Carl Francis Spirito
MilitaryShot down 17 August 1943 in B-17 #42-3310 'Blood, Guts and Rust'. Plane ditched into Mediterranean Sea. Returned to base.
Shot down 10 October 1943 in B-17 #42-3328 'Miss Fortune', Prisoner of War (POW)
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
- Service Numbers: O-794590
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: The Douche Bag, The Dull Tool
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Blood, Guts & Rust II
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Blood, Guts and Rust
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Miss Fortune
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Rusty Lode, Buckshot Blues, Buckshot Annie
- Unit: 390th Bomb Group 568th Bomb Squadron 570th Bomb Squadron
Missions
- Date: 24 June 1944
- Date: 10 October 1943
- Date: 4 October 1943
- Date: 2 October 1943
- Date: 27 September 1943
Places
![A bomber crew of the 390th Bomb Group with their B-17 Flying Fortress ( serial number 42-31027) nicknamed "Honey Chile" and their dog and monkey mascots "Scrappy" and "Joe". Image stamped on reverse: ‘Fox.’ [stamp], ‘passed for publication 25 Oct 1943.’ [stamp] and ‘289774.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: ‘AERIAL MASCOTS OF FORTRESS CREWS. PH/MoN. As frisky and friendly a pair of aerial mascots as you'll find in Britain are "Scrappy" and "Joe", pup and monkey team belonging to the](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-380433.jpg.webp?itok=L7HbOA_i)
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Parham
- Site type: Prisoner of war camp
- Known as: Stalag 17b, Krems an der Donau, Austria
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Trenton, New Jersey, USA | 9 May 1915 | |
|
Lived in |
Trenton, New Jersey | 3 February 1941 | 251 Walnut |
|
Enlisted |
Camden, NJ | 14 September 1942 | |
|
Other Shot Down/Ditched/Rescued |
Med Sea, 13 miles off the coast of Annaba (Bone), Algeria | 17 August 1943 | |
|
Other Prisoner of War (POW) |
Gneixendorf, Austria | 20 October 1943 | Stalag 17b |
|
Died |
Trenton, NJ | 19 December 1970 | |
|
Other Shot Down/WIA/Captured |
Vorsundern, Germany | 10 October 1943 | Miss Fortune (23328-D, 568): cruelly living up to its namesake, the "Miss Fortune" was struck by a rocket and collided with "Miss Behavin" (23415-Q, 571). The aircraft then broke in two and crashed. Three members of the crew (William E. Wenckens, John W. Danielsen, and Carl F. Spirito) survived, but were subsequently taken prisoner by the Germans. |
Revisions
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources
Corrected a typo in the event "Description" - "Miss" was misspelled.
Contributorjmoore43
Changes
Sources
Added punctuation in the "Summary biography" to aid readability.
Removed redundant Enlisted event.
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
MACR 861 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database