Jack Atherton

Military

Shot down by flak and crashed at Gruenewald on 6/21/44 in B-17 #42-31496 Prisoner of War (POW)

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

Aircraft

42-102393

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Diana Queen Of The Chase
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron

42-31496

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Salvo Sadie
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron

42-39993

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Hells Angels Out Of Chute 13, Grossly Inadequate
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron

42-97811

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Slick Chick
  • Unit: 401st Bomb Group 612th Bomb Squadron

Missions

384

  • Date: 2 June 1944
  • Official Description: Role of Bombers from 2-5 June in preparation for invasion of Normandy on 6 June includes continuation of attacks against transportation and Airfield Targets in Northern France and the institution of a series of blows against coastal defenses, mainly...

388

  • Date: 3 June 1944
  • Official Description: In Operation COVER, 338 Heavy Bombers attack coastal defenses in the Pas de Calais area, bombing a total of 22 assigned targets. In second mission of the day 215 Heavy Bombers attack 16 of the targets bombed during the first mission. No Bombers are...

391

  • Date: 4 June 1944
  • Official Description: Third mission of the day consists of attacks by 400 Heavy Bombers on 10 targets including Airfields, railway junctions and bridges. No Bombers are lost.

395

  • Date: 6 June 1944
  • Official Description: Eighth reaches its top strength as 493d Bomb Group (H) becomes operational, making a total of 40 Heavy Bomber Groups now operational. Heavy Bombers fly 4 missions in spite of the invasion of Normandy. The third mission is dispatched against the...

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Pawtucket, Rhode Island, USA

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Germany 1944-06-21 Stalag 7A Moosburg Bavaria 48-12 (Work Camps 3324-46 Krumbachstrasse 48011, Work Camp 3368 Munich 48-11)

Revisions

Date21 Nov 2021 23:11:58
Contributoracbernstein1
Sources

http://401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=0003

Date20 Jan 2020 00:06:22
Contributorjmoore43
Sources

Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" for clarity.

Date18 Jan 2020 04:50:21
Contributorjmoore43
Sources

Added S/N and POW camp information from WW2 POW records at the National Archives.

Date23 Jun 2017 16:03:13
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
Sources

Merged with duplicate entry to include details from:
- the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia

Date27 Sep 2014 18:13:43
ContributorAAM
Sources

MACR 6000 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database