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John D Adamson

Military

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Hit by flak and fighters on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944, B-24 #42-28720 and crashed near Finsterwalde. Killed in Action (KIA).

Service

People

  • John Berrio

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 458th Bomb Group
    Hit by flak and fighters on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944, B-24 #42-28720 and crashed near Finsterwalde. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Charles Daskam

    Military | Flight Officer | Bombardier | 458th Bomb Group
    Hit by flak and fighters on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944, B-24 #42-28720 and crashed near Finsterwalde, Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Billy Freeman

    Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
    Shot down by flak and an ME210 on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944 in B-24H #41-28720. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Jesse Lack

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 458th Bomb Group
    Hit by flak and fighters on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944, B-24 #42-28720 and crashed near Finsterwalde. Killed in Action (KIA).

  • Willard Lowman

    Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
    Hit by flak and fighters on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944, B-24 #42-28720 and crashed near Finsterwalde. Killed in Action (KIA)

  • Elmer Moe

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
    Hit by flak and fighters on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944, B-24 #42-28720 and crashed near Finsterwalde. Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Harold Rabideau

    Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 458th Bomb Group
    Hit by flak and fighters on a mission to Erkner, Berlin on 8 Mar 1944, B-24 #42-28720 and crashed near Finsterwalde. Prisoner of War (POW). Luft I, IV, and VI. POW

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Units served with

  • 458th Bomb Group

    458th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 458th Bomb Group (H) entered combat with the 8th Air Force in February 1944. Based at Horsham St. Faith in England, the combat crews participated in the decisive Campaigns 'Big Week', 'Big B', D-Day and the assault on Germany's oil industry waged...

  • 755th Bomb Squadron

    755th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

  • 41-28720

    B-24 Liberator
    Assigned to 755BS, 458BG, 8AF USAAF. Failed to Return (FTR) mission to Berlin, just short of IP hit by flak causing oil leak on #4 and turbo failure #2. Dropped out of formation, calling for fighter cover, Me210's attacked them knocking out the tail...

Missions

  • 8th Air Force 235 BIG WEEK - DAY 6

    25 February 1944
    On this final operation of BIG WEEK, Day 6, a combined force of 754 heavy bombers from 1st, 2nd and 3rd Air Divisions are despatched to bomb the German aircraft industries at Regensburg, Augsburg, Stuttgart and Furth, Germany. Mission Summary follows: ...

  • 8th Air Force 252

    8 March 1944
    The VKF ballbearing factory at Berlin/Erkner is the primary target for 623 heavy bombers despatched by all three Air Divisions. Fighter opposition and anti-aircraft fire are intense. There are so many formation attacking that some divert to other...

Associated Place

  • Horsham St Faith

    Military site : airfield
    Horsham St Faith was an RAF Bomber Command Station opened in June 1940. It was home to Bristol Blenheim medium-bombers, and was for a time occupied by fighters, including those of No. 19 Squadron and No. 264 Squadron. From September 1942 the airfield...

Events

Event Location Date
Born California, USA 1 August 1920
Lived in Ventura, CA, USA 1942
Enlisted Oxnard, CA, USA 11 March 1942
Killed in Action (KIA) 03238 Finsterwalde, Germany 8 March 1944

"We were hit by flak near Hannover. The oil pressure on No. 4 engine began to drop. Near Berlin the turbo on No. 2 engine went out and we were forced to salvo our bomb load. As we were leaving the formation, I called Lt. Lack and asked for a course back to England. He gave me a course. I heard him talk to F/O Daskam. I called later while we were under attack, but they never answered. Fighter protection was called for, but never came. The enemy fighters (ME-210's I believe) picked us up and made numerous attacks to our tail and waist [areas]. When the plane caught fire, Lt. Adamson told me to give the order to bail out. When I left the plane, Lt. Adamson was standing with his parachute on. The plane crashed about 200 feet from where I landed and there was one 'chute wrapped around the tail. The crash took place on the outskirts of Finsterwalde, Germany. According to Sgt Forbes, Sgt Freeman was hit in the first attack." - John Berrio, Co-Pilot
Buried Ventura, CA, USA 1948

Ivy Lawn Memorial Park
Ventura
Ventura County
California, USA
Nationality
American
Nickname
Jack
Service numbers
O-739644
Highest rank
Second Lieutenant
Role/job
Pilot
Awards
Not yet known

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
02 March 2017 17:46:39 Lucy May Changes to nickname
Sources

Correspondence with John D Adamson's nephew, Chris Adamson:
'For his record , his family name was 'Jack'.'
Date Contributor Update
22 June 2016 00:05:43 466thHistorian Changes to events
Sources

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Adamson&GSfn=John+...
Date Contributor Update
21 June 2016 20:37:18 466thHistorian Changes to events, person associations, place associations and mission associations
Sources

http://www.458bg.com/crew66adamson.htm
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:15:49 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3345 / MACR 3345, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces & page 192 & Page 272 of the book LIBERAORS OVER NORWICH by Mackay, Bailry & Scorza, 2010, D790G4582010 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database

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