John M Kirklin

Military

Survived when B-17G-80-BO 43-38184 was involved in a mid-air collision with B-17G-80-BO 43-37941 over the French coast on 1st September 1944.

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 490th Bomb Group.

490th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

William Junior Shiffer

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 490th Bomb Group 849th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 33498522
  • Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
  • Role/Job: Flight Engineer; Gunner

Aircraft

43-38184

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 490th Bomb Group 849th Bomb Squadron

Places

Eye, home of the 490th Bomb Group, photographed from the air. Image via Mark Brown, AFA. Written on slide casing: 'Eye from air.'

Eye

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Brome

Events

Event Location Date Description

Enlisted

28 January 1942 Enlisted at Kelly Field, Texas.

Other

Survived

1 September 1944 "I can only remember a loud noise and I lost consciousness. I regained consciousness after falling 10 000 feet. I pulled on the control handle and my parachute opened. I've realized that I had a broken back, injuries to the head and the hands. I immediately looked if I saw other parachutes in the air around me but I did not see anything. I again lost consciousness at about 4000-2000 feet above the ground. I do not know when I landed and I woke up only after French civilians have me removed my harness and had me lying on the ground; There were five. I immediately asked if they had seen other parachutes, they said they had seen five in this small way. I landed north of Caen, near Deauville. Canadian soldiers took me into their ambulance to the French Hospital Deauville. " John was then transferred to a Canadian field hospital and then to England, where he remained until January 1945.
1 April 1971 - 7 May 1990 Lived in Windcrest, Texas.

Died

7 May 1990 Died in Brooke Army Hospital, Texas.

Buried

10 May 1990 Buried in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

Born

12 November 2018 Born in Menard, Texas, reared in Brady, Texas

Revisions

Date
Contributorhoffman1964
Changes
Sources

Information provided by son-in-law Michael P. Hoffman, Lt Col USAF-Retired.

Date
Contributorhoffman1964
Changes
Sources

Information furnished by son-in-law, Michael P. Hoffman, Lt Col USAF-Retired

Date
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
Changes
Sources

Details added from :
MACR 8857 - https://www.fold3.com;
hhttp://www.ladives1944.com/documents/crash-b17-dives-cabourg/&prev=sear…;
http://www.findagrave.com

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

490th Bomb Group Unit Personnel / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia