Bennie Levi Ballard

Military ROLL OF HONOUR
media-25512.jpeg UPL 25512 Liberty Belle, #43-38037 - B-17 of the 836th Squadron S/Sgt George R. Michael (radio operator) first on left front row was one of two men who survived.

B-17G 43-38037 'Liberty Belle' with part of her ground crew and the crew of Lt Raymond F. Jackson, 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group, at Lavenham, England. All but two of Lt Jackson's crew were killed in a midair collision near Bielefeld, Germany on September 30, 1944. The men in this photo are:
Back Row (L to R):
2/Lt Edward C. Plevak, Bombardier – KIA
2/Lt John H. Franke Jr, Navigator – POW
Three ground crew members, unknown
2/Lt Theodore I. Sherrill, Copilot – KIA
1/Lt Raymond F. Jackson, Pilot – KIA
Front Row (L to R):
S/Sgt George R. Michael, Radio Operator – POW
Sgt Bennie L. Ballard, Waist Gunner – KIA
S/Sgt Willie Rogers, Ball Turret – KIA
S/Sgt Laverne W. Nelson, Engineer – KIA
S/Sgt Benjamin W. Harcq Jr, Tail Gunner – KIA
(Paul Webber) Hutchinson & Cortright

1. de Jong, Ivo. 'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H)'. Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004 (This photo is published on page 134.)
2. Eric Michael, a grandson of S/Sgt George R. Michael. Email communication in January 2016
3. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 9422 (Raymond F. Jackson crew, B-17G 43-38037)
Also see:
Find A Grave. 1/Lt Raymond F. Jackson (1922 – 1944)

Object Number - UPL 25512 - Liberty Belle, #43-38037 - B-17 of the 836th Squadron S/Sgt George R. Michael (radio operator) first on left front row was one of two men who...

Killed in Action (KIA). 30 Sep 1944 in B-17G 43-38037 'Liberty Bell. ' While on mission to Bielefeld, GE, had a mid-air with 43-38154 'Heavenly Body' from same squadron. Lost left wing and crashed at 1400hrs, six miles east of Bielefeld. 7 Killed in Action (KIA), 2 Prisoner of War (POW).

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 487th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Liberty Belle
  • Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Other

Killed in action

30 September 1944

Born

Nowata, Oklahoma

Revisions

Date
Changes
Sources

"Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces", Bishop & Hey

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 9422, Unit Roster; Losses of 8thAF, vol.4

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