Thomas William Qualman Sr

Military

Assigned to 765BS, 461BG, 15AF USAAF. West crew. 10 x combat mission. Failed to Return (FTR) Odertal oil refinery in B-24 44-41016; Hit by fighters, A/C set on fire and exploded. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 10636



Awards: PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

A B-24 Liberator of the 461st Bomb Group, 15th Air Force drops supplies over a Prisoner of War camp in Austria, May 1945. Handwritten caption on reverse: '9 May 1945, Last 'combat' mission of 461st BG to British POW camp near Villack, Austria. #33 flown by Lt John Stegman- 765th BS.'

461st Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Fifteenth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Thomas Kurtz West

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 461st Bomb Group 765th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: 20717506 / O-798711
  • Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

44-41016

  • Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
  • Unit: 461st Bomb Group 765th Bomb Squadron

Places

Dulag Luft 12

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Dulag Luft Grosstychow Dulag 12
Prisoners of war, including Colonel Hubert Zemke of the 479th Fighter Group at Stalag Luft I.

Stalag Luft I

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany

Torretta

  • Site type: Airfield
  • Known as: Cerignola #3

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Saginaw, MI 6 February 1925 Son of Walter A and Olive Marie [Stiber] Qualman.

Other

Baled out POW

Olomouc, Czech 17 December 1944 Failed to Return (FTR) Odertal oil refinery in B-24 44-41016; Hit by fighters, A/C set on fire and exploded. POW MACR 10636

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Barth, Germany 17 December 1944 Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I.

Died

North Charleston, SC 5 November 2010

Buried

Screven County Memorial Cemetery Sylvania, Screven County, GA 9 November 2010 Screven County Memorial Cemetery Sylvania, Screven County, GA

Based

Torretta 17 December 1944 Assigned to 765BS, 461BG, 15AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
Changes
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/28677751
https://www.fold3.com/image/138152334
https://www.fold3.com/image/662084443
https://www.fold3.com/record/283532581-thomas-william-qualman
http://www.461st.org/Crews/765th%20Crews/West.html
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/thomas-qualman-obituary?pid=1465…
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/86741773/thomas-william-qualman