Joseph C Melaun

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

May 1, 1943, assigned target was the uboat yards at St. Nazaire and a navigational error on return took the group over heavily defended Brest. The B-17 42-29649 was attacked by fighters and caught on fire. The pilot landed at Cornwall, the BTG Maynard 'Snuffy' Smith was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on this plane on this day. 3 parachuted out of the burning plane and were lost. Strong mentions in his book that Melaun suffered an injury on the flight.



May 17 1943, flying on 42-29627 'Midnight' piloted by Edward J. Spevak, plane was attacked by fighters, antiaircraft and ground fire. Crashed in Lorient, France. 4 evaded, 4 were Prisoner of War and 1 was Killed in Action.



Silver Star

Connections

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Units served with

Official insignia of the 306th Bomb Group, approved 6 January 1943, and updated 2 October 1951.

306th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment
A bomber crew of the 94th Bomb Group stand with their B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30200) nicknamed "Slo Time Sally" and a bomb inscribed 'Special delivery to Hitler'. Inscription on bomb reads: 'Special delivery to Hitler, From Peggy of St. Louis.'

94th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

42-29627

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Midnight

42-29649

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Unit: 306th Bomb Group 423rd Bomb Squadron

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Killed in action

17 May 1943

Born

Texas

Revisions

Date
Contributorgeneral ira snapsorter
Changes
Sources

https://b17flyingfortress.de/en/?s=melaun;
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia ;
MACR 0820;
Losses of the 8th and 9th Air Forces Vol. 1 by Bishop and Hey pp. 113-4, 129, 335;
First Over Germany by Russell Strong pp. 105-107
May have been mis-identified as Joseph C. Melvin.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Combat Chronology Supplements, Lingering Contrails of the Big Square A, National Archives web site / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia