John H Franke Jr
MilitaryB-17G 43-38037 'Liberty Belle' with part of her ground crew and the crew of Lt Raymond F. Jackson, 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Lavenham, England. All but two of Lt Jackson's crew were killed in a midair collision near Bielefeld, Germany on September 30, 1944. The men in this photo are:
Back Row (L to R):
2/Lt Edward C. Plevak, Bombardier – KIA
2/Lt John H. Franke Jr, Navigator – POW
Three ground crew members, unknown
2/Lt Theodore I. Sherrill, Copilot – KIA
1/Lt Raymond F. Jackson, Pilot – KIA
Front Row (L to R):
S/Sgt George R. Michael, Radio Operator – POW
Sgt Bennie L. Ballard, Waist Gunner – KIA
S/Sgt Willie Rogers, Ball Turret – KIA
S/Sgt Laverne W. Nelson, Engineer – KIA
S/Sgt Benjamin W. Harcq Jr, Tail Gunner – KIA
(Paul Webber) Hutchinson & Cortright
1. de Jong, Ivo. 'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H)'. Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004 (This photo is published on page 134.)
2. Eric Michael, a grandson of S/Sgt George R. Michael. Email communication in January 2016
3. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 9422 (Raymond F. Jackson crew, B-17G 43-38037)
Also see:
Find A Grave. 1/Lt Raymond F. Jackson (1922 – 1944)
Prisoner of War (POW). 30 Sep 1944 in B-17G 43-38037 'Liberty Bell. ' While on mission to Bielefeld, GE, had a mid-air with 43-38154 'Heavenly Body' from same squadron. Lost left wing and crashed at 1400hrs, six miles east of Bielefeld. 7 Killed in Action (KIA), 2 Prisoner of War (POW). Was thrown clear of a/c and admitted to German Field Hospital at Detmold, GE
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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Liberty Belle
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 9422; Losses of 8thAF, vol.4