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Military
Theodore Krol was Bombardier on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War" shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. Evaded (EVD). Helped by French citizens and members of the Résistance, he ended up being hidden in a secret camp in the Fréteval Forest, near Châteaudun, France. Liberated there by US troops on 13 September 1944. For more details about his evasion, see his page at http://www.evasioncomete.org/fkroltj.html
Military | Sergeant | Tail Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Marvin Benz was killed by 20mm shells on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War", shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Sergeant | Right Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
John Crowley was Right Waist gunner on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War", shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Hit in the lungs and stomach by 20mm shells, he bailed out above Breuil, France. Immediately captured, he...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
John Dunaway was Pilot of B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War", shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. Captured near Unchair, about 3km South of the crash site, on 20 March...
Military | Staff Sergeant | Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Harry Horst was Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War" shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. He was hit in the head and killed by a 20mm...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Co-Pilot | 401st Bomb Group
Henry Kane was Co-Pilot on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War" shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. Captured near Unchair, about 3km South of the crash site, on 20 March...
Military | Sergeant | Left Waist Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
John Katsaros was Left Waist gunner on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War" shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. Evaded (EVD).
Military | Technical Sergeant | Radio Operator | 401st Bomb Group
Separated from the formation but still bombed the target, an ME 109 Assembly plant in Frankfurt, Germany on 20 March 1944 in B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War". Shot down by ME109's over Breuil, German-Occupied France. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims,...
Military | Second Lieutenant | Navigator | 401st Bomb Group
William Mock was Navigator on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War" shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. Killed in Action (KIA).
Military | Sergeant | Ball Turret Gunner | 401st Bomb Group
Walter Rusch was Ball Turret gunner on B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War" shot down by fighters on return from the 20 March 1944 mission to Frankfurt. Crashed near Breuil, 20km NW of Reims, France. Captured in Unchair, about 3km South of the crash site, on 20...
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 19/11/43; Grand Island 15/12/43; Presque Is 21/12/43; Assigned 612BS/401BG [SC-M] Deenethorpe 6/1/44. Missing in Action Frankfurt 20 March 1944 with Pilot John A. Dunaway, Co-pilot: Henry Kane, Radio Operator: Francis J. Mastronardi,...
20 March 1944
The industrial areas of Frankfurt and the railroad marshalling yards there are the targets for this mission. All three Air Disivisions despatch aircraft but high clouds frustrated bombing attempts and many formations abandoned the mission even after...
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 | Hammond, Lake County, Indiana | 27 September 1918 |
| Enlisted | 18 February 1942 | |
|
Ft Benjamin Harrison, Indiana |
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| Bailed out | 20 March 1944 | |
|
of B-17G #42-38033 "Man O'War" |
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| Landed in parachute | Courville, France | 20 March 1944 |
|
near Courville, West of Reims, France |
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| Evaded capture | 20 March 1944 – 13 September 1944 | |
|
helped by French citizens and members of the Résistance |
||
| Died | 10 May 1996 | |
|
Crown Point, Indiana |
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| Lived in | ||
|
Hammond, Indiana |
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| Buried | ||
|
Theodore Krol rests at Arlington |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 17 June 2020 14:16:17 | ED-BB | Changes to service number, biography, events, person associations and mission associations |
| Sources | ||
MACR 3332 |
||
| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 07 April 2019 05:09:03 | MaryAnneKrol | Changes to middlename, nickname and events |
| Sources | ||
Mary Anne Krol, daughter |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:25:42 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / MACR 3332, Losses of the 8th & 9th Air Forces, http://www.401bg.org/Main/History/Members/Details.aspx?ID=618 |
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