Urie Henry Zook

Military ROLL OF HONOUR

Urie H. Zook was born in Belleville, Pennsylvania, USA to an Amish family. Despite the Amish disposition on non-violence, Urie voluntarily enlisted for combat in the United States Army Air Force.



He became a ball turret gunner for a B-17 Flying Fortress and successfully completed his first tour of duty, despite statistics suggesting he would be lucky to complete a handful of missions.



He then re-enlisted for a second tour of duty before being shot down over Germany. Allegedly, Urie survived the crash of his B-17 only to be captured by the Nazis behind enemy lines. He died during a bombing by Allied forces while on a train with POWs, assumed to be heading toward a concentration camp.

Connections

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Units served with

The insignia of the 398th Bomb Group.

398th Bomb Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

43-39128

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: “Beatty's 8-Balls”
  • Unit: 398th Bomb Group 600th Bomb Squadron

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Belleville, Pennsylvania, USA 19 October 1922 Urie H. Zook was born in Belleville, PA on October 19, 1922 to Amish parents.

Died

Germany 10 March 1945

Revisions

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added Died event per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 51982018.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51982018/urie-henry-zook

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Updated Died event and middle name per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 51982018.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51982018/urie-henry-zook

Date
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources

Added S/N from WW2 POW records at the National Archives (NARA).

Date
Contributorzookfamily
Changes
Sources

Please contact [email protected] for additional information, if needed.

Date
Contributorzookfamily
Changes
Sources

I am Urie's grand-nephew, and I've been researching the genealogy of my family for several years. Urie is a proud figure in my family, along with General Samuel Zook who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. The story of how he died has been passed down from my grandparents to my parents and to me. Unfortunately, that means there are few (if any) sources that can corroborate the story online. You can contact the Mennonite History Museum of Belleville, PA for more information or verification, which is where his flight jacket is located on loan from my family, at 717-935-5574.

Please contact me at [email protected] if you have any additional questions or want more verification.

Thanks!

Date
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources

MACR 12650 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database