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John Simpson Archer Jr

Military

  • Crew #637 John S. Archer, Jr. Crew 466th BG - 786th BS Standing Left to Right: Thomas L. Bell (CP), John S. Archer (P), Doyle E. Stegall (B), Norman Peck (N) Kneeling Left to Right: William A. Lowen (FE), Donald E. McCarty (R/O), Robert J. Lehman (NTG), Harry A. Clark (WG), John M. Capps (TG), Edward B. Philo (TTG) This crew was shot down by Me109's over the Netherlands on 15 August 1944. Archer, Bell, Peck, Lehman and Philo were all KIA. McCarty, Lowen and Capps were all captured. Clark successfully evaded capture. Stegall was not aboard when the crew were shot down however the 466th BG Ammunition Officer ,William Leslie was aboard and was also captured.

    Crew #637 John S. Archer, Jr. Crew 466th BG - 786th BS Standing Left to Right: Thomas L. Bell (CP), John S. Archer (P), Doyle E. Stegall (B), Norman Peck (N) Kneeling Left to Right: William A. Lowen (FE), Donald E. McCarty (R/O), Robert J. Lehman (NTG), Harry A. Clark (WG), John M. Capps (TG), Edward B. Philo (TTG) This crew was shot down by Me109's over the Netherlands on 15 August 1944. Archer, Bell, Peck, Lehman and Philo were all KIA. McCarty, Lowen and Capps were all captured. Clark successfully evaded capture. Stegall was not aboard when the crew were shot down however the 466th BG Ammunition Officer ,William Leslie was aboard and was also captured.

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  • Page 2 of 466th Bomb Group 'Roll of Honor' at All Saints Church, Weston Longville.

    Page 2 of 466th Bomb Group 'Roll of Honor' at All Saints Church, Weston Longville.

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  • ARCHER, John S. Jr 2LT O-809346 Air Medal Certificate GO# 105 21 Jun 1944

    ARCHER, John S. Jr 2LT O-809346 Air Medal Certificate GO# 105 21 Jun 1944

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  • MACR 8429 41-29449

    MACR 8429 41-29449 "True Love" 466th BG | 786th BS 15 Aug 1944

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Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen in B-24 'True Love' #41-29449, Killed in Action (KIA).

Service

People

  • Thomas Bell

    Military | First Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 466th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen in B-24 True Love #4129449

  • John Capps

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Tail Gunner | 466th Bomb Group
    Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen on 8/15/44 in B-24 'True Love' #41-29449, Prisoner of War (POW). POW

  • Harry Clark (Dolph)

    Military | Staff Sergeant (Technician Third Grade) | Left Waist Gunner | 466th Bomb Group
    Evaded (EVD) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen on 8/15/44 in B-24 True Love #4129449

  • Robert Lehman

    Military | Staff Sergeant | Bombardier, Enlisted, Nose Gunner | 466th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen in B-24 True Love #4129449

  • William Leslie

    Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 466th Bomb Group
    Leslie appears to have been a non-flying ordnance officer attached to the 1452nd Ordnance Company. As the Archer Crew did not have a bombardier on this mission as he had been transferred to the 784th BS to become a lead bombardier. Leslie was aboard...

  • William Lowen

    Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Flight Engineer | 466th Bomb Group
    Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen on 8/15/44 in B-24 True Love #4129449 POW

  • Donald McCarty

    Military | Technical Sergeant (2nd Grade) | Radio Operator | 466th Bomb Group
    Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen on 8/15/44 in B-24 True Love #4129449 POW

  • Norman Peck

    Military | First Lieutenant | Navigator | 466th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen in B-24 True Love #4129449

  • Edward Philo

    Military | Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade) | Flight Engineer - Top Turret Gunner | 466th Bomb Group
    Killed in Action (KIA) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen in B-24 True Love #4129449

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Units served with

  • 466th Bomb Group

    466th Bomb Group

    Group
    The 466th Bomb Group flew B-24 Liberators from Attlebridge, Norfolk, during the last year of the war in Europe. The Group flew 232 missions in the course of the year and celebrated the 100th one by inviting local people onto the base to mark the...

  • 786th Bomb Squadron

    786th Bomb Squadron

    Squadron

Aircraft

Missions

  • 552

    14 August 1944

  • 8th Air Force 554

    15 August 1944
    Airfields in NW Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium are the primary targets for this mission. 8th Air Force despatches a total of 932 aircraft. The raid is coordinated with 1,000 Royal Air Force (RAF) heavy bombers and Mosquitos attacking 9 airfields...

Associated Place

  • Attlebridge

    Military site : airfield
    Attlebridge was constructed for RAF use and completed to that standard in 1942. However, with news that it was to be assigned to the American Air Force, the runways were extended and additional hardstandings and outbuildings constructed for the heavy...

Events

Event Location Date
Lived in Cleveland Heights, OH, USA 1942

2124 Rossmoor Road
Enlisted Cleveland, Ohio 25 August 1942
Died west of Steenwijk, Netherlands 15 August 1944

shot down by German fighters.
Buried 8341 Steenwijkerwold, Netherlands 19 August 1944

buried as "unknown"
Kerkbuurt Cemetery
Grave 7
Buried 1949

Netherlands American Cemetery
Margraten, Netherlands
Plot M Row 2 Grave 2
Nationality
American
Nickname
Jack
Service numbers
O-809346
Highest rank
First Lieutenant
Role/job
Pilot
Awards
  • Air Medal with 3 oak leaf clusters
  • Distinguished Flying Cross
  • European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
  • Purple Heart

Revisions

Date Contributor Update
09 May 2020 02:48:51 jmoore43 Changes to biography
Sources

Added a "-" to the A/C serial # in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.
Date Contributor Update
26 October 2015 01:07:39 466thHistorian Changes to middlename, nickname, awards, events, person associations and place associations
Sources

http://teunispats.nl/fr-wwii.htm
Date Contributor Update
17 August 2015 16:11:06 Lucyd Changes to events
Sources

Added date of enlistment. See: http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=5&cat=all&tf=F...
Date Contributor Update
17 August 2015 16:09:05 Lucyd Changes to service number, events and aircraft associations
Sources

Combined two entries for John S Archer into a single entry. This entry now includes information from the following sources:
MACR 8429 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
ABMC record: http://www.abmc.gov/search-abmc-burials-and-memorializations/detail/WWII...
Date Contributor Update
27 September 2014 18:16:38 AAM AAM ingest
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8429

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