Frederick Teseler Prasse
MilitaryThe legend lists all men as Staff or Technical Sergents, except Pilot Captain Frederick Prasse (standing far right) and has typos in some names. One man is missing from the ten-man crew on board # 42-29965 which had to ditch in the English Channel on return from the 6 September 1943 mission to Stuttgart.
Standing, left to right : Tail Gunner S/Sgt Rolland A. Galloway; Radio Operator T/Sgt Laurence E. Dennis; Co-Pilot 2nd Lt Joseph F. Thornton; Bombardier 2nd Lt Fred Champion; Right Waist Gunner S/Sgt Otto F. Trammer; Pilot Captain Frederick T. Prasse.
Front, from left to right : Engineer/Top Turret Gunner S/Sgt John Geegee; Ball Turret Gunner John W. Disher; Left Waist Gunner S/Sgt Charles H. Hartnett. (The missing man from the photo is Navigator 2nd Lt David C. Besbris).
Added media
Graduated from Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania in 1940. Received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the Army Reserve Corps. Called to active duty, November 1940. Entered the Armored Force School at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Shortly after Pearl Harbor, he transferred to the USAAF. Trained as a Pilot and received his wings at Turner Field, Albany, Georgia in August 1942. Sent overseas, he was assigned to the 92nd Bomb Group/407th Bomb Squadron in England. He was involved in a mid-air collison piloting B-17 # 42-3184 on a training flight at Alconbury on 21 July 1943 (collision with B-17 # 42-29853). He was pilot of B17 #42-29965, which went down in the Channel for lack of fuel on return from the Stuttgart mission of 6 September 1943. All ten men on board were rescued by a French boat and returned to base. He was Pilot of B-17 # 42-30711 on the 14 October 1943 mission to Schweinfurt, but had to abort the mission as the plane's #2 supercharger regulator was not functioning properly. Promoted to Captain on 1 November 1943, he flew on a number of operations. Was Co-Pilot to Lt Klyza on board B-17 #42-97778, the 92nd BG leading aircraft on the 4 August 1944 mission to Anklam, Germany. Assistant Group Operations Officer in the 92nd's 325th BS, he flew as Co-Pilot in the Group's lead aircraft (Serial # ?) on the 24 August 1944 mission to Merseburg. He was wounded in the hip during this mission, when a burst of Flak struck the ship on the bomb run. Fred Prasse ended his military career as a Colonel in the USAAF.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 407th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11998665 /O-674111
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 407th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39169650
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Bombardier / Togglier / Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 407th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 36048962
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 92nd Bomb Group 351st Bomb Squadron 407th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17034210
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner/Radar Controller
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 407th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39099087
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 327th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 94th Bomb Group 333rd Bomb Squadron 407th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Fertile Turtle Myrtle
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 407th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: U.S.S.. Aliquippa
- Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 407th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 379th Bomb Group 91st Bomb Group 92nd Bomb Group 327th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 24 August 1944
- Date: 4 August 1944
- Date: 14 October 1943
- Date: 6 September 1943
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
New York State | 18 September 1918 | the son of German-born Carl S. and Louise P. Prasse |
Other Promoted to Captain |
1 November 1943 | ||
Died |
Washington, District of Columbia, United States | 15 June 1967 | |
West Brighton, Staten Island, NY, États-Unis | |||
Staten Island, New York, United States | |||
Enlisted |
in the Army Reserve Corps | ||
Other Commission |
Commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant | ||
Other called to active duty |
Pennsylvania, United States | ||
Other entered the Armored Force School |
Fort Knox, Kentucky | ||
Other transferred to the US Army Air Forces |
|||
Other received his pilot's wings |
Turner Field, Albany, Georgia, United States | ||
Buried |
Revisions
Added details to bio; connection with aircraft and missions
Aborted mission on 42-30711 : http://92ndma.org/missions/43o14schweinfurt.htm
Info about the 4 August 1944 mission with Lt Klyza : http://www.92ndma.org/92nd/326Journal/844.htm
24 August 1944 mission : http://92ndma.org/miscellaneous/Newsletters/missrptaug44.689.pdf
Some details from pages 14-15 at https://chiphi.dynamic.omegafi.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2013/2016/1…
* US 1930 Census
* 92nd Bomb Group website : http://92ndma.org
* Article about the 6 September 1943 dirching of 42-29965 on page 14 at http://92ndma.org/miscellaneous/Newsletters/newsletter.993.pdf
* Aborted on 14 October 1943 mission to Schweinfurt ith 42-30711 : http://92ndma.org/missions/43o14schweinfurt.htm
* Mention of his being wounded on the Merseburg mission 24 August 1944 on page 1 at http://92ndma.org/miscellaneous/Newsletters/missrptaug44.689.pdf
* Pages 14-15 at
https://chiphi.dynamic.omegafi.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2013/2016/1…
* SSDI - Social Security Death Index
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. 268