Clyde Wood Wilkinson
Military
Object Number - UPL 26813 - Crew of the 550th Bomb Squadron, 385th Bomb Group, 16 September 1943. (Nan B) Standing: S/Sgt Lubinsky T/Sgt Cream [Crean] S/Sgt Moore S/Sgt...
Clyde Wilkinson served as a with the 550th Bomb Squadron of the 385th Bomb Group, flying missions out of Great Ashfield, England. He flew six missions as part of Jennings' crew: his first mission with them was to Vitryen-Artois on 15 August 1943, his last was to Munster on 10 October 1943.
Damaged by ME110s and JU88s on a mission to Rostock, Gr on 24 Feb 1944, B-17F #42-30662 'Clarissa Jean' crashed into the Baltic Sea off Rugen Island after the crew baled out. Prisoner of War (POW).
Connections
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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: Slo Jo
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 550th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Clarissa Jean
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 550th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Raggedy Ann
- Unit: 549th Bomb Squadron 385th Bomb Group
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Charlene
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 550th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Nan B
- Unit: 385th Bomb Group 550th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 24 February 1944
- Date: 10 October 1943
- Date: 15 August 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft 4, Gross Tychow, Pomerania
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Virginia, USA | 22 April 1918 | |
|
Enlisted |
Richmond, VA, USA | 15 July 1942 | |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
24 February 1944 | ||
|
Died |
Richmond, VA USA | 24 February 2000 | |
|
Buried |
Hanover, VA 23069, USA | 27 February 2000 | He was cremated and buried on February 27, 2000 in the graveyard of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Hanover Courthouse VA. He had sung in the choir for years. |
| Henrico County, VA, USA |
Revisions
This is partially from family lore and my personal collection which I plan to donate to the Mighty 8th Air Force Museum in Georgia, USA. I am Clyde's youngest daughter. Poignantly, there is a diary that his mother kept, letters and telegrams. My father told me two stories when I finally got him to talk to me about the war. One was about spending a miserable night hanging from a tree before the Germans found them. The other was about after his liberation. He found a shoe store in the first place he came to. He spoke no German; the shopgirl spoke no English. She glared at him angrily while he tried on shoes. I recall the regret in his eyes as he told me he wanted to pay for them but had no money, but as one of the multitudes of DPs he needed to walk great distances to find where he belonged. My father was a very good man.
http://www.385thbga.com/records/database/ gives a 'Clyde E Wilkinson' as part of Jennings' crew but with same lost date and details as Clyde W Wilkinson. Deferring to middle initial given in MACR 2778, enlistment record, WWII POW record and Findagrave record:
https://www.fold3.com/image/28740128
http://www.ww2pow.info/index.php?page=directory&rec=24162
https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=16&tf=F&q=wi…
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/146273006/clyde-wood-wilkinson
Brought in information from duplicate record. Source:
MACR 2778 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self, MACR 2778, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces
