Maurice Victor Henry
Military ROLL OF HONOURKneeling: Pitelka (B), Childs (N, shot down with another crew 1943-10-14, evaded), DeMille (CP), Morrison (P)
Shot down 26 November 1943 in B-17 #42-5051 'Barrel House Bessie'. T/Sgt Maurice Henry was Top Turret Gunner on this Fortress, which ditched into the North Sea after being hit by Flak. Besides being posthumously awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart, T/Sgt Henry was also awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (DSC). His citation for the DSC reads : "Maurice V. Henry, 37205337, Technical Sergeant, Army Air Forces, United States Army. For valor above and beyond the call of duty while participating in an operational mission over Germany on 26 November 1943, T/Sgt Henry's display of courage, coolness, skill and self-negation in the presence of great hazard and uncertainty, with utter disregard of his own personal safety, made possible the rescue of seven members of his crew although by his actions he is missing and presumed to have perished. Further details published in: Valor: The Saga of Barrel House Bessie by John L. Frisbee, AirandSpaceForces.com. See attached media
Connections
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Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-735632
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 20243890 at enlistment, then O-683297
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 37300035
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 384th Bomb Group 544th Bomb Squadron 2023rd Engineer Fire Fighting Platoon
- Service Numbers: 32424264
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator / Mechanic / Gunner
Aircraft
Missions
Places
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
14 July 1914 | Ravenwood, Nodaway County, Missouri | |
Died Missing In Action (MIA) |
26 November 1943 | Plane was damaged by flak and ditched in the North Sea near the English coast. T/Sgt Henry was swept away and lost. Posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his valorous actions on his final mission. MACR 1579 | |
Other Memorial |
Cambridge, England | Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England: Tablets of the Missing |
Revisions
MACR 1579
WWII Casualties for Nodaway County, Missouri
ABMC website
"Heritage of Valor" by Colonel Budd J. Peaslee (J. B. Lippincott Cy, 1964 - pages 285-287
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1579 / MACR 1579, http://384thbombgroup.com/_content/_pages/PersonnelSearch.php?LastName=… / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database