John Wesley Clifton
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
REAR L-R: Forrest G. Seaver, Unkn, Unkn, John W. "Junior" Clifton, Unkn. FRONT L-R: Unkn, Unkn, James H McPartlin, Julian M Hexum.
This is the first crew of The Shamrock Special. Julian M. Hexum was lead bombardier on most of this crew's missions. According to Ron Hexum, the oldest of 5 offspring from Julian and Janet Hexum, his father (Julian) was considered the "old man" of his crew at 26 years old when the above photo was taken. Ron believes that his father was a 1st Lt. at the time of the photo. He returned from WWII as a Captain (battle promotions to officer rank as he started his tour of duty as a Sgt.). Julian also flew a mission on The Bad Penny and Old Bill during the time The Shamrock Special had the whole tail section replaced (lost after a collision on the ground). Julian downed two confirmed FW-190s using the nose guns of The Shamrock Special.
Object Number - UPL 50596 - "Capt. McPartlin and crew of the 401th Bomb Squadron, 91st Bomb Group, 8th Air Force, beside the Boeing B-17 "Flying Fortress" "The Shamrock...
Assigned to 401BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. John Clifton served as a radio operator with the 91st Bomb Group. On 3-Nov-43, he was in B-17 42-30805 when it was shot down. In the Missing Air Crew Report filed about this incident (MACR 1155), one of his crew members reports that Clifton could not bail out because he had been injured and had died at his station in the radio room.
Awards: PH.
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 401st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-2044671
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Bomb Boogie's Revenge
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 401st Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Bayard, NE | 25 April 1920 | Son of Charles W Clifton. |
|
Enlisted |
Nebraska | 30 July 1941 | |
|
Died Killed in Action (KIA) |
Gesellschaftshaus, Germany | 3 November 1943 | Failed to Return (FTR) Wilhelmshafen in B-17 42-30805 3-Nov-43; shot down crashed Gesellschaftshaus. KIA MACR 1155 |
|
Buried |
Fairmount Cemetery Denver, Denver County, CO | Fairmount Cemetery Denver, Denver County, Colorado | |
|
Based |
Bassingbourn | 2 November 1943 | Assigned to 401BS, 91BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1155 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
