Roy Urich
Military
Object Number - UPL 43632 - B-17 42-31035 'Hang The Expense' with Frank Valesh crew and groundcrew. Rear L-R: T/Sgt John Mytko, 2Lt John R. Johnson, 2Lt Frank E. Valesh, 2Lt...
Assigned to 351BS, 100BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) Frankfurt in B-17 42-39867 'Hang the Expense II'; blown out of A/C and seriously injured when 88mm flak explosion damaged the tail. 24-Jan-44. Prisoner of War (POW).
Awards: AM, POW, American Campaign Medal, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
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: 100th Bomb Group 351st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17062813 / O-?
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
![A B-17G Flying Fortress (EP-E, serial number 42-39867) of the 351st Bomb Squadron, 100th Bomb Group. Official caption on image: "265-(44). WPU - 2.29.44. Eastchurch. B-17G - 42-39867. FA-FSAD." Handwritten caption on reverse: '100th Bomb Group, 13th Combat Wing, 3rd Air Division, E?-E.[EP-E]' On reverse: USAAF Photographic Section Station 595 [Stamp].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-407367.jpg.webp?itok=w_Ml4PfT)
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hang the Expense II, Boeing Belle
- Unit: 100th Bomb Group 349th Bomb Squadron 351st Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Grantsville, MD | 3 November 1919 | Son of Jacob and Otilda Margaret [Hanft] Urich. Brother to Carl F, Albert L, John H and William J. |
|
Enlisted |
Los Angeles, CA | 25 July 1942 | Los Angeles, California |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Zagan Poland | 24 January 1944 | Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft III. |
|
Other Baled out POW |
Frankfurt, Germany | 24 January 1944 | Blown out of B-17 42-39867 'Hang the Expense II' on Frankfurt mission and seriously injured when 88mm flak explosion damaged the tail during an operational mission on 24-Jan-44. POW |
|
Based |
Thorpe Abbotts | 24 January 1944 | Assigned to 351BS, 100BG, 8AF USAAF. |
| Whittier, CA | Whittier, California |
Revisions
Added POW camp info to the POW event from WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
Added a "#" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Added a POW event per WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).
100th Bomb Group Foundation Directory, 2000 - 2001, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
