Murray Taylor Byrd
Military
Radio Operator
Jack Mitsch Crew
452nd BG - 730th BS
Chris Brassfield
Object Number - UPL 7138 - Murray T. Byrd Radio Operator Jack Mitsch Crew 452nd BG - 730th BS
Flew on the Big Week missions, the first Berlin raids and the D-Day missions.
Flew the 21 June 1944 shuttle mission to Poltava
Went to Auburn University on a football scholarship.
Devoted to his wife Betty.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 730th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: E-Rat-Icator
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 730th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Other 1st mission |
Romilly-sur-Seine, France | 6 February 1944 | Awakened at 0415. Breakfast at 0430. Briefed at 0500. Romilly, France is the sight of a German repair depot. JU-88's there as well. Took off at 0810. We were in the spare element. At 0835 we filled in position #5 in the lead squadron. Sighted the French coast at 1040 at 24,000 feet. Saw first fighter escort at 1045. P-47's. Oh what a beautiful sight! Encountered flak over Dieppe. Five bursts within 100 feet of the ship. Over the target at 1137. Primary target obscured. Secondary target was visible but the position of the high squadron (directly over us) prevented us from dropping bombs. Saw moderate flak from the Paris area on the way out. Also saw a rocket projectile fired from the ground. Returned home at 1435. All hands safe. No battle damage. No ships lost. A big thrill seeing wave after wave of bombers assembled in the sky. I was excited but at no time unduly frightened. One down, twenty four more to go. |
|
Other Mission |
Berlin, Germany | 6 March 1944 | Awakened at 0345. Briefing at 0500. For the 3rd consecutive day we were attempting to hit Berlin (I was on the other two missions as well). Take off at 0800. Crossed the Zuider Zee. It was a beautiful day. At Dummer Lake encountered fighter opposition. The wing ahead of us was shot up pretty good by flak and enemy fighters. We could see enemy fighters swarming around the formation ahead before they broke off to attack us. We saw two FW 190's coming at 10 o'clock high. Hard to believe I was a soon to be 20 year old then - Murray Byrd |
|
Died |
Fairfield, AL, USA | 22 September 2012 | BYRD, MURRAY TAYLOR Murry T. Byrd age 88, of Fairfield Alabama, went to meet his savior on Saturday September 22nd, 2012. He was preceded in death by his loving wife Betty. He is survived by his 4 nieces, 1 nephew and a host of loving family and friends. While playing for the Auburn Tiger football team, Mr Byrd, along with the entire team and the coach joined the United States AirForce serving in World War II. He was a longtime member of Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church and an active attendant at Peoples Church in Hueytown. - See more at: http://obits.al.com/obituaries/birmingham/obituary.aspx?pid=160122077#sthash.sv7bRkAg.dpuf |
|
Born |
Birmingham, AL, USA |
Revisions
Chris Brassfield
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
