Walter Aaron Backman
Military
media-52334.jpeg
UPL 52334
Lt Hawg [sic] and crew of a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress of the 390th Bomb Group pose in front of their plane at their base in England on 19 March 1944.
Back row: Walter Backman, Darwin Arnold, Warren Hawes, Andrew Archiopoli.
Front row: Mark Overstreet , Johnny Enlow, Charles Kane, Howard Reppert, Elvis Lehman
Back row: Walter Backman, Darwin Arnold, Warren Hawes, Andrew Archiopoli.
Front row: Mark Overstreet , Johnny Enlow, Charles Kane, Howard Reppert, Elvis Lehman
US Air Force Official Photo via Fold3
Re-upload of UPL 44546 (now deleted) due to technical error with original image.
Walter Beckman was Navigator on the Warren Hawes Crew (Crew Number 18) in the 390th Bomb Group. He flew most missions on B-17 #42-31717 “HELLS BELLS”.
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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 20738401 at enlistment
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 39255625
- Role/Job: Engineer/Top Turret gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 19102610 at enlistment
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: 12164116
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Waist Gunner
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Hells Bells
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Parham
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
29 May 1921 | Aurora, Minnesota | |
Enlisted |
19 May 1942 | Saint Louis, Missouri | |
Died |
6 January 2010 | ||
Chisholm, Minnesota |
Revisions
ContributorED-BB
Changes
Sources
NARA WWII Enlistment records
WWII Draft Card
Veterans Affairs BIRLS death File
2005 e-mail correspondence with fellow crew member Johnny Enlow's nephew Troy
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / www.390thspace.com/missions.php?name=Backman%2C+Walter+A