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Military
From the original picture, annotated on the back by my father
Missing Air Crew Report for Down N' Go on Aug 24, 1944.
He flew on W. G. Rozzell's crew. Flew on B-17 'Rosie's Sweat Box'. Completed 31 missions from 30 May 1944 to 09 August 1944. Prisoner of War (POW) Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 8/24/44 in B-17 "Down N' Go" #42-102394. He was shot down on Lt. Parker Finney crew.
I believe he parachuted and was a POW and not KIA on Aug 8 1944.
POW
Military | First Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Assigned to 614BS, 401BG, 8AF USAAF. Shot down by fighters and crashed at Brockhoefe on 24-Aug-44 in B-17 Down N' Go. Prisoner of War (POW) MACR 8202
Awards: AM, POW, WWII Victory, EAME.
Military | Captain | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Flew on 'Rosie's Sweat Box B-17 42-97872. He completed 33 missions from 30 May 1944 to 09 August 1944.
DFC/ Air Medal w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ ETO Ribbon w/ 3 Oak Leaf Cluster/ American Theater Medal
Group
The 401st Bomb Group flew B-17 Flying Fortresses from Deenethorpe, Northamptonshire, from November 1943 to June 1945. Starting their missions at that time meant the focus was very much on the coming invasion attempt of France planned for the following...
Squadron
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Cheyenne 27/2/44; Kearney 15/3/44; Dow Fd 4/4/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-C] Deenethorpe 16/4/44; Missing in Action Merseburg 24/8/44 with Parker Finney, Co-pilot: Virgil Price, Navigator: Dale Scott, tog-Brown Bralley, Waist gunner: Burton...
B-17 Flying Fortress
Delivered Tulsa 22/3/44; Hunter 16/5/44; Dow Fd 25/5/44; Assigned 614BS/401BG [IW-A] Deenethorpe 1/6/44; crashed on take off Dutch flak inst. 17/9/44 with Francis Cooke, Co-pilot: Paul Clark, Navigator: Chas Werner, Bombardier: Frank Jorgensen, Flight...
24 August 1944
Down N Go participated in mission number 132 which was a bombing mission over Weimar.
Military site : airfield
Deenethorpe was a base purpose-built for American heavy bombers, with the Class A regulation 2,000 and 1,400-yard runways. All the buildings on site,such as the accommodation and administrative blocks, were temporary. In December 1943, several local...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | Akron, Ohio, USA | |
| POW | Germany | 24 August 1944 |
|
Shot down on Aug 24th 1944. Listed as the Nose Gunner on mission number 132. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 01 March 2020 06:01:04 | jmoore43 | Changes to biography |
| Sources | ||
Added a "-" to the A/C serial number in the "Summary biography" to aid clarity. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 01 March 2020 05:58:51 | jmoore43 | Changes to aircraft associations |
| Sources | ||
Added a connection to A/C #42-97872 “Rosie's Sweat Box” listed in the "Summary biography". |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 23 May 2017 07:38:23 | cfinney | Changes to role |
| Sources | ||
From 401st site and picture of the crew, he is identified as the "togglier". The togglier was responsible for arming and dropping the bombs in lieu of a bombardier. As the war progressed, the bombing formations would drop when the lead aircraft dropped, and the need for skilled bombardiers decreased. Dropping bombs involved flipping (or toggling) the switch(es) that result in activating the bomb release mechanisms. This is the origin of the title "togglier", a combination of toggle and bombardier. The lead aircraft crew would include a skilled "group" bombardier, and many of the other crews would utilize toggliers. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 March 2017 05:39:00 | cfinney | Changes to biography and events |
| Sources | ||
From my father's (Parker Finney) records and from a document called the "Deenethorpe Diary" by Vic Maslen. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:04:47 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 8202 / MACR 8202, href="http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=2370">http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=2370>, http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=2370 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database |
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