John L Frencho
Military17 missions February 1945 - 25 April 1945
Air Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster
Jack was a proud Veteran of WWII U.S. Army Air Corps. He was 2nd Lt. Navigator with the 91st Bomb Group, 324th Squadron, 8th Air Force stationed in Bassingbourn. Jack served as the navigator on a B-17G named Lady Freda as a member of William P. Steffens’ crew. Jack flew on 16 Missions. His most memorable non-combat missions were the retrieval of American and British Aircrew POWs from Stalag-Luft One at Barth, Germany on two separate flights returning the British to England, then a return trip to pick up the Americans and take them to an airfield near Paris. (Written by daughter, Lorraine)
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Lady Freda
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 94th Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | 11 October 1923 | |
Died |
Columbus, Ohio | 25 February 2016 |
Revisions
Year of birth changed from 1913 to 1923. Frencho contacted the American Air Museum with the correct year.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / self