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Military
S/Sgt Joseph P Acker:- Air medal award card. 401BG.
Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 29 x combat missions. Bill Trimble crew. Failed to Return (FTR) Bordeaux-Mérignac airfield in B-17 42-40002 19-Jun-44; force landed Le Pouyau. Evaded capture (EVD). See the page with details about his evasion at https://www.evasioncomete.be/fackerjp.html
Awards: DFC, AM (3OLC), PH, WWII Victory, EAME (2 x Battle Stars).
Military | First Lieutenant | Bombardier | 401st Bomb Group
Enver Cury was Bombardier on board B-17 42-40002 'Breezing Home' of 401st Bomb Group / 615th Bomb Squadron on the 19-Jun-44 mission to the Bordeaux-Mérignac airfield. Hit by Flak, the Fortress had one motor on fire, two other ones out of action,...
Military | Lieutenant Colonel | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. 29 x combat missions. Crashed near Lesperre on 19-Jun-44 in B-17 42-40002 'Breezing Home'. Evaded EVD. See the page with details about his evasion at https://www.evasioncomete.be/ftrimblww.html
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Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 17/2/44; Kearney 22/2/44; Grenier 6/3/44; Assigned 710BS/447BG Rattlesden 13/3/44; transferred 615BS/401BG [IY-E] Deenethorpe 23/3/44 FRECKLES!; Missing in Action Munich 31/7/44 with Jay Ossiander, Co-pilot: Roy Cooper, Navigator:...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 15/9/43; Scott 20/10/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-K] Deenethorpe 11/11/43; Missing in Action Kassel 28/9/44 with Ed Aves, Co-pilot: Clayton Crunk, Navigator: Ralph Mezydlo, Bombardier: John MacDougall, Flight engineer/top turret...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 20/9/43; Gt Falls 2/10/43; Scott 21/10/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-O] Deenethorpe 4/11/43; Missing in Action Merseburg 11/9/44 with Milton Wingard, Co-pilot: Bob Abresch, Navigator: Bob Sullivan, Tail gunner: Ed Chiariello (4...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 29/9/43; Gt Falls 14/10/43; Scott 21/10/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-B] Deenethorpe 4/11/43; Missing in Action Frankfurt 29/1/44 with Capt. Robert Beers, Co-pilot: Howard Byrne, Navigator: Harry Gershon, Bombardier: Bill Ritch,...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 26/10/43; Gr Island 13/11/43; Romulus 25/11/43; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-K] Deenethorpe 14/1/44; Missing in Action Brandenburg 6/8/44 with John Sauerwald, Co-pilot: John Zimmerman, Navigator: Forrest Holmstrom, Bombardier: Cletus...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 10/12/43; Kearney 27/12/43; RAF Nutts Corner 15/1/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-B] Deenethorpe 31/1/44; 613BS [IN-O]; 112m, Returned to the USA 121 BU Bradley 7/6/45; 4168 Base Unit, South Plains, Texas 9/6/45; 4100 BU Patterson 9/10...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Long Beach 1/11/43; Cheyenne 16/11/43; Kearney 19/11/43; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-D] Deenethorpe 29/12/43. Involved in parking accident at Little Staughton on 1 January 1944. 42-40002 lost brake hydraulic pressure while taxiing and struck...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Denver 21/1/44; Gr Island 6/2/44; Presque Is 21/3/44; Assigned 615BS/401BG [IY-F] Deenethorpe 17/4/44; 612BS [SC-X]; force landed continent 10/5/45; Salvaged 2 SAD. AW COME ON.
11 January 1944
Three aviation industry targets in Germany are bombed. The bomber force consists of 291 B-17s despatched from 1st Bomb Division in two elements, one element of 177 B-17s is despatched to Oschersleben, Germany as the primary target, the other 1BD...
21 January 1944
This mission is directed at 36 V-Weapon sites (34 in the Pas-de-Calaise area and 2 in the Chrebourg area of France) 24 of these are bombed successfully. All three Bomb Divisions participate in the attacks and the bomber gunners claimed 5-1-2 of...
3 February 1944
The port area and Naval facilities at Wilhelmshaven, Germany was the primary target for this mission. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Bomb Divisions all participated.
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20 February 1944
This mission is the opening salvo of the Allied Combined Bomber Offensive known officially as "Operation Argument" but remembered in 8th Air Force History as "BIG WEEK". The immediate strategic objective of this six-day operation is the degradation of...
21 February 1944
Day 2 of BIG WEEK is another maximum effort by 8th Air Force to bomb 6 airfields in Germany as primary targets: Diepholz, Gütersloh, Lippstadt, Werl, Achmer and Handorf. In addition the industrial areas of Brunswick city are included as a primary...
2 March 1944
The primary targets for this mission are: the railroad marshalling yards at Frankfurt, Germany; and the German air depot ar Chartres, France. The mission is composed of two entierly separate forces. 327 B-17s from 1st Air Division joined by 154 B-24s...
4 March 1944
The industrial areas in the suburbs of Berlin, Germany are the primary targets for this mission. All three Air Divisions despatch formations. However, the despatch from 2nd Air Division aborted the mission because of severe weather in the assembly area...
9 March 1944
Berlin is once again targeted by this mission as a secondary target. Primary target not listed in source data. All 3 Air Divisions despatch aircraft. There is very little fighter opposition. Mission Summary follows:
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13 March 1944
V-Weapon sites in the Pas-de-Calaise area of France are the targets for this mission. All three Air Divisions despatch aircraft but the weather is so terrible that most could not bomb a target. Mission Summary follows:
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26 March 1944
9 V-Weapon sites in the Pas-de-Calaise, France area and 7 V-Weapon sites in the Cherbourg, France area are the targets of this mission. A combined force of 573 heavy bombers from all three Air Divisions are despatched. Mission Summary follows:
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Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | West Blocton, AL | 14 December 1916 |
| Enlisted | Montgomery, AL | 7 January 1942 |
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Montgomery, Alabama |
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| Based | Deenethorpe | January 1944 – 19 June 1944 |
|
Assigned to 615BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Evaded | Le Pouyau, France | 19 June 1944 |
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Failed to Return (FTR) Bordeaux-Mérignac airfield in B-17 42-40002 19-Jun-44; force landed Le Pouyau. Evaded capture (EVD) |
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| Discharged USAAF | 21 August 1945 | |
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Honourable discharge. |
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| Died | 17 February 1951 | |
| Buried | Green Pond Presbyterian Church Cemetery Green Pond, Bibb County, AL | 20 February 1951 |
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Green Pond Presbyterian Church Cemetery |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 13 April 2022 08:29:10 | ED-BB | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added address for his page at website www.evasioncomete.be |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 December 2021 02:53:08 | acbernstein1 | Changes to aircraft associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 29 October 2021 19:27:28 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, service number, biography, awards, events, person associations, unit associations, place associations and aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/image/321073162 |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:17:29 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
MACR 6001 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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