James Nicholas Quinn
Military
BACK ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT:
S/S/Sgt. Larry Hull, Ball Turret Gunner; S/Sgt. Donald Frans, Tail Gunner; 2nd Lt. Stuart Mendelsohn, Pilot. 2nd Lt. Verne Woods, Co-pilot. S/Sgt. Stanley Sadlow, Left Waist Gunner; S/Sgt. James Quinn, Radio Operator
FRONT ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT:
2ndS/Sgt. Roke Lieberman, Right Waist Gunner; 2nd Lt. Harold Fox, Bombardier; 2nd Lt. William Borellis, Navigator; S/Sgt. Richard Hensley, Engineer/Top Turret Gunner
* And the 11th member - Eager Beaver (The Dog)
This crew was shot down in "The Black Swan" serial number 42-29895 December 31, 1943.
Object Number - UPL 51047 - Duke of Paducah (42-37736) Mendelsohn's Crew, 324th BS, 91st BG BACK ROW - LEFT TO RIGHT: S/S/Sgt. Larry Hull, Ball Turret Gunner; S/Sgt. Donald...
James Quinn was a Radio Operator in the 324th BS/91st BG at Bassingbourn when he was shot down in B-17 42-29895 "Black Swan" over France on 31 December 1943.
Helped by French citizens and members of the Résistance, he was sheltered in various places in France. He was among the 17 Allied airmen (1 from the RAF, all the others from the USAAF) who were on board the Royal Navy Motor Gun Boat MGB-503 which left Sous-Kéruzeau (Brittany, France) on 26 February 1944, arriving in England the following day. Escape & Evasion Report E&E 433.
In 1998 he was in touch with the grandson of the French farmer who had helped him on New Year's Eve 1943 who presented him with a section of the nose-hatch from the plane. Post-war Quinn worked firstly with the IRS and then joined the accountants Deloitte-Touche in New York City.
Awards: AM (OLC), WWII Victory, EAME.
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- 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 324th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19122414
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-750185
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35488672
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 6569055
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12126905
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: The Black Swan
- Unit: 91st Bomb Group 324th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 31 December 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
New York City, NY | 18 February 1921 | Son of Margaret Quinn. |
|
Enlisted |
New York City, NY | 4 July 1942 | New York City, New York |
|
Other Evaded |
France | 31 December 1943 - 27 February 1944 | Evaded capture, sheltered and assisted by the resistance. Return to UK via RN motor gun boat which left Sous-Kéruzeau. |
|
Other Baled out EVD |
Brest, France | 31 December 1943 | Shot down in B-17 42-29895 "Black Swan" over Brest, France on 31-Dec-43, baled out EVD |
|
Died |
Haworth, NJ | 10 February 2009 | |
|
Buried |
Maryrest Cemetery Mahwah, Bergen County, NJ | 13 February 2009 | Maryrest Cemetery Mahwah, Bergen County, New Jersey |
| New York City, NY | |||
|
Based |
Bassingbourn | 31 December 1943 | Assigned to 324BS, 303BG, 8AF USAAF. |
Revisions
Biography completed by historian Helen Millgate. Information sourced from newsletters of the 91st Bomb Group related to the service of James Quinn.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 1975 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
