Willis J Cherry
MilitaryMoved biographical details to the person record.
Assigned to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) ramrod Lisieux hit by flak in Vicinity St Marent crashed near Sommery on 8 Aug 44 in P-51B 42-106577 Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 7781.
Lt. Willis J. Cherry, of Cleveland Heights, OH, enlisted in Cleveland on 27 November 1942. Joining the 368th Fighter Squadron on 16 June 1944, Lt. Cherry was shot down and captured 8 August 1944 while flying his 23rd combat mission with the 359th Fighter Group. A POW in Stalag 7-A in Moosburg, Lt. Cherry was liberated on 27 April 1945.
A large German concentration -- 25 FW-190s at 17,000 ft. with 30 more as top cover -- was encountered by eight planes of the 368th on the 8th during area patrol SE of Caen during the saturation bombing of the Wehrmacht positions in front of the British lines, Radio calls for help were garbled, and the rest of the group went on to their briefed strafing, while the 368th section, led by Forehand, got a score of 1-1-3 for the loss of Lt. John C. Allen, who had been so lucky on his lonely ride back from Denmark chronicled last month. W.J. Cherry, also of the 368th, was NYR on this mission, believed lost to light flak during the strafing. Of the air score, 1-0-2 was compiled by John S. Keesey, a mild-mannered, sandy-haired boy who began “to look like another Booth”. ~ Excerpt from the 359th Fighter Group History.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Unit: 359th Fighter Group 368th Fighter Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Cleveland Heights, Ohio | 16 August 1923 | |
Enlisted |
Cleveland, OH, USA | 27 November 1942 | |
Based |
East Wretham | 14 June 1944 - 8 August 1944 | Assigned to 368FS, 359FG, 8AF USAAF. |
Other Baled out |
76440 Sommery, France | 8 August 1944 | Failed to Return (FTR) ramrod Lisieux hit by flak in Vicinity St Marent crashed near Sommery on 8 Aug 44 in P-51B 42-106577 Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 7781. |
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Barth, Germany | 8 August 1944 | Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft I. |
Died |
New Port Richey, FL, USA | 6 April 2006 | |
Cuyahoga County, OH, USA | |||
Buried |
Meadowlawn Memorial Gardens, 4244 Madison St, New Port Richey, FL 34652, USA | Meadowlawn Memorial Gardens New Port Richey Pasco County, FL |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 7781 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / Ted Damick, VIII Fighter Command pilots list