William Bonin Jr

Military

Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF. 30 x combat missions. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Wernigeerode in B-17 42-31028; Hit by flak, exploded in mid-air and crashed near Munster, Germany on 22-Feb-44, Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 2872.

Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 379th Bomb Group.

379th Bomb Group

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

People

Harry Richard Simons

  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 524th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-795841
  • Highest Rank: Captain
  • Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

42-29747

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Rikki Tikki Tavi II
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 526th Bomb Squadron

42-29772

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Mojo
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 524th Bomb Squadron

42-29776

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 524th Bomb Squadron

42-29891

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Dangerous Dan
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 524th Bomb Squadron

42-29893

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: El Diablo
  • Unit: 379th Bomb Group 524th Bomb Squadron

Missions

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

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Cresskill, NJ 5 December 1920 Son of Kathryne E and William Bonin Snr.

Enlisted

Newark, NJ 8 June 1942 Newark, New Jersey

Other

Baled out POW

Munster, Germany 22 February 1944 Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Wernigeerode in B-17 42-31028; Hit by flak, exploded in mid-air and crashed near Munster, Germany on 22-Feb-44. Prisoner of War(POW). MACR 2872

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Barth, Germany 22 February 1944 Prisoner of War(POW). Stalag Luft I.

Based

Prisoner of War (POW)

Kimbolton 22 February 1944 Assigned to 524BS, 379BG, 8AF USAAF.

Died

Revisions

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to biography
Sources

Removed # from A/C serial No. to aid clarity and consistency

Date
Contributorjmoore43
ChangesChanges to biography
Sources

Added punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to biography and events
Sources

Removed # from A/C serial No. to aid clarity and consistency

Date
Contributorjmoore43
ChangesChanges to biography
Sources

Added punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to biography and events
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/676154408
https://www.fold3.com/record/5777192/william-bonin-social-security-deat…
Removed # from A/C serial No. to aid clarity and consistency

Date
Contributorjmoore43
ChangesChanges to biography
Sources

Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity.

Date
ContributorAl_Skiff
ChangesChanges to service number, biography, awards, events, unit associations, place associations, aircraft associations and mission associations
Sources

https://www.fold3.com/image/28746140
https://www.fold3.com/record/83564540-william-bonin-jr

Date
ContributorLucy May
ChangesChanges to middlename, suffix, biography, events and place associations
Sources

MACR 2872 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

Date
ContributorAAM
ChangesAAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2872, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces