Acle B Caywood

Military

Seriously injured in B-26B #41-31697 "Duck Butt" [TQ:R] 387BG/559BS while serving as Tail Gunner. The aircraft struck a tree and crashed on instrument takeoff on mission to Boulogne, France. The bomb load exploded. By some miracle he was saved from the wreck but suffered serious injuries. The 322nd was moved to the 9th AF Oct. 1943.

Connections

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Units served with

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

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-26 Marauder
  • Nicknames: Duck Butt
  • Unit: 387th Bomb Group 559th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

13 December 1919 Born in Kentucky.

Enlisted

5 February 1942 Place of enlistment Ft Thomas Newport, Kentucky.

Other

Serious Injury

Chipping Ongar, Ongar, Essex CM5, UK 9 September 1943 Aircraft crashed on instrument takeoff and struck a tree. Bomb load exploded. He managed to survive with serious injuries.

Died

7 August 1944 B-26 was lost or believed to have been lost by Enemy Anti-Aircraft Fire on a bombing mission to France on 7 Aug 1944. Finding of Death by Government.

Revisions

Date
Contributordecwriter
Changes
Sources

NARA files verified ASN upon entry, place and date of enlistment and awards. Of note, SSgt Caywood's headstone lists Air Medal with 11 OLCs and two Purple Hearts, but award cards only verify AM with 7 OLCs.

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added a "#" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity & consistency.

Date
ContributorLee8thbuff
Changes
Sources

Lee Cunningham 5-Jun-2015. Made connections to Place, Aircraft and Mission within exsiting website data, Added Serious Injury event and edited Sunmmary Biography per "Losses of the 8th & 9th AIr Forces', Stan Bishop & John A. Hey MBE.

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Losses of the 8th & 9th AFs Vol. I by Bishop & Hey p. 279