Joseph Leonard Albury, Jr was born on 13 February 1917, in Miami, Florida, his father, Joseph, was 38 and his mother, Mary Olive (Millard) Albury was 27. Joseph was referred to by his family members using his middle name Leonard. He had four brothers, two older Joseph K. and Gordon M. and two younger Phillip S. I. and Charles (Don). One older sister Barbara M. and one younger sister. Joseph, Jr will hereafter in this bio be referred to as Leonard, as he would be remembered by his family.



Prior to entering military service Leonard was the chief accountant for the Embry-Riddle Flying School at Arcadia, Florida. He was a graduate of Miami High School and attended the University of Miami.



Leonard was enlisted into the military on 10 January 1942 at Camp Blanding Florida, original ASN: 34200250, and transferred to Santa Ana Army Air Base, CA for AAF basic training and aptitude evaluation. During this process Leonard was quickly advanced into the Aviation Cadet Program. Leonard was assigned to Eagle Field, Dos Palos Airport, in central California for primary pilot school training flying Ryan PT-22s training there through January 1943. He would go on to advanced pilot training where he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and awarded his silver pilot wings, and issued his new officer serial number O-747698.



Leonard continued to advance in his pilot training being awarded his multi-engine rating. In January 1944 Leonard was assigned to combat training with the 335th Bomb Group (BG), 474th Bomb Squadron (BS) a B-26 Marauder Operational Training Unit (OTU) at Barksdale Field, Shreveport, Louisiana. By 27 March 1944 combat crew training was completed and Leonard and his crew were ready for overseas deployment.



By order of Barksdale Field HQ Special Order No. 84 dated 24 March 1944 assigned Leonard and his crew designated as #12 of the 474th BS were deployed to the Mediterranean Theater of Operations. Deployment was to be carried out via the South Atlantic air route through Brazil to North Africa. Final destination and assignment was with the 17th BG, 95th BS, 12th Air Force already operational at that time from the Air Field at Villacidro on the island of Sardinia.



Villacidro Air Field Ref:

http://www.b26.com/page/17-bomb-group-villacidro-sardinia-italy-1943-19…



Once Leonard reached Villacidro Air Field he would go on to complete 33 missions with the 95th Squadron, 17th BG. Sadly Leonard was killed in action along with his crew, save two members on his 34th mission on 20 August 1944. This was a bombing mission attacking the large harbor defensive gun emplacements at Toulon, France during Operation Dragoon, the Allied invasion of southern France.



There are some historic images, one included here of the loss of Leonard’s B-26 Marauder B-26C-45-MO-42-107735, named “Flossie's Fury" captured by photographer S/Sgt. Peter Holmes aboard another 17th BG aircraft that day. Quite horrific capturing the moment a Nazi 88 mm AAA shell exploded removing the starboard engine of Leonard’s Marauder. The plane would crash east of the target near Carquieranne, France.



Miraculously two crew members were able to escape and evade capture. Well documented in this internet account:

http://320thbg.org/greater_love_2.html