Military
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 baled out successfully. Evaded (EVD). MACR 258.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 baled out successfully. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 258.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Eighth Air Force Bomber Command became the Eighth Air Force on February 1944, it oversaw bombardment of strategic targets in Europe until 1945.
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Group
The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/5/43; Dow Fd 13/7/43; Assigned 569BS/390BG [CC-L] Framlingham 14/7/43; Missing in Action Vitry-En-Artois 15/8/43 with Bill Lawrence (Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Bill Middledorf, Navigator: Joe Birdwell, Bombardier: Francis Harkins...
15 August 1943
German airfields in Holland and France are the targets for this mission. All of the attacks were made late in the afternoon just prior to sunset. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (20...
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force from 1942 to 43, Framlingham was home first to the 95th Bomb Group, before that unit moved to RAF Alconbury. From 1943 to 1945, it was operated by the 390th Bomb Group. The airfield was handed back to the RAF in 1945, and...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Washington, USA | 10 March 1916 |
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Son of William Elbert and Myrtle Margaret [Dorricott] Birdwell. |
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| Enlisted | Baltimore, MD, USA | 6 September 1941 |
| Lived in | Virginia, USA | 1942 |
| Based | Framlingham | 1943 – 15 August 1943 |
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Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Evaded | 59670 Bavinchove, France | 15 August 1943 |
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Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 baled out successfully. Evaded. MACR 258. |
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| Evaded (EVD) | France | 15 August 1943 – 20 August 1943 |
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Evaded (EVD). |
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| Buried | San Antonio, TX, USA | June 1985 |
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Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery |
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| Died | Bexar County, TX, USA | 2 June 1985 |
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 03 May 2017 09:52:43 | Al_Skiff | Changes to service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/29419192 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:17:03 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 258 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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