John George Hollenbeck
MilitaryJohn Hollenbeck was Tail Gunner on B-17 # 42-5232 “Available Jones” of the 305th Bomber Group / 364th Bomber Squadron on 4 April 1943 when it was shot down over France. Landing near Rouen, France, he was captured and became a Prisoner of War (POW). After liberation from the camp, he was returned to the United States where he arrived on 15 June 1945. Honorably discharged on 1 September 1945, he died from injuries sustained in an automobile accident in September 1945.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39303959
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: waist gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 18026632 and O-726136
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32310842
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 15071759
- Highest Rank: Sergeant
- Role/Job: Top Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 17027987 and O-437774
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Available Jones
- Unit: 305th Bomb Group 364th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 4 April 1943
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Enlisted |
10 January 1942 | as a Private in the Air Corps | |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
4 April 1943 | Immediately arrested on 4 April 1943. Interned at Stalag XVIIB in Braunau, near Krems, Austria. Liberated May 1945 by Russian troops. NARA WWII POW records : "Returned to Military control 6 June 1945." | |
|
Died |
Medina Memorial Hospital, Medina, New York, United States | 18 September 1945 | Involved in an automobile accident on the morning of 18 September 1945, he suffered a fractured skull and died in the afternoon at the Medina Memorial Hospital. |
|
Born |
New York State | ||
| Batavia, Genesee County, New York, United States | |||
|
Buried |
Elmwood Cemetery, Batavia, New York, United States |
Revisions
MACR 15592
NARA WWII Enlistment records
NARA WWII POW records
The Medina Tribune, 20 September 1945.
Personal research on John Hollenbeck
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Gerald D. Hollenbeck, MACR 15592, Losses of the 8th and 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop and Hey p 99, NARA / MACR 15592 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database