparation for deployment to the United Kingdom. |
|
Other Arrival in UK |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 16 October 1942 | Arrived with 303BG/358BS in B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" at Molesworth, England. |
|
Other Mission #1 PVT Bernard A. Gergash w/B-17F 41-24558 303BG/358BS Aborted |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 17 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga". The mission was to go to St. Nazaire, France but the pilot aborted the mission becasue of mechanical problems with the aircraft. |
|
Other Mission #2 PVT Bernard A. Gergash, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 18 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" 303BG/358BS on mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. Aircraft sustained minor damage from flak. |
|
Other Promotion in Rank. |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 19 November 1942 | Promoted to SGT. Date is approximate and derived from 303BG Mission Report of 22 Nov-42 which has him listed at that rank. The record does not indicate that he was ever a Corporal. |
|
Other Temporary Aircraft Assigment |
Molesworth, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire PE28, UK | 21 November 1942 | Received a temporary assignment on B-17F 41-24580 "Helcat Agnes" 303BG/358BS as Radio Operator. This was the result of B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" being under repair for battle damage received on 18-Nov-42 mission to St. Nazaire. |
|
Other Mission #3 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/B-17F 41-24580, 303BG/358BS |
Lorient, France | 22 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24580 "Hellcat Agnes", 303BG/358BS. He now has the rank of Sergeant. This is a temporary aircraft assignment while his normal crew assigment is with 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga" which is undergoing repair of battle damage received on the 18-Nov-42 mission to St. Nazaire. The U-Boat pens at Lorient, France are the target for this mission |
|
Other Mission #4 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/B-17F 41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Saint-Nazaire, France | 23 November 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the U-Boat pens at St. Nazaire, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #5 SGT Bernard A. Gergash w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rouen, France | 12 December 1942 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bombe the railroad marshalling yards at Rouen, France. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #6 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 20 December 1942 | Serves as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24558, "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the German air depot at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #7 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Lille, France | 13 January 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on mission to bomb the Lille Fives Company Locomotive Works at Lille, France. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #8 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS - Aborted |
Wilhelmshaven, Germany | 26 February 1943 | Assigned as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hung Dunga", 303BG/358BS mission was to bomb the U-Boat pens at Wilhelmshaven, Germany. The aircraft has been assigned a new crew transferred for 92BG under the command of 1LT Charles N. Austin. The bombardier suffered from altitude sickness and the pilot aborted the mission. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #9 SGT Bernard A. Gergash w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Brest, France | 27 February 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bombe the U-Boat pens at Brest, France. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #10 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rotterdam, Netherlands | 4 March 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bobm the railroad marshalling yards at Rotterdam, Holland. RTB OK |
|
Other Mission #11 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Rennes, France | 8 March 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B0-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Mission #12 SGT Bernard A. Gergash, w/41-24558, 303BG/358BS |
Amiens, France | 13 March 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 41-24558 "Hunga Dunga", 303BG/358BS on a mission to bombe the railroad marshalling yards at Amiens, France. RTB OK. |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Krems an der Donau, Austria | 18 March 1943 - 3 May 1945 | Held at Stalag 17B, Braunau-Gneikendorf (near Krems), Austria. |
|
Other Mission #13 SGT Bernard A. Gergash |
Bremen-Vegesack, Bremen, Germany | 18 March 1943 | Served as Radio Operator on B-17F 42-24558 "Hunga Dunga:, 303BG/303BS on a mission to bobm the submarine construction yards a Vegsack, Germany. The aircraft was shot down by flak and crashed on the flats of the in the Jadebusen near Wilhelmshaven. Sgt. Gergash was captured as a Prisoner of War |
|
Other Last Report Date - Discharged |
12 June 1945 | Evacuated to the United States after his liberation from Stalag 17B and dicsharged from the USAAF. |
Revisions
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Added Last Report Date event per NAR WWII POW database record.
Lee Cunningham 3-May-2016. Corrected POW dates per Stalag 17B history: http://www.b24.net/pow/stalag17.htm
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Made connections to Mission participation based on research of Mission Reports from 303BG website, Gary Moncur, Historian.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #13 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 18-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #12 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 13-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #11 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 8-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #10 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 4-Mar-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #9 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 27-Feb-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #8 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 26-Feb-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #7 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 13-Jan-43.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #6 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 20-Dec-42.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #5 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 12-Dec-42.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #4 event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 23-Nov-1942.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Temorary Assignment and Mission #3 to Biography events per 303BG website, Gary Moncyr, historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Promotion in Rank event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 22-Nov-42.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015 Added Mission #2 to Biography Events per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 18-Nov-1942.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Mission #1 Birography event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Mission Report of 17-Nov-42.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Arrival in UK Biography Event base on "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story", Roger A. Freemwn with David Osborne B-17F 41-24558 history summary.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Group Station Transfer to Biography events based on 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Haas crew page and "The B-17 Flying Fortress Story", Roger A. Freeman with David Osborn B-17 41-24558 history summary.
Lee Cunningham 3-Dec-2015. Added Crew Assignment event per 303BG website, Gary Moncur, historian, Haas crew page.
Lee Cunningham 4-Aug-2015. Added Decoration and POW event per National Archives Records Administration (NARA) WWII POW database; Made connection to Place, Aircraft and Mission within existing website data; Edited Summary Biography with A/C model letter, Radio Call Letters, Unit association and crew position, corrected SN per MACR 15149. Added loss details to Summary Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Roll of Honor, Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey, p. 91, 303rd web site
![Sergeant Bernard Aleys Gergash, of the 303rd Bomb Group, fills a water bucket. Image stamped on reverse: ‘Copyright Current Affairs Ltd.’ [stamp], ‘Passed for Publication 16 Dec 1942. [stamp] and ‘238749.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: '32a. Filling the bucket is Sgt. Bernard Aleys Gergash, of 1025 Union Ave., Chicago Heights. Aged 24, he worked as a radio operator with the C.A.A.'](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-378924.jpg.webp?itok=OXfueaD3)