Herbert Walter Claxton

Military
media-52549.jpeg UPL 52549 2nd Lt Herbert W Claxton. 401BG

USAAF Photo

Object Number - UPL 52549 - 2nd Lt Herbert W Claxton. 401BG

Assigned to 614BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 27 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Bordeaux in B-17 42-31315 'Liberty Run', on 19-Jun-44; flak shot off the tail, A/C ditched in Bay of Biscay. Interned (INT) in Spain.

Awards: AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME (1 x Battle Star).

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

A pathfinder B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 44-8258) of the 401st Bomb Group. Image by Robert Astrella. Written on slide casing: '48258 14 A, Mount Farm.'

401st Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Garrett Anthony Filemyr

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 13078848 / O-807624
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Lavata Talmadge Melton

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 18082882 / O-693301
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot

John J Schulz

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

Factory fresh B-17s

42-107084

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Betty's Revenge
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron

42-31315

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Liberty Run
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron

42-97478

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Shade Ruff #2
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 614th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Lakewood, NJ 24 March 1922 Son of Walter Underwood and Catherine Yale [Kelsey] Claxton.

Enlisted

New York City, NY 8 July 1942 New York City, New York

Other

Interned (INT)

Spain 19 June 1944 - 4 July 1944 Failed to Return (FTR) Bordeaux in B-17 42-31315 'Liberty Run', on 19-Jun-44; flak shot off the tail, A/C ditched in Bay of Biscay. Interned (INT) in Spain.

Other

Discharged USAAF

12 July 1945 Honourable discharge.

Died

Largo, FL 21 January 1997
Ocean County, NJ

Based

Deenethorpe Assigned to 614BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date23 Oct 2021 16:54:51
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to middlename, service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/28652616
https://www.fold3.com/image/28739045
https://www.fold3.com/image/675411094
https://www.fold3.com/image/206146898
https://www.fold3.com/record/16100100/herbert-w-claxton-social-security…
https://www.fold3.com/record/83552188/herbert-w-claxton-wwii-army-enlis…
https://www.fold3.com/record/629155364/herbert-claxton-1922-veterans-af…
http://401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=2639
http://401bg.org/Main/History/Crews/Details.aspx?CrewId=12071

Date21 Apr 2021 00:51:30
Contributorjmoore43
ChangesChanges to biography
Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C tail # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

Date27 Sep 2014 18:12:57
ContributorAAM
ChangesAAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 5999 / MACR 5999,

href="http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=2639">http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=2639> / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Herbert Walter Claxton: Gallery (1 items)