Lawrence Lee Witt
Military
Removed associations not depicted in image
Object Number - UPL 18050 - Lawrence L. Witt, Engineer/Gunner, 96th Bomb Group
Lawrence Witt was a Flight Engineer/Gunner in the 96th Bomb Group / 339th Bomb Squadron. Shot down 12 May 1944 in B-17 #42-107123. Prisoner of War (POW).
Lawrence L. Witt was a Detroit native who served in the Army Air Force during World War II and was a prisoner of war (POW) for eleven months after getting shot down over Nazi Germany. His daughter Laura A. Edge later researched her father’s story and wrote a book about his and other airmen’s experiences as prisoners of war in WWII.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 34071991
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Ball Turret Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 32740208
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Role/Job: Radio Operator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 11083341 and O-709308
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Navigator
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12099172 and O-818664
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 35545269
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 96th Bomb Group 339th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 12 May 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Station 138
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Detroit, MI | 1 June 1923 | |
|
Enlisted |
Detroit, Michigan, United States | 9 December 1942 | as a Private in the Air Corps |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Tychowo, Poland | 12 May 1944 - 16 April 1945 | Stalag Luft IV: May 12, 1944 through February 6, 1945. Forced March: February 6, 1945 through March 20, 1945 Stalag 357: March 20, 1945 until liberation on April 16, 1945 |
Revisions
Lawrence L. Witt and Laura A. Edge Papers. Correspondence, various documents relating to military and prisoner of war experience, and audio-visual materials including oral histories of several WWII veterans.
https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/handle/2027.42/106588 (accessed 29 May 2020)
Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan
Information from Honorable Discharge for Lawrence L Witt, Lawrence Witt Birth Certificate, Diploma from Army Air Forces Technology School (August 11, 1943),
MACR 5359 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database
