Wayne Eldon Murdock
Military ROLL OF HONOURShot down by fighters on 11 January 1944 in B-17 #42-3057 'Blonde Bomber. ' Killed in Action (KIA). Wayne Murdock grew up and went to school in Thomas, graduating from the University of Idaho in 1940. Enlisted in 1942, he completed pilot training and was sent overseas in November 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17038949 and O-685772
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 33422227
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39226242 and O-751172
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron 324th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18162955
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron 324th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 6227096
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Picadilly Commando, Blonde Bomber
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 322nd Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 11 January 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Thomas, Bingham County, Idaho, United States | 5 January 1917 | the second son of Leo Delbert Murdock and Frances Rosetta (Dance) Murdock. |
Enlisted |
Boise, Idaho, United States | 5 May 1942 | as a Private in the Air Corps |
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Ausleben, near Oschersleben, Germany | 11 January 1944 | As they fell away from the aircraft, gunners Sobieski and Roswell saw Lt Murdock leave the plane, but did not see his chute deploy. His body was found near the fragmented remains of “Blonde Bomber.” Either his chute was shot up and failed to deploy, or Lt Murdock was hit and killed on the catwalk over the bomb bay, his body then falling free. |
Buried |
Thomas Riverside Cemetery, Blackfoot, Idaho, United States | ||
Thomas, Bingham County, Idaho, United States |
Revisions
MACR 1918
NARA WWII Enlistment records
“Mary Ruth” Memories of Mobile... We Still Remember, by Lowell L. Getz
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1918 / MACR 1918, 8th AF Losses / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database