Leo Belskis
Military ROLL OF HONOUR
Photo from Rosalind Perrin Davis Collection - daughter of Bombardier Ross W. Perrin
Object Number - UPL 20034 - Pilot Lt Leo Belskis (photo Rosalind Perrin Davis Collection - daughter of Bombardier Ross W. Perrin)
Of Lithuanian descent, Leo Belskis loved flying and logged a lot of air time from Scott Field in Madison, Wisconsin before he enlisted in the Air Corps. Always wearing his crusher hat at a jaunty angle, he was loved by his crew who felt they were in capable hands with Leo at the commands.Leo Belskis was a Pilot in the 381st Bomb Group / 532nd Bomb Squadron. Killed In Action (KIA) in the loss of B-17G # 43-38780 on the Squadron’s 11 December 1944 mission to bomb the bridge over the Rhine at Mannheim, Germany.
Connections
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Units served with
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38482148
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Tail Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 38042441
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 381st Bomb Group 532nd Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 13014029 and O-771844
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
Aircraft
Missions
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Chicago, Illinois, USA | 14 April 1919 | the son of Louis and Kazemera Belskis |
|
Enlisted |
Chicago, Illinois, United States | 27 September 1940 | as a Private in the Air Corps |
|
Other Killed In Action (KIA) |
near the Neckarauer Waldweg, Mannheim, Germany | 11 December 1944 | in the loss of B-17G # 43-38780 |
|
Buried |
Hauptfriedhof, Mannheim, Germany | 15 December 1944 | Initially buried at the main cemetery in Mannheim, Germany |
| Chicago, Illinois, United States | |||
|
Buried |
Rock Island National Cemetery, Rock Island, Illinois, United States | Leo Belskis was brought back to the US after the war. He rests in his home State, Illinois |
Revisions
Added details in BIO + photo (via J. Ross Greene, nephew of Bombardier Ross W. Perrin)
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11341 / MACR 11341, www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx">www.381st.org/UnitHistory/Data/Roster.aspx>, nephew / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database