Herman Samuel Haag
Military
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman S. Haag (top turret gunner, and engineer of the B-17 41-24444, The Red Gremlin)
Object Number - UPL 30959 - Herman S. Haag, top turret gunner, and engineer of the B-17 41-24444, The Red Gremlin
Herman S. Haag served on the B17 Flying Fortress, #41-24444, known as the "Red Gremlin." The aircraft was commanded by pilot Paul Tibbets with Tom Ferebee serving as the bombardier and Theodore "Dutch" Van Kirk. They led the group on its first strategic bombing missions over Europe and North Africa. They also performed special missions including transporting generals Mark Clark and Dwight Eisenhower to their needed locations in anticipation of the critical North African campaign during the fall of 1942. The Red Gremlin and crew were part of the 97th Bomb Group, 340th Bomb Squadron.
Addendum to Herman Haag's awards: He received both the Air Force and Army Good Conduct Medal (with one silver loop); The Army Commendation Medal; the Combat Readiness Medal; the Distinguished Flying Cross with 9 oak leaf clusters (one silver, 3 bronze); the Korean Service Medal (with 3 bronze stars); and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Twelfth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
![Ground personnel of the 97th Bomb Group reservice a B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 41-9023) nicknamed "Yankee Doodle", following the raid on Rouen. Image stamped on reverse: 'Associated Press.' [stamp], 'Passed for Publication 18 Aug 1942.' [stamp], 'Air=SER (Boeing).' [written annotation] and '216112.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'U.S FLYING FORTRESSES RAID ROUEN IN DAYLIGHT. Associated Press Photo Shows: No sooner had one of the huge Fortresses landed after the raid than ground crew im](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-379318.jpg.webp?itok=n7iztoxa)
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: The Red Gremlin, Superman
- Unit: 340th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Latrobe, PA 15650, USA | 1 May 1916 | |
|
Enlisted |
26 January 1940 | ||
|
Enlisted |
Pittsburgh, PA, USA | 20 November 1945 | Re-enlisted after the war |
|
Died |
16 July 2001 | ||
| Westmoreland County, PA, USA |
Revisions
Added an Enlisted event per info in the "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010" at Ancestry.com
Added Middle Name per info in the "U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007" at Ancestry.com.
Added a "-" to the S/N to aid clarity & consistency.
Added a "#" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman Haag.
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman Haag.
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman Haag.
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman Haag
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman Haag.
Info from Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman Haag
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman S. Haag (top turret gunner and engineer of B-17 41-24444, the Red Gremlin)
Personal collection of Bethany S. Huber, daughter of Herman S. Haag (top turret gunner and engineer of B-17 41-24444, the Red Gremlin)
NARA enlistment record: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf…
My wife is the daughter of Herman S. Haag
97th Bomb Group Association, Inc., Roster - June 1, 2000 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
