Bruno Matika
Military ROLL OF HONOURCopilot on the crew of Lt James A. Logan, 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group.
On July 2, 1944 the 487th Bomb Group dispatched two squadrons of B-24s to bomb the German V-weapon site near Belloy-sur-Somme, France. The Logan crew flew B-24H 42-52609 on this mission. On the return route, Lt Matika and five of his crew mates were killed in action when their aircraft was shot down by flak in the area of Bethune-St. Pol, France. After the aircraft was hit and on fire, Lt Logan pulled up to avoid colliding with another aircraft in the formation. The aircraft then went down in flames and crashed 3.5 kilometers west of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, about 2 kilometers east of Siracourt. Three men survived and became prisoners of war. (MACR 6770)
Air Medal w/Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart
Note: B-24H #42-52609 was not named 'Murph's Mighty Mob'.
There was a B-24H 42-52646 in the 837th Bomb Squadron that was named 'Murph's Motley Mob'. It was flown overseas by the crew of Lt James M. Murphy in Mar–Apr 1944.
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
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Unit: 487th Bomb Group 836th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Clifford, Williamson County, IL 62918, USA | 5 September 1916 | |
Died |
2 July 1944 | ||
Buried |
Plot D, Row 8, Grave 33 | ||
Other Killed in Action (KIA) |
Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, France | 2 July 1944 | Aircraft crashed 3.5 km west of Saint-Pol-sur-Ternoise, France, and about 2 km east of Siracourt. |
Revisions
1. de Jong, Ivo. 'The History of the 487th Bomb Group (H)'. Paducah KY: Turner Publishing, Oct 2004
2. Lamparski, Lynne. Personal correspondence about Matika family history. Oct 2016 (a great niece)
3. U.S. Army Air Forces Missing Air Crew Report 6770
Note: There is a biography and complete list of sources on his Find A Grave page:
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56647368/bruno-matika
ABMC, MACR 6770 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 6770 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database / WWW.487thBG.org roster