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
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John Simpson Archer Jr
Military
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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.
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ARCHER, John S. Jr 2LT O-809346 Air Medal Certificate GO# 105 21 Jun 1944
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MACR 8429 41-29449 "True Love" 466th BG | 786th BS 15 Aug 1944
Shot down by fighters and crashed at Zui Dveen in B-24 'True Love' #41-29449, Killed in Action (KIA).
Service
People
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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
Units served with
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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
Squadron
Aircraft
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41-29449 True Love
B-24 Liberator
Missions
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552
14 August 1944
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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
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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 |
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| Lived in | Cleveland Heights, OH, USA | 1942 |
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2124 Rossmoor Road |
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| Enlisted | Cleveland, Ohio | 25 August 1942 |
| Died | west of Steenwijk, Netherlands | 15 August 1944 |
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shot down by German fighters. |
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| Buried | 8341 Steenwijkerwold, Netherlands | 19 August 1944 |
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buried as "unknown" |
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| Buried | 1949 | |
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Netherlands American Cemetery |
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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. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 26 October 2015 01:07:39 | 466thHistorian | Changes to middlename, nickname, awards, events, person associations and place associations |
| Sources | ||
| 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... |
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| 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: |
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| 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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