Charles Agantovich
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 #43-38725. Killed in Action (KIA).
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Military
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 43-38725. Killed in Action (KIA).
John's B-17 was shot down by German Flak during a raid on the Lutzkendorf Oil Refinery near Merseburg, Germany. German Flak hit the midsection, which caused the tail to separate. In the process of that explosion, the tail gunner Sgt. Ralph Corning along with the ball turret gunner Sgt. Charles Agantovich, along with the radio operator/waist gunner Sgt. Anthony DeMarco was killed. Waist gunner Sgt. John Lafferty Jr. was able to escape by parachute. Secondary explosions killed the navigator Lt. Marvin Brawer. Lt. Curtis Chapman, the bombardier, was thrown from the nose and temporarily knocked out, came to in time to pull his chutes ripcord. The pilot Lt. Raymond Buthe and his copilot Lt. Charles Norris were trapped in their seats as the bomber began a nosedive. S/Sgt. Jack Flynn had been knocked out of his top turret position on the first explosion that separated the tail section. He landed on his chute and was able to connect one hook seconds before another explosion literally blew him out the open bomb bay doors.
The three survivors were immediately captured by the German military on landing. All three were taken to the Dulag Luft in Oberursel for interrogation. From there, the three were transported to the Dulag Luft in Westlar. That was the last time the three would see each other. Lt. Chapman went to Stalag Luft I. Sgt. Lafferty was taken to Stalag Luft III. S/Sgt. Jack Flynn went to Stalag Luft IV. S/Sgt. Flynn would be held there until the 6th of February. With Russian forces advancing, the Germans decided to move the eight thousand prisoners to the interior of Germany. This began an eighty-six day forced march later called "The Death March" covering six hundred. During brutal weather conditions, lack of food, shelter, and medicines. His journey ended the 2nd of May, 1945 near Lübeck when British and Canadian forces arrived.
S/Sgt. Flynn, along with Lt. Chapman and Sgt. Lafferty, would return home, marry and raise families. Sadly Lt. Chapman died in July 1963 at age 43. The remains of their six comrades would be recovered and returned to their families
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 #43-38725. Killed in Action (KIA).
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30-Nov-44 in B-17 43-38725. Killed in Action (KIA).
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 43-38725. Mission: Lumkendorf Oil Refinery, Merseburg, Germany. Prisoner of War (POW) Stalag Luft I, Barth, Germany.
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Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 43-38725. Killed in Action (KIA).
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Military | Sergeant | Radio Operator Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 43-38725. Killed in Action.
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Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down the 30th of November 1944 in B-17 #4338725. Prisoner of War (POW).
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Military | Sergeant | Waist Gunner | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 43-38725. Prisoner of War (POW).
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Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 447th Bomb Group
Shot down 30 November 1944 in B-17 #43-38725. Killed in Action (KIA).
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Group
The 447th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses on strategic bombardment missions out of Rattlesden, Suffolk. With their first mission coming on Christmas Eve, December 24, 1943, their main focus was hitting sites that would weaken enemy forces...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Lincoln 12/9/44; Dow Fd 25/9/44; Assigned 708BS/447BG Rattlesden 28/9/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 30/11/44 with Ray Buthe, Chas Norris, Marvin Brawer, Tony DeMarco, Chas Agantovich, Ralph Corning (6 Killed in Action); Curtis Chapman, John...
Event | Location | Date |
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Born | Paterson, New Jersey, USA | 6 January 1921 |
Barney and Jenny (Kanter) Brawer |
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Killed in Action (KIA) | Zeitz, Germany | 30 November 1944 |
B-17G #43-38725 took off, with a crew of 9, from Rattlesden, England on a bombing mission over Lutzkendorf, Germany. They were hit and shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire and crashed near Leipzig, Germany. |
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Buried | Woodland Park, New Jersey | |
Silk City Benevolent Association Cemetery |
Date | Contributor | Update |
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25 May 2021 01:57:28 | acbernstein1 | Changes to events |
Sources | ||
S/Sgt. Jack Flynn (courtesy of Richard Frohm) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
24 May 2021 12:45:36 | acbernstein1 | Changes to biography |
Sources | ||
S/Sgt. Jack Flynn (courtesy of Richard Frohm) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
25 May 2020 13:51:03 | Richard412 | Changes to unit associations |
Sources | ||
Source: Richard Frohm (S/Sgt. Jack Flynn) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
24 May 2020 15:42:05 | Richard412 | Changes to media associations |
Sources | ||
Source: Richard Frohm (S/Sgt. Jack Flynn) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
24 May 2020 15:40:56 | Richard412 | Changes to person associations |
Sources | ||
Source: Richard Frohm (S/Sgt. Jack Flynn) |
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Date | Contributor | Update |
20 August 2016 16:54:18 | A. van Erp | Changes to service number |
Sources | ||
Date | Contributor | Update |
27 September 2014 18:19:47 | AAM | AAM ingest |
Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 11149 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |