Military
Top L-R Michael Gagich, Gerald S Harvey, Willam R Boree, Adelbert D Shereck, and Jack M Harrington. Bottom L-R Thurman M Geren, Charles R Wilson, William W Jeffers and Harry E Cobb.
Flight Log Feb. 1945 Thurman flew 2 uncompleted missions. 2-26 and 2-27 1945. Mission # 216 and 217
Oversea Destination 2 Jan 1945
Most significant experience occurred on 16-Febr-45 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in the North Sea about 10 miles off Holland. The aircraft broke in two just aft of radio room. The 9-man crew survived the ditching and subsequent very cold and wet exposure for over 12 hours until washing ashore at a German coastal installation near Haarlem, Holland. All became Prisoner of War (POW) until liberated by U. S. Forces from Stalag VIIA at Mooseberg, Germany on 29-Apr-45. Plane was B-17 43-38187 'Carrie B'.
Awards: PH, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 614BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 11 x combat missions.
Awards: AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Military | Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Military | Sergeant | Bombardier, Togglier | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Most significant experience occurred on 16 February 1945 as consequence of bombing mission of Gelsenkirchen oil refinery. Because of flak damage to aircraft during and following bomb run, we were unable to return to England and were forced to ditch in...
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
...
Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 5/7/44; Kearney 14/7/44; Dow Fd 3/8/44; Assigned 613BS/401BG [IN-C] Deenethorpe 27/8/44. Hit by Flak. Missing in Action on the 16 February 1945 mission to the Minster-Stein coke oven plant, in the Dortmund area. Pilot Jeff N....
16 February 1945
Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
Other location
Other location
Other location
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Shawnee, OK | 12 November 1925 |
|
Son of M M Harrington. |
||
| Enlisted | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | 16 February 1944 |
|
as a Private in the Air Corps |
||
| Based | Deenethorpe | 1945 – 16 February 1945 |
|
Assigned to 613BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. |
||
| Prisoner of War (POW) | Nuremberg-Langwasser, Germany | 16 February 1945 – May 1945 |
|
POW |
||
| Died | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States | 9 December 1999 |
| Buried | Rose Hill Burial Park Oklahoma City, Oklahoma County, OK | 12 December 1999 |
|
Rose Hill Burial Park |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 20 October 2021 16:57:41 | Al_Skiff | Changes to biography, awards, events, unit associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/612836162 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 July 2015 13:03:38 | ED-BB | Changes to events |
| Sources | ||
NARA WWII Enlistment records |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 July 2015 09:49:52 | ED-BB | Changes to middlename |
| Sources | ||
changed middle name into small letters |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 30 July 2015 09:49:11 | ED-BB | Changes to middlename, person associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 12246 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:13:52 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 12446 / MACR 12446, href="http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=1917">http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=1917> / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
||
