John Dudley Crouchley Jr

Military
media-37258.jpeg UPL 37258 2LT John D. "Dud" Crouchley
Pilot
485th BG - 828th BS - 15th AF
KIA - 28 June 1944
Held his severely damaged aircraft steady allowing his crew to bail out safely.

Object Number - UPL 37258 - 2LT John D. "Dud" Crouchley Pilot 485th BG - 828th BS - 15th AF KIA - 28 June 1944 Held his severely damaged aircraft steady allowing his crew to...

Assigned to 828BS, 485BG, 15AF USAAF. 25 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) Bucharest, Romania in B-24 42-52701 28-Jun-44; Shot down by E/A, held A/C stable to enable his crew to bale out, unable to escape himself. Killed in Action(KIA) MACR 6820/8339



Awards: DFC, AM, PH, American Campaign, WWII Victory, EAME (2 x battle stars), Unit Citation.



Was listed as MIA, recorded on tablets of the missing at Florence American Cemetery. His remains were recovered / identified and finally laid to rest by his family in 2019.

Connections

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

Units served with

A B-24 Liberator (serial number 44-41068) of the 485th Bomb Group, 15th Air Force in flight. Handwritten caption on reverse: 'Yellow? 44-41068.'
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Fifteenth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 485th Bomb Group 828th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 34825574 / O-820014
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Unit: 485th Bomb Group 828th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 14059508 / O-693519
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Bombardier
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 485th Bomb Group 828th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 38233125
  • Highest Rank: Technician Fourth Grade
  • Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 485th Bomb Group 828th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33585178
  • Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
  • Role/Job: Tail Gunner
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 485th Bomb Group 828th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 17079701
  • Highest Rank: Technician Third Grade
  • Role/Job: Nose Gunner

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Nicknames: Miss Yankee Rebel
  • Unit: 485th Bomb Group 828th Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Rhode Island 4 September 1917 Son of John D Snr and Katherine Crouchley. NoK: Mrs Dorothy H Crouchley

Enlisted

Providence, Rhode Island 17 March 1942

Other

Married

12 July 1943 Married Dorothy H Barber.

Based

Venosa 10 May 1944 - 28 June 1944 Assigned to 828BS, 485BG, 15AF USAAF.

Died

Plovdiv, Bulgaria 28 June 1944 KIA while holding his severely damaged aircraft level so the rest of the crew could bail out safely.

Buried

North Burial Ground Bristol, Bristol County, Rhode Island 4 May 2019 North Burial Ground Bristol, Bristol County, Rhode Island

Buried

Florence American Cemetery and Memorial Florence, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana, Italy Tablets of the Missing Remains recovered in 2019

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

Correction to Rank

John Dudley Crouchley: Gallery (2 items)