Frank W Herzik
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Pilot - Crew #64
458th BG - 755th BS
KIA - 3 March 1944
Object Number - UPL 20948 - 1LT Frank W. Herzik Pilot - Crew #64 458th BG - 755th BS KIA - 3 March 1944
Presumed lost in the North Sea on a mission to Berlin, GR on 3 Mar 1944 in B-24H #41-29298. Killed in Action (KIA).
"I remember Frank Herzik very well. He was a 'class' guy. Well educated, well spoken, interesting to talk to for a 19 year old (a few weeks before my 20th birthday). That day [March 3rd] was the coldest we ever saw. It was the nastiest weather. The North Sea looked like a cauldron from 20,000 feet above it. They had a breakdown of some sort and went into the sea. They didn't have a chance of surviving. We also aborted, but I realized much later that it was Mattson looking for a way to avoid going on. My log is confusing because I was confused at the time."
- 2Lt John Woodworth, navigator Crew 75
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15338346
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37499710
- Highest Rank: Technician Fourth Grade
- Role/Job: Radio Operator, Radio Operator Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18098007
- Highest Rank: Technician Fourth Grade
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37405503
- Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32012519
- Highest Rank: Technician Fourth Grade
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Ole Satan
- Unit: 458th Bomb Group 755th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Schulenburg, TX 78956, USA | 28 November 1918 | |
|
Enlisted |
Randolph AFB, TX 78148, USA | 8 January 1942 | |
|
Buried |
No Known Grave Tablet of The Missing Cambridge American Cemetery | ||
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
North Sea | 3 March 1944 | The Herzik Crew was the first aircraft of the 458th lost on a combat mission. The March 3, 1944 mission to Berlin was recalled due to extremely poor weather conditions. Flying B-24H 41-29298 Ole Satan, this crew simply did not return. Their loss was the group's first combat loss and is recorded in Missing Air Crew Report 3347. Harold McDonald, navigator on Crew 63 (Brudos) related the following: "We were over the middle of the English Channel heading towards the enemy coast when Herzik, maintaining radio silence, signaled that he had trouble and was returning to base. We waved to them as they left formation and continued on. When we returned to base we were shocked that Herzik was not back yet. They must have gone down in the Channel." |
| Fayette County, TX, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3347 / MACR 3347, Combat Chronology Supplement, p. 233, Folded Wings of the 458th Bombardment Group p. 7, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces & Page 277of the book LIBERATORS OVER EUROPE by Mackay, Bailey & Scorza, D790G458. See also duplicate with Frank W. Herwick. Name shows as Herwick in MACR but Combat Chronology Supplement, p. 232, Folded Wings of the 458th Bombardment Group p. 7 list as Herznik / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
