Joseph Birdwell
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 baled out successfully. Evaded (EVD). MACR 258.
Awards: WWII Victory, EAME.
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Billy Clyde Lawrence
Military
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 baled out successfully. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 258.
Awards: POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Service
People
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Patrick Caron
Military | Staff Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 258. Awards: PH. -
Romaine Fiffe
Military | Staff Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. 2 x missions. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306. Killed in Action (KIA). MACR 258. Awards: PH. -
Francis Harkins
Military | Second Lieutenant | Bombardier | 390th Bomb Group
Francis Harkins served as a bombardier with the 390th Bomb Group. He was part of crew number 18. On 15 August 1943, he was shot down in B-17 #423306. Francis evaded capture with the help of many different French people. The names of the people known to... -
William Middledorf
Military | Colonel | Pilot | 390th Bomb Group
William Middledorf served as a co-pilot with the 569th Bomb Squadron of the 390th Bomb Group. He flew bombing missions out of Framlingham, England. On 15 August 1943, he was shot down in B-17F 42-3306. He was able to evade capture, helped by French... -
Peter Mrjenovich
Military | Staff Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. 2 x combat missions. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 unable to bale out. Killed in Action (KIA). Awards: PH. -
William Murphy
Military | Staff Sergeant | Radio Operator / Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 unable to bale out. Killed in Action (KIA). Awards: PH. -
Walter Sentkoski
Military | Staff Sergeant | Top Turret Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569BS, 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down in B-17 42-3306 'Phoenix' 15-Aug-43. Baled out successfully. Evaded (EVD). Awards: WWII Victory, EAME. -
Bernard Stevens
Military | Staff Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 390th Bomb Group
Assigned to 569BS, 390BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 'Phoenix' unable to bale out. Killed in Action (KIA). Awards: PH.
Units served with
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390th Bomb Group
Group
The 390th Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Framlingham, Suffolk, between July 1943 and the end of the war in Europe. The Group was engaged in strategic missions until the invasion of Europe when its role became more of a tactical one. This... -
569th Bomb Squadron
Squadron
Aircraft
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42-3306 'Phoenix'
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 23/5/43; Dow Fd 13/7/43; Assigned 569BS/390BG [CC-L] Framlingham 14/7/43; Missing in Action Vitry-En-Artois 15/8/43 with Bill Lawrence (Prisoner of War); Co-pilot: Bill Middledorf, Navigator: Joe Birdwell, Bombardier: Francis Harkins...
Missions
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VIII Bomber Command 82
15 August 1943
German airfields in Holland and France are the targets for this mission. All of the attacks were made late in the afternoon just prior to sunset. The mission is composed of two elements. The first element is a combined force of 180 B-17s from: 91BG (20...
Associated Place
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Framlingham
Military site : airfield
Built for the Eighth Air Force from 1942 to 43, Framlingham was home first to the 95th Bomb Group, before that unit moved to RAF Alconbury. From 1943 to 1945, it was operated by the 390th Bomb Group. The airfield was handed back to the RAF in 1945, and... -
Stalag Luft III
Other location
Events
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Greenville, TX, USA | 22 September 1918 |
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Son of Mr C F and Mrs Lola [Little] Lawrence. |
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| 1930 Census | Nueces County, TX, USA | 1930 |
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Census finds Billy living with his Mother Lola under his Grandfather John W Little's roof. |
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| Enlisted | 4783 Andrews Ave, San Antonio, TX 78236, USA | 18 June 1941 |
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Brooks Field |
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| Flight training | Stockton Metropolitan Airport, 5000 S Airport Way, Stockton, CA 95206, USA | 1942 |
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Advanced flight training |
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| Based | Framlingham | 1943 – 15 August 1943 |
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Assigned to 569th 390BG, 8AF USAAF. |
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| Shot down / baled out | 59670 Bavinchove, France | 15 August 1943 |
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Shot down 15-Aug-43 in B-17F 42-3306 baled out successfully. Prisoner of War (POW). MACR 258. |
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| Evaded (EVD) | France | 15 August 1943 – 20 August 1943 |
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Evaded (EVD) capture. |
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| Prisoner of War (POW) | Zagan, Poland | 20 August 1943 – April 1945 |
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Prisoner of War (POW). Stalag Luft III. |
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| Captured | Dunkirk, France | 20 August 1943 |
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Captured by German troops Dunkirk. |
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| Died | Fort Worth, TX, USA | 23 January 1997 |
| Buried | Fort Worth, TX, USA | February 1997 |
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Greenwood Memorial Park and Mausoleum |
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Revisions
| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 03 May 2017 20:30:22 | Al_Skiff | Changes to middlename, service number, biography, awards, events, unit associations, place associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
https://www.fold3.com/page/58213962_billy_c%20lawrence/details/ |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:04:39 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 258 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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