Tyre Calhoun Weaver Jr

Military

On 26 July 43 Sergeant Weaver's plane, B-17 42-29802, was hit by German Fighters, there was a loud explosion on top of the plane and Weaver dropped near the navigator Keith Koske, with his arm blown off at the shoulder.



Unable to get the bleeding to stop and also to give morphine, Koske determined that since they were still 4 hrs from base, he put Weaver's chute on him and put the ring in Weaver's right hand and shoved him out the plane figuring he would get medical attention sooner.



Weaver was taken Prisoner of War (POW) for 15 months and survived due to Koske's quick thinking. The plane's pilot had been hit in the head and was fatally wounded, the co-pilot flew the plane to the target, released the bombs, and started back to base when the navigator went up to check on them.



The co-pilot was holding the pilot off the controls and needed help, also the rest of the crew were in bad shape due to oxygen deprivation from shattered lines. They had no radio, no interphone and no hydraulic fluid. Plane did make it back to base. Weaver flew a total of 11 missions.



A detailed account has been written up by Timothy Gay as part of the Chattahoochee Heritage Project: http://www.chattahoocheeheritage.org/2012/06/tyre-weavers-fall-into-gra…

Connections

See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.

Units served with

The insignia of the 92nd Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

People

Captain Robert L Campbell KIA July 1943
  • Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
  • Nationality: American
  • Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 326th Bomb Squadron
  • Service Numbers: O-789368
  • Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
  • Role/Job: Co-Pilot

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Ruthie ii
  • Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 326th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Hell-Lena
  • Unit: 92nd Bomb Group 96th Bomb Group 326th Bomb Squadron 338th Bomb Squadron

Missions

Places

  • Site type: Prisoner of war camp
  • Known as: Stalag Luft III, Sagan, Germany

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Riverview, Chambers County, Alabama 18 June 1918 Son of Tyre C Sr and Katie Lee O Weaver.

Enlisted

Alabama, USA 12 January 1942 Alabama, USA

Other

Baled out WIA

Hanover, Germany 26 July 1943 Arm shot off at shoulder, bailed out Prisoner of War (POW).

Other

Prisoner of War (POW)

Zagan, Poland 26 July 1943 Stalag Luft 3 Sagan-Silesia Bavaria (Moved to Nuremberg-Langwasser) 49-11

Other

Discharged USAAF

28 May 1945 Honourable discharge.

Died

Mobile, AL, USA 20 February 1993

Buried

Fairview Cemetery Valley, AL Fairview Cemetery Valley, Chambers County, AL

Based

Podington 26 July 1943 Assigned to 326BS, 92BG, 8AF USAAF.

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Corrected a typo in 1 of the event descriptions. Replaced a space with a dash in the "Summary biography".

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

'Fame's Favored Few' 92nd BG/Son, John L Weaver / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia