John B Vance
MilitaryShot down 18 April 1944 in B-17 #42-37902 'Sure Thing', being the crews Flight Engineer, and thus, stationed at the top turret. He would become a POW along with the rest of his crew, being freed in May of 1945. He would remain in the military for 20 years, transitioning to the Air Force upon its creation. His service would include the Korean War, as well as participating in both the A and H bomb testing.
*Exact list of awards is unknown, so an uncomplete list of presumed awards received are listed without oak leaf clusters. For his World War II service he was awarded the Air Medal with 2 oak leaf clusters.
Connections
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Units served with
People
Aircraft
Missions
- Date: 22 March 1944
- Date: 16 March 1944
- Date: 15 March 1944
- Date: 9 March 1944
- Date: 4 March 1944
Places
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA | 20 July 1921 | |
Other Shot down |
Barnewitz, Germany | 18 April 1944 | Shot down over a mission to Oranienburg, Germany, while on B-17 42-37902, while serving as the Flight Engineer. and manning the top turret as a result. Would later become a POW. |
Other Prisoner of War |
Stalag XVII-B, Austria | 18 April 1944 | Spent his time as a POW at Stalag 17-B. |
Other Retired |
31 October 1962 | Retired from the Air Force as a Master Sergeant. | |
Died |
Grants, New Mexico, USA | 9 January 2004 | |
Buried |
Santa Fe National Cemetery, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA | 14 January 2004 | |
Enlisted |
McChord Field, Washington, USA | ||
Based |
Framlingham | Assigned to 568BS, 390BG, 8AF. |
Revisions
390th Bomb Group records
findagrave.com for headstone (which lists part of his service history).
Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" for clarity.
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 4013 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database