James Maitland Stewart

Military
media-21238.jpeg UPL 21238 Captain James Stewart

Wording. - Kickapoo

Object Number - UPL 21238 - Captain James Stewart

Hollywood screen actor James Stewart interrupted his successful film career to join the Air Corps in 1941. Aware of publicity value for the war effort, the US authorities tried to stifle Stewart's desire to fly combat missions and assigned him to a series of quiet postings. Stewart, however, persisted and by late 1943 he was commander of the 703rd Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, at Tibenham, Norfolk, flying B-24 Liberators.



Stewart flew 20 combat missions over Germany, gaining the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal before being transferred as Group Operations Officer to the 453rd Bomb Group in early 1944.



Returning to the USA after the war with the rank of Colonel, Stewart resumed his acting career but retained his links with the USAF by joining the Reserve. In this capacity he later took part in combat missions over North Vietnam before retiring in 1968 as a Brigadier General.



He was the winner of an Oscar in 1941 for The Philadelphia Story

Connections

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

Units served with

A pathfinder B-24 Liberator (serial number 42-51681) of the 453rd Bomb Group flies in formation with a fellow Liberator of the 453rd and and a pathfinder Liberator of the 445th Bomb Group. Image via Alan Rowsell.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
Colonel Larry Thomas of the 453rd Bomb Group. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Col Larry Thomas 453BG.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 389th Bomb Group 564th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 15045876 / 0-325990
  • Highest Rank: Major General
  • Role/Job: Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 445th Bomb Group 703rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: T-125608
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Bombardier, Bombardier; Navigator
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 25th Bomb Group 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron 401st Bomb Squadron 653rd Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 19079017
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Role/Job: Pilot
A bomber crew of the 381st Bomb Group return to base after a mission in their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-31761) nicknamed "Rotherhithe's Revenge". Image stamped on reverse: 'Sunday Pictorial for Censor.' [stamp], 'Passed for publication 10 Mar 1944.' [stamp] and '310673.' [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: 'BACK FROM BERLIN. Scenes this week at a Bomber station of the U.S. Air Force , somewhere in England. The crew of the Flying Fortress "Rotherhithe's Revenge", a British subscribed ship
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 381st Bomb Group 445th Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron 535th Bomb Squadron 701st Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 16066723 / O-665306
  • Highest Rank: Major
  • Role/Job: Assistant Operations Officer
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 453rd Bomb Group
  • Highest Rank: Master Sergeant
  • Role/Job: Full-Track Driver

Missions

Places

Signal Squares on the airfield at Tibenham, B-24 Liberators of the 398th Bomb Group are visible in the background. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Tibenham Signal Squares.'
  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Tivetshall

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Indiana, Pennsylvania 20 May 1908 The son of Elizabeth Ruth (née Jackson; March 16, 1875 – August 2, 1953) and Alexander Maitland Stewart (May 19, 1871 – December 28, 1961).

Died

Beverley Hills, California 2 July 1997 Died of a pulmonary embolism.

Enlisted

Buried

Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, USA Forest Lawn Memorial Park

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added an association to the 8th AF Bomber Command Mission #226 for 20 Feb 1944 per pg. 5 in the book “Blood and Fears” by Kevin Wilson.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
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Added a connection to 8th AF mission #235 for 25 Feb 1944 per info in the book "Big Week" by James Holland.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
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Added a connection to 8th AF.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
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Added Enlistment per data on Wikipedia & burial events per data at Find-a-grave MEMORIAL ID 1816 .

Date
Contributorjmoore43
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Updated awards per data on Wikipedia.

Date
ContributorDieterle
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Sources

Philip Ardery, Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky: 1978) 221.

Date
ContributorDieterle
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Sources

Starr Smith, Jimmy Stewart: Bomber Pilot (St. Paul: Voyageur Press, 2006).

Date
ContributorDieterle
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Sources

Philip Ardery, Bomber Pilot: A Memoir of World War II (Lexington: The University Press of Kentucky: 1978) 199-200.

Date
ContributorEmily
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Associated Freeman Collection Media and selected Key image

Date
ContributorEmily
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Peggy J Martin, via American Air Museum Memory Book Correspondence.

Date
ContributorPhillWray
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Biography updated from AAM caption info.

Date
ContributorAAM
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Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Who's Who in the Eighth Air Force and/or Biographical Directory Command & Staff Officers Eighth Air Force 1942-45; In Search of Peace, pg 107 (photo)

James Maitland Stewart: Gallery (20 items)