Harold Winfred Spink
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Uploaded
Object Number - UPL 20565 - Harold Spink
Shot down by an FW 190 on mission to Tours Airfield, FR on 5 Feb 1944 in B-24J #42-100181 'Star Valley. ' Killed in Action (KIA).
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-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Star Valley
- Unit: 44th Bomb Group 68th Bomb Squadron
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
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Born |
Lincoln, Nebraska, USA | 6 January 1919 | Harold Winfred Spink was born January 6, 1919 in Lincoln, Nebraska. His parents Henry and Lina were born in Illinois and Iowa, respectively. Harold had three older brothers and one younger brother. His father worked as a mail clerk for a railroad company, and passed away in 1926. Harold married Pauline Heckman in 1939 and had one daughter. I was not able to find the family in the 1940 census records. Harold enlisted in the US Army Air Forces on December 19, 1941. He trained as a bombardier and was assigned to the 68th Bomber Squadron of the 44th Bomb Group, Eighth Air Force. The 44th BG was the first B-24 Liberator heavy bombardment group to be stationed in England, and sustained the highest loss rate of any B-24 group in the Eighth AAF. 2nd Lt. Spink completed his first bombing mission to Bremen, Germany on December 16, 1943 and took part in another six missions by the end of January 1944. On February 5, 1944 2nd Lt. Spink was aboard B-24 “Star Valley” on his eighth mission, part of a formation of 102 aircraft tasked to bomb a Renault works manufacturing plant near Tours, France. On the return flight, the B-24 was attacked by FW-190 fighters, which shot off part of a wing, sending the aircraft into an uncontrollable spin. One crew member managed to bail out and became a prisoner or war. Lt. Spink was either killed in the fighter attack or was unable to bail out and was killed when the aircraft crashed near St.-Léonard-en-Beauce, France. Harold Winfred Spink was initially buried in Blois, France and was later reinterred in Wyuka Cemetery in Lincoln, Nebraska. The citizens of the town of St.-Léonard-en-Beauce honor the crew of the “Star Valley” with an annual ceremony and parade, and in 2014 unveiled a marble monument to the crew. I was not able to find any information about Harold’s wife and daughter, but found a touching article written by his granddaughter here. |
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Died |
5 February 1944 | ||
|
Buried |
Nebraska | Wyuka Cemetery Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, USA | |
|
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
France | 5 February 1944 |
Revisions
ContributorBobF13
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2233 / MACR 2233, Losse of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
