Lloyd J Freeman
Military
452nd BG
B-17G-15-BO #42-31373 "Flakstop"
Standing Left to Right: Lloyd J. Freeman (BTG), Francis Shaffer (R/O), Fred Richmond (WG), George L. James (TG), Paul A. Chaffe (WG), Donald A. Porter (FE/TTG)
Kneeling Left to Right: Charles F. Wagner (P), Alan R. Willis (CP), Henry H. Gladys (B), Clyde J. Martin (N) 466th Bomb Group collection
Chris Brassfield
Object Number - UPL 21971 - Charles F. Wagner Crew 452nd BG B-17G-15-BO #42-31373 "Flakstop" Standing Left to Right: Lloyd J. Freeman (BTG), Francis Shaffer (R/O), Fred...
Shot down by fighters on the return from a mission to Klein Machnow, Berlin and crashed near Staphorst, Holland on 6 Mar 1944 in B-17G #42-31373 'Flak Stop'. POW
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 731st Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-684435
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Flakstop
- Unit: 452nd Bomb Group 731st Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 6 March 1944
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Norman, Oklahoma, USA | 24 June 1923 | |
|
Enlisted |
Fort Smith, AR, USA | 21 January 1946 | Re-enlistment Camp Chaffee |
|
Died |
Norman, OK, USA | 9 August 2012 | NORMAN — Lloyd J. Freeman passed away Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. Lloyd, better known to many friends and family as “Junior,” was born June 24, 1923, in Norman to Roger Lloyd and Mary Lessie (Hames) Freeman. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at the University Christian Church in Norman, with interment following at the IOOF Cemetery in Norman. Lloyd attended Norman schools until he joined the Army National Guard in 1940. He was discharged in 1941. He enlisted in the Army Air Corp. in 1942 and was a ball turret gunner on a B-17 in WWII. He flew six completed missions from England prior to March 6, 1944, when — during the “Raid over Berlin” — his plane was shot down by the Germans. Lloyd was taken as a prisoner of war (POW). He was held in various POW camps for 14 months until May 1945. During his time in service, he earned the following awards and decorations: the Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal, Prisoner of War Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Medal with One Battle Star and World War II Victory Medal. |
|
Buried |
Norman, OK, USA | 12 August 2012 | IOOF Cemetery Norman Cleveland County Oklahoma, USA |
|
Other Shot Down/Wounded |
7951 Staphorst, Netherlands | 6 March 1944 | S/Sgt. Lloyd J. Freeman was shot in midsection with .50 caliber machine gun fire. After he bailed out with help of T/Sgt. Richmond he landed in the pasture behind the Bloemert Farmhouse. On the ground he was helped and taken to hospital by Koop Vloedgraven, Dirk Timmerman and an unknown man. Hospitalized for 14 days in Diaconessen Hospital Meppel and later in Leeuwarden. He was transferred to a hospital in Schweinfurt, Germany and after bombs were dropped close to the hospital he was transferred to a hospital in Frankfurt, Gemany. Once his wounds were healed he was finally transfered to the POW Camp, Stalag Luft IV, Poland. He was only 40 kilo when liberated May 1945. A letter to his parents - with help of Dr. Brederode, Meppel - was saved by Mr. Roel ter Heide (resistance). After 43 years, it was personally handed over in the USA by Roel to Lloyd on 12 Sep 1987 |
|
Other POW |
Tychowo, Poland | Stalag Luft IV |
Revisions
"Target Berlin" - Jeffrey Ethell & Alfred Price
http://www.ww2enlistment.org/index.php?page=directory&rec=2026647
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=freeman&GSfn=lloy…;
http://www.ww2pow.info/index.php?page=directory&rec=66122
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 2916 / MACR 2916, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database